A liquid-gas separator assembly is used in separating gas bubbles from a
liquid coolant. The assembly includes a cylindrical housing containing a
central tube which is surrounded by an annular chamber. The annular
chamber is defined by the outer surface of the central tube and the inner
surface of the cylindrical housing. An inlet line injects a stream of the
coolant from the fuel cell stack area of the power plant into the bottom
of the central tube in a tangential flow pattern so that the coolant and
gas bubble mixture swirls upwardly through the central tube. The swirling
flow pattern of the coolant and gas bubble mixture causes the gas bubbles
to separate from the liquid coolant. The gaseous component of the
separated mixture is then expelled from the housing through an outlet in
the upper portion of the housing, and the coolant liquid descends through
the annular chamber to the bottom of the housing.