Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation

Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Siemens Energy, Inc.

Charles A Hager

Jeffrey T Dederer

Roswell J Ruka

Paolo R Zafred

Prabhakar Singh

George R Folser

Vinod B Doshi

Douglas S Schmidt

James M Toms

Gregory W Tomlins

A solid oxide fuel cell generator ( ), containing tubular fuel cells ( ) with interior air electrodes ( ), where a supporting member ( ) containing a plurality of holes ( ) supports oxidant feed tubes ( ), which pass from an oxidant plenum ( ) into the center of the fuel cells, through the holes ( ) in the supporting member ( ), where a compliant gasket ( ) around the top of the oxidant feed tubes and on top ( ) of the supporting member ( ) helps support the oxidant feed tubes and center them within the fuel cells, and loosen the tolerance for centering the air feed tubes.

Air feed tube support system for a solid oxide fuel cell generator

A solid oxide fuel cell (,) having a closed end (,) and an open end (,) operates in a fuel cell generator (,) where the fuel cell open end (,) of each fuel cell contains a sleeve (,) fitted over the open end (,), where the sleeve (,) extends beyond the open end (,) of the fuel cell (,) to prevent degradation of the interior air electrode of the fuel cell by fuel gas during operation of the generator (,).

Open end protection for solid oxide fuel cells

An electrochemical fuel cell generator configuration is made having a generator section which contains a plurality of axially elongated fuel cells, each cell containing a fuel electrode, air electrode, and solid oxide electrolyte between the electrodes, in which axially elongated dividers separate portions of the fuel cells from each other, and where at least one divider also reforms a reformable fuel gas mixture prior to electricity generation reactions, the at least one reformer-divider is hollow having a closed end and an open end entrance for a reformable fuel mixture to pass to the closed end of the divider and then reverse flow and pass back along the hollowed walls to be reformed, and then finally to pass as reformed fuel out of the open end of the divider to contact the fuel cells, and further where the reformer-divider is a composite structure having a gas diffusion barrier of metallic foil surrounding the external walls of the reformer-divider except at the entrance to prevent diffusion of the reformable gas mixture through the divider, and further housed in an outer insulating jacket except at the entrance to prevent short-circuiting of the fuel cells by the gas diffusion barrier.

Electrochemical fuel cell generator having an internal and leak tight

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Zelienople, PA, United States of America

Charles A Hager