Coolant manifold and methods for supplying and discharging coolant

• Main Authors: SUZUKI MASAHARU, KOHYAMA KATSUHIKO, KIKUCHI HIDEAKI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 20.09.2007
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; ELECTRICITY; PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY

There is provided a coolant manifold that is installed to a fuel cell stack so as to distribute coolant through the fuel cell stack, which is constituted by stacking a plurality of unit cells and has more than one communication holes for coolant supply and at least one communication hole for coolant discharge, in which the coolant flows in an order from the communication holes for coolant supply through a plurality of the unit cells to the communication hole for coolant discharge. The coolant manifold includes a manifold body having a manifold chamber that extends along an alignment direction of the communication holes for coolant supply, and an external communication part having an external communication hole for communicating the manifold chamber with external. A center axis of the external communication hole is placed unparallel and non-vertical relative to a center axis of each communication hole for coolant supply.