Cooling arrangement using an electrochemical cell

Abstract

An example generator cooling arrangement includes an electrochemical hydrogen pump configured to receive and adjust a fluid containing hydrogen and to provide a refined supply of hydrogen. An electric power generator receives the supply of hydrogen. The refined supply of hydrogen is used to remove thermal energy from the electric power generator.

1 . A generator cooling arrangement, comprising:
 an electrochemical hydrogen pump comprising a polymer electrolyte membrane through which hydrogen ions are transported, an anode plate having anode channels and a cathode plate having cathode channels, at least one of the anode plate and the cathode plate having coolant channels through which the polymer electrolyte membrane is hydrated, the coolant channels connected to a coolant loop, wherein the electrochemical hydrogen pump is configured such that a pressure of water flowing in the coolant channels is maintained at a lower pressure than a pressure of a gas in either of the anode channels or the cathode channels of the electrochemical hydrogen pump during operation, and wherein the electrochemical hydrogen pump is configured to receive and adjust a fluid stream containing gaseous hydrogen, and to provide a refined supply of hydrogen in a more refined state than the fluid stream received by the electrochemical hydrogen pump;   an electric power generator that receives the refined supply of hydrogen, wherein the refined supply of hydrogen is used to remove thermal energy from the electric power generator, and wherein impurities are introduced into the refined supply of hydrogen as the refined supply of hydrogen is used to remove the thermal energy from the electric power generator via direct contact of the refined supply of hydrogen with the electric power generator, wherein the electrochemical hydrogen pump receives the fluid stream containing gaseous hydrogen with impurities entrained therein from the electric power generator; and   a vent in fluid communication with the electrochemical hydrogen pump to vent the impurities.   
     
     
         2 . The generator cooling arrangement of  claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical hydrogen pump is configured to adjust the fluid stream including gaseous hydrogen by increasing the hydrogen concentration in the provided, refined supply of hydrogen relative to the received fluid stream containing gaseous hydrogen. 
     
     
         3 . The generator cooling arrangement of  claim 2 , wherein the refined supply of hydrogen comprises hydrogen purified from the fluid stream containing gaseous hydrogen. 
     
     
         4 . The generator cooling arrangement of  claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical hydrogen pump is configured to adjust the fluid stream by changing the pressure of the fluid stream. 
     
     
         5 . The generator cooling arrangement of  claim 1 , wherein the refined supply of hydrogen comprises at least some of the fluid stream. 
     
     
         6 . The generator cooling arrangement of  claim 1 , wherein the electric power generator is configured to generate more than 150 megawatts of electric power. 
     
     
         7 . The generator cooling arrangement of  claim 1 , wherein the electric power generator comprises windings and the refined supply of hydrogen removes thermal energy from the windings. 
     
     
         8 . The generator cooling arrangement of  claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical hydrogen pump is configured to communicate the refined supply of hydrogen to a hydrogen storage device that stores the refined supply of hydrogen, and the electric power generator is configured to receive the refined supply of hydrogen from the hydrogen storage device. 
     
     
         9 . A cooling system, comprising:
 an electrochemical hydrogen pump comprising a polymer electrolyte membrane, an anode plate having anode channels and a cathode plate having cathode channels, at least one of the anode plate and the cathode plate having coolant channels through which the polymer electrolyte membrane is hydrated;   a hydrogen cooled device in fluid communication with the electrochemical hydrogen pump via a first path and a second path, wherein the electrochemical hydrogen pump receives a supply of hydrogen with impurities entrained therein from the hydrogen cooled device along the second path, the electrochemical hydrogen pump removing and venting the impurities to provide a refined supply of hydrogen that is communicated to the hydrogen cooled device along the first path, wherein impurities and heat are introduced into the refined supply of hydrogen via contact with the hydrogen cooled device; and   an exhaust outlet in fluid communication with the hydrogen cooled device for exhausting a portion of heat entrained in the refined supply of hydrogen after moving through the hydrogen cooled device.   
     
     
         10 . The cooling system of  claim 9  further comprising:
 a hydrogen supply in fluid communication with the hydrogen cooled device via a third path, wherein the hydrogen supply supplies an initial amount of hydrogen to the hydrogen cooled device along the third path, the initial amount of hydrogen moving through the hydrogen cooled device wherein heat and impurities are entrained therein, wherein the initial amount of hydrogen containing the heat and impurities is communicated to the electrochemical hydrogen pump along the second path and the electrochemical hydrogen pump vents the impurities to provide the refined supply of hydrogen. 
 
     
     
         11 . The cooling system of  claim 9  wherein the coolant channels are connected to a coolant loop. 
     
     
         12 . The cooling system of  claim 11  wherein electrochemical hydrogen pump is configured such that a pressure of coolant flowing in the coolant channels is maintained at a lower pressure than a pressure of a gas in either of the anode channels or the cathode channels of the electrochemical hydrogen pump during operation. 
     
     
         13 . The cooling system of  claim 11  wherein the coolant loop further comprises a heat exchanger in fluid communication with the electrochemical hydrogen pump, the supply of hydrogen with impurities entrained therein including a portion of the thermal energy removed from the hydrogen cooled device, wherein the heat exchanger removes at least some of the portion of thermal energy from the supply of hydrogen with impurities entrained therein, which was removed from the hydrogen cooled device. 
     
     
         14 . The cooling system of  claim 9  further comprising:
 a hydrogen control system in communication with the hydrogen cooled device, the hydrogen control system monitoring at least one of purity, temperature, and pressure of the refined stream of hydrogen, the hydrogen control system including a controller in communication with the electrochemical hydrogen pump and the hydrogen cooled device, wherein the controller adjusts, via the electrochemical hydrogen pump, a corresponding at least one of purity, temperature, and pressure of the refined stream of hydrogen in the hydrogen cooled device based at least in part on the monitoring. 
 
     
     
         15 . A generator cooling arrangement, comprising:
 an electrochemical hydrogen pump comprising a polymer electrolyte membrane, an anode plate having anode channels and a cathode plate having cathode channels, at least one of the anode plate and the cathode plate having coolant channels through which the polymer electrolyte membrane is hydrated, the electrochemical hydrogen pump being configured to receive and adjust a fluid stream containing gaseous hydrogen, and to provide a refined supply of hydrogen;   an electric power generator that receives the refined supply of hydrogen, wherein the refined supply of hydrogen is used to remove thermal energy from the electric power generator, wherein impurities are introduced into the refined supply of hydrogen as the refined supply of hydrogen is used to remove the thermal energy from the electric power generator, and wherein the electrochemical hydrogen pump receives the fluid stream containing gaseous hydrogen with impurities entrained therein from the electric power generator and removes the impurities by passing hydrogen ions through a polymer electrolyte membrane to provide the refined supply of hydrogen.   
     
     
         16 . The generator cooling arrangement of  claim 15  further comprising:
 a vent in fluid communication with the electrochemical hydrogen pump to vent the impurities. 
 
     
     
         17 . The generator cooling arrangement of  claim 15  wherein the coolant channels are connected to a coolant loop, and wherein the electrochemical hydrogen pump is configured such that a pressure of coolant flowing in the coolant channels is maintained at a lower pressure than a pressure of a gas in either of the anode channels or the cathode channels of the electrochemical hydrogen pump during operation. 
     
     
         18 . The generator cooling arrangement of  claim 15  wherein a first one of the anode and cathode plates is solid and a second one of the anode and cathode plates is porous, the second one of the anode and cathode plates including the coolant channels. 
     
     
         19 . The generator cooling arrangement of  claim 15  wherein the electrochemical hydrogen pump is configured to regulate a pressure and a temperature of the refined supply of hydrogen. 
     
     
         20 . The generator cooling arrangement of  claim 15  further comprising:
 a controller in communication with the electrochemical hydrogen pump and the electric power generator, the controller monitoring at least one of a purity and a pressure of hydrogen within the electric power generator and configured to adjust a corresponding at least one of the purity and the pressure of the refined supply of hydrogen based at least in part on the monitoring.