US 12,148,960 B2
Cooling method for operating a fuel-cell system
Richard Brümmer, Stuttgart (DE); and Thomas Strauss, Notzingen (DE)
Assigned to MAHLE INTERNATIONAL GMBH, Stuttgart (DE)
Appl. No. 18/569,872
Filed by MAHLE INTERNATIONAL GMBH, Stuttgart (DE)
PCT Filed Jun. 1, 2022, PCT No. PCT/EP2022/064951
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 13, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/263181, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 22, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 102021206015.3 (DE), filed on Jun. 14, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0266561 A1, Aug. 8, 2024
Int. Cl. H01M 8/04007 (2016.01); H01M 8/04014 (2016.01); H01M 8/04029 (2016.01); H01M 8/0438 (2016.01); H01M 8/04701 (2016.01); H01M 8/04746 (2016.01); H01M 8/04828 (2016.01)
CPC H01M 8/04059 (2013.01) [H01M 8/04014 (2013.01); H01M 8/04029 (2013.01); H01M 8/04768 (2013.01); H01M 8/04828 (2013.01); H01M 2250/20 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for operating a fuel cell system,
wherein the fuel cell system comprises:
at least one fuel cell,
a cooling circuit through which during the operation a coolant circulates and into which the at least one fuel cell for cooling the fuel cell is incorporated,
a coolant cooler, through which during the operation the coolant flows and through which, fluidically separated from the coolant, air flows in order to cool the coolant,
a fan assembly comprising at least one fan for delivering the air through the coolant cooler, which during the operation delivers air with an air mass flow between a minimum mass flow and a maximum mass flow, and
an evaporative cooling unit, in which water with an introduction rate between a minimum rate and a maximum rate can be introduced upstream of the coolant cooler into the air delivered by the fan assembly,
wherein the introduction rate of water and the air mass flow are increased for increasing the cooling power of the coolant cooler, and
wherein the introduction rate of water and the air mass flow are increased in such a manner that the maximum rate is reached before the maximum mass flow.