Stabel af brændselsceller med et køleanlæg

摘要

Fuel cell stack (2) coolant water is processed by moving the two-phase water/steam coolant exhaust through a steam separator (14) wherein the water phase is separated from the steam phase. The water phase is then moved through a heat exchanger (22) where its temperature is lowered to a subcooled level which is below the coolant operating temperature in the stack (2). A flow control valve (26) is associated with the coolant heat exchanger (22) to regulate water flow through and/or around the heat exchanger (22) depending on the temperature of the water which leaves the steam separator (14). By subcooling the coolant before it reenters the stack (2), a lessening of electrolyte loss through evaporation is achieved. By eliminating steam condensation as a form of system heat rejection, system engineering is simplified and construction costs are lowered.