Patent ID: 6797421
Filing Date: 2004-09-28
Classification: H01M,Y02E

Abstract:
A keep warm system to provide freeze protection for a fuel cell power plant (10), comprising:a. a fuel cell stack assembly (CSA) (12) including an anode (16), a cathode (18), an electrolyte (14), and a cooler (20); b. fuel supply means (25) for providing a supply of fuel, at least some of the fuel being supplied as reactant to the anode (16); c. a source of oxidant reactant (22) operatively supplied to the cathode (18); d. a water management system (30, 28) operatively connected to the cooler (20) of the CSA (12); e. thermal insulating means (64) enclosing at least one of the CSA (12) and the water management system (30, 28) for providing thermal insulation thereof; and f. catalytic fuel burner means (66) operatively connected to the fuel supply means (25) and to the source of oxidant reactant (22) for catalytically reacting the fuel and oxidant and providing a source of heat, the burner means (66) being disposed and operative to supply heated gas into the thermal insulating enclosure means (64), and to the at least one of the CSA (12) and the water management system (30, 28) in the thermal insulating enclosure means (64), thereby to prevent freezing of water in freeze-sensitive parts of the fuel cell power plant.