Hollow artery anode wick for passive variable pressure regenerative fuel cells

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Conventional passive, variable pressure, regenerative fuel cell systems utilize mechanical valves, pressure regulators, feed pumps, and recirculation pumps.
Many systems also include active heating and cooling control loops in both the gaseous hydrogen and oxygen storage tanks to feed water to the anode side of the fuel cell during electrical power production (to prevent fuel cell anode drying), and for draining water from the cathode side of the electrolyzer during electrical recharging operations.
A fuel cell design in accordance with the invention, uses an anode wick to substantially reduce the probability of drying a fuel cell's anode membrane surface.
An anode wick, in accordance with the invention, establishes a physical connection between a fuel cell's anode membrane surface and a liquid water reservoir.
Wicking action substantially ensures the cell's anode surface is continually bathed in water.
Two mechanical check valves are incorporated to effectively prevent mixing of gaseous hydrogen and oxygen gases in the event the fuel cell system's water tanks become over pressurized.
This design can effectively eliminate the need for some of a conventional fuel cell system's pumps and/or compressors.
Advantageously, the invention also reduces the overall weight and mechanical complexity of the fuel cell system, thereby improving system reliability.