Passive Gas Regulated Heat Pipe System for Fuel Cell System Thermal Management

A gas reservoir regulated heat pipe system is proposed to provide passive temperature regulation of a reformer and fuel cell system. This system has been successfully applied to passively regulate temperatures of an air cooled two-stroke engine to within 10 deg C over the operating range from idle to full power and for a vehicle velocity ranging from 0-50 mph. The heat pipe system will involve multiple reservoirs at differing pressures to control different sections of the reformer and fuel cell system at optimal temperatures. Further the system will incorporate a circuit for the transfer of waste heat from the fuel cell products to the reformer feedstock and/or a waste heat power generation system.