Patents by Inventor Brian D Shaffer

Brian D Shaffer has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7465508
    Abstract: A temperature control system and method for a fuel cell stack cooling system is disclosed. The temperature control system includes a coolant circulation line for circulating a coolant to and from a fuel cell stack. A coolant pump is provided in the coolant circulation line, and a pump ?P sensor is provided in fluid communication with the coolant circulation line on inlet and outlet sides of the coolant pump. The pump ?P sensor measures a change in pump pressure between the inlet and outlet sides of the coolant pump. A pump map is provided having correlated values of pump speed, change in pump pressure and coolant flow rate for correlating the coolant flow rate with the pump speed and the change in pump pressure to attain a desired coolant flow rate for optimum fuel stack cooling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2008
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Abdullah B. Alp, Bruce J. Clingerman, Jason R. Kolodziej, Brian D. Shaffer, Donald H. Keskula
  • Patent number: 7402353
    Abstract: The present invention is a method of operating a fuel cell stack and system that minimizes the potential for having a large pressure differential between the anode and cathode flow fields and a low relative humidity occurrence within the cathode flow fields. This is accomplished by tempering the downward transient in power demand seen by the fuel cell stack. The downward transient in power demand on the fuel cell stack is tempered by reducing the rate at which the power generated by the fuel cell stack is decreased and providing the excess power generated by the fuel cell stack to other parasitic components of the fuel cell system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2008
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Brian D Shaffer, Abdullah Basar Alp, Bruce J Clingerman