| 摘要 |
<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an integrated technique for hydrating a fuel cell which can avoid high cost, excessive complexity or poor operability associated with traditional techniques. <P>SOLUTION: This integrated technique for hydrating a fuel cell includes a device and method which extracts water from a moisture-rich fuel cell flowpath and supplies the water to other components of a fuel cell system that require water, and a water transport unit is integrated into the fuel cell so that the size, weight and complexity of the fuel cell is minimized. In an embodiment, the device includes many flowpaths that include an active region and inactive regions. The water transport unit includes a moisture-donating fluid channel and a moisture-accepting fluid channel, where the latter is fluidly connected with a portion of the fuel cell that is in need of humidification. Upon passage of a moisture-donating fluid through the inactive region of the device flowpath, at least some of the water contained therein passes through the water transport unit to a portion of the fuel cell that is in need of humidification. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT |
