US 12,347,896 B2
Pumped two-phase fuel cell cooling
Matthew Legg, Cirencester (GB)
Assigned to ZEROAVIA LTD, Cirencester (GB)
Appl. No. 18/873,477
Filed by ZEROAVIA LTD, Cirencester (GB)
PCT Filed Jun. 12, 2023, PCT No. PCT/US2023/025062
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 10, 2024,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/239965, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 14, 2023.
Application 18/873,477 is a continuation of application No. 17/806,471, filed on Jun. 10, 2022, granted, now 11,575,138, issued on Feb. 7, 2023.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/450,874, filed on Mar. 8, 2023.
Claims priority of application No. 2215788 (GB), filed on Oct. 25, 2022; and application No. 2305991 (GB), filed on Apr. 24, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2025/0174683 A1, May 29, 2025
Int. Cl. H01M 8/04014 (2016.01)
CPC H01M 8/04014 (2013.01) [H01M 2250/20 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
 
1. A cooling system for a fuel cell aboard a vehicle, wherein the cooling system comprises a fluid circuit configured to circulate a coolant comprising a phase-change material through a coolant channel in contact with the fuel cell to absorb heat from the fuel cell;
a heat exchanger comprising an extension of the coolant channel and an airflow channel connecting an air inlet and an air outlet, wherein the extension of the coolant channel is separated from the air flow channel;
a pump configured for pressurizing and circulating the coolant through the system;
a throttling valve for controlling pressure on the coolant as the coolant is circulated through the system, wherein the coolant has a boiling point that is below the fuel cell operating temperature, and
a controller configured to control operation of the pump and the throttling valve to evaporate the coolant so that the coolant exits contact with the fuel cell as a two-phase mixture or as a vapor,
wherein the air inlet to the heat exchanger is configured to close at least in part when the temperature of the coolant exiting the heat exchanger approaches ambient temperature.