Fuel Cell System
The potential energy from a hydrogen tank is used in a gas jet pump, which draws in anode waste gas via an inlet and recirculates it to an anode inlet. To ensure that this system operates effectively even under low loads, a part of the waste gas is supplied to a compressor, and the compressed waste gas is supplied to the motive jet inlet of a gas jet pump, which may be the same one to which the hydrogen from the tank is also supplied. Different gas jet pumps may also be used, for the hydrogen from the tank on the one hand, and the compressed waste gas on the other hand.
1 .- 6 . (canceled)
7 . A fuel cell system having at least one fuel cell with an anode; wherein:
hydrogen is supplied to the anode via an anode inlet;
waste gas from the anode is conveyable via an anode outlet, back to the anode inlet in a circuit that includes at least one gas jet pump;
a part of the waste gas is supplied to the at least one gas jet pump, as gas to be drawn in;
an outlet of the at least one gas jet pump is connected to the anode inlet;
a further part of the waste gas is supplied to a compressor; and
waste gas compressed by the compressor is supplied to a motive jet side of the gas jet pump.
8 . The fuel cell system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein hydrogen from a tank is also supplied to the same gas jet pump to which the compressed waste gas is supplied.
9 . The fuel cell system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the compressed waste gas and the hydrogen from the tank are brought together upstream of the gas jet pump.
10 . The fuel cell system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the compressed waste gas and the hydrogen are supplied to different inlet nozzles of the gas jet pump.
11 . The fuel cell system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the hydrogen from the tank is supplied to a gas jet pump other than the gas jet pump to which the compressed waste gas is supplied.
12 . The fuel cell system as claimed in claim 10 , wherein each of the gas jet pumps has a nonreturn valve on the side of the anode inlet.