Basf Wyandotte Corporation

General Electric Company

Engelhard Corporation

Other

Motorola Corporation

United Technologies Corporation

Oronzio Denora Impianti Elettrochimici S.p.a.

Edward N Balko

Shyam D Argade

Anthony B LaConti

Thomas G Coker

James E Shrewsburg

Jeffrey Barmont Hoke

Kenneth Edwin Voss

Gary A Gramiccioni

George B McGray

Lawrence C Moulthrop

James F McElroy

Robert J Farrauto

Jeffrey D Naber

Patrick W Blosser

Stephen M Collins

Richard J Lawrance

Albert J Schweickart

Philip Dantowitz

John J Bortak

Suphan Kovenklioglu

David Richard Price

William Francis Schmitt

Douglas A Porath

David A Kramer

A highly reactive reducing gas mixture is produced from vehicle fuel and introduced into the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine operated at lean burn conditions and passed over a reducing catalyst to convert NO emissions to benign emissions. Preferably, fuel with oxygen present in a carrier gas is metered into a plasma reactor having a bed of dielectric particles which prevent formation of coke as the fuel is reacted. The plasma induces a number of simultaneous reactions with the fuel to produce a substantial amount of oxygenated and non-oxygenated, unbranched organic molecules at relatively low temperatures that are highly reactive and ideally suited for use as a reducing agent in an SCR catalyst.

Plasma fuel processing for NOx control lean burn engines

A highly reactive reducing gas mixture is produced from vehicle fuel and introduced into the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine operated at lean burn conditions and passed over a reducing catalyst to convert NO,emissions to benign emissions. Preferably, fuel with oxygen present in a carrier gas is metered into a plasma reactor having a bed of dielectric particles which prevent formation of coke as the fuel is reacted. The plasma induces a number of simultaneous reactions with the fuel to produce a substantial amount of oxygenated and non-oxygenated, unbranched organic molecules at relatively low temperatures that are highly reactive and ideally suited for use as a reducing agent in an SCR catalyst.

Plasma fuel processing for NOx control of lean burn engines

A calorimetric sensor for sensing hydrocarbon emissions in an exhaust gas emission monitoring system is provided with at least first and second areas coated with different first and second catalysts so that one catalyst coated area produces oxidation with HC, CO and H.sub.2 and the other catalyst produces oxidation with CO and H.sub.2 but not with HC. Temperature increases attributed to the oxidation reactions are sensed by first and second RTDs while the temperature of an uncatalyzed sensor area is sensed by a reference RTD. Thermal temperature signals for each first and second RTD is balanced against the reference RTD signal to produce accurate first and second temperature signals which are then subtracted to produce a true signal of the HC concentration in the exhaust gas.

Multi-channel pellistor type emission sensor

An on-board catalytic monitoring system uses an intrusive technique to cause the vehicle's engine to cycle between first and second operating conditions. The first and second operating conditions are chosen such that different concentrations of emissions with different chemistries are present at the first and second operating conditions. A calorimetric sensor with a selective catalyst senses exothermic oxidation reactions produced by the emissions in the exhaust gas passing over the sensor. By matching the catalyst activity with the emission concentrations occurring at the operating conditions, the difference between the heat release sensor signals detected between the first and second operating conditions is indicative of the actual concentration of specific emissions in the exhaust gas stream. The difference or delta signal, obtained without reference to a zero point, provides an excellent correlation to the efficiency of the vehicle's catalytic converter for converting the sensed emission, i.e., hydrocarbons.

OBD calorimetric sensor system with offset error correction

A process for hydrodehalogenating halogenated organic compounds present in a contaminated aqueous environmental source in which the halogenated organic compounds are reacted with hydrogen gas or a source of hydrogen gas in the presence of a catalyst of palladium on carbon.

Method of hydrodehalogenating halogenated organic compounds in aqueous

A process for hydrodehalogenating halogenated aromatics present in a contaminated aqueous environmental source in which the halogenated aromatics are reacted with hydrogen gas or a source of hydrogen gas in the presence of a basic proton acceptor and a catalyst of palladium on carbon.

Hydrodehalogenation of aromatic compounds

A water/gas separator for individual cells of an H.sub.2 /O.sub.2 fuel cell battery includes porous hydrophilic discs which transport water but block passage of the oxidant gas.

Fuel cell battery with in cell oxidant-product liquid separators

Shunt currents which flow between the electrodes of adjacent cells through the moving conductive fluid and the fluid pool in the manifold of a bipolar cell assembly are minimized by introducing the conductive fluid at the top of an elongated outlet manifold. This results in cascaded flow which interrupts the current path. Shunt currents between the fluid manifold walls of the conductive bipolar elements in the series connected electrochemical cell assemblies are minimized by insulating the manifold walls with insulating, elastomeric sealing grommets. This prevents current flow between the manifold walls through the electrically conductive fluid in the manifold and provides an edgeseal between bipolar plates. The instant invention relates to a process and apparatus for electrochemical cell assemblies and more particularly, for reducing shunt current in series connected bipolar assemblies.

Bipolar separator plate for electrochemical cells

A three layer cation transporting membrane in which the interior layer has the best hydroxyl ion (OH) rejection characteristics. The outer layers are preferably porous.

Multi layer ion exchanging membrane with protected interior hydroxyl ion

The performance of a permselective cation transporting membrane is improved by making the membrane a three or more layer structure in which the layer having the best hydroxyl (OH) ion rejection characteristic is in the interior of the membrane. The OH ion rejection layer, which typically has sulfonamide or carboxylic functional groups, is covered by a cation transporting layer having sulfonate functional groups to which the cathode electrode is attached by bonding or otherwise. This keeps the high caustic concentrations present at the membrane-electrode interface away from the sulfonamide, etc. rejection layer.

Shunt currents which flow between the electrodes of adjacent cells through the moving conductive fluid and the fluid pool in the manifold of a bipolar cell assembly are minimized by introducing the conductive fluid at the top of an elongated outlet manifold. This results in cascaded flow which interrupts the current path. Shunt currents between the fluid manifold walls of the conductive bipolar elements in the series connected electrochemical cell assemblies are minimized by insulating the manifold walls with insulating, elastomeric sealing grommets. This prevents current flow between the manifold walls through the electrically conductive fluid in the manifold and provides an edgeseal between bipolar plates.

Apparatus for reduction of shunt current in bipolar electrochemical cell

A bipolar current collector-separator for electrochemical cells consists of a molded aggregate of electro-conductive graphite and a thermoplastic fluoropolymer particles reinforced with carbon fibers to increase the strength and maintain high electrical conductivity. The graphite and the thermoplastic fluoropolymer are combined in weight ratio ranging from 2.5:1 to 16:1. The carbon fibers may constitute from 10 to 80 weight percent of the conductive graphite. The bulk resistivity of such a molded bipolar current collector is less than 4.times.10.sup.-3 ohm inches (.sigma. in.) It has excellent corrosion resistance to a variety of feed stocks such as brine, aqueous HCl, water, etc. and to various electrolysis products, such as caustic, chlorine, hydrogen, etc. This invention relates to a molded, conductive, fiber reinforced, current collecting-separator structure for electrochemical cells and, more particularly, to one utilizing thermoplastic fluoropolymer resin binders for bonding electroconductive particles into a solid, current collecting-separator structure reinforced by carbon or graphite fibers or fiber structures.

Carbon fiber reinforced fluorocarbon-graphite bipolar current

An improved anode for use in the electrolysis of hydrogen chloride for the generation of chlorine gas in an electrolytic cell having a solid polymer electrolyte membrane with a cathode bonded to one side of the membrane and an anode bonded to the other side of the membrane, is described. The length of the diffusion path within the anode where the electrolytic oxidation takes place, is decreased or the porosity of the anode where the electrolytic oxidation takes place, is increased, to increase the rate of transport of the reactants (hydrogen chloride) and the reaction products (chlorine gas) within the anode. The diffusion path length is decreased by decreasing the thickness of the anode catalyst material. A preferred anode catalyst for the oxidation of an aqueous hydrogen chloride solution has a thickness of about 6.0 microns to about 50.0 microns.

Anode for reducing oxygen generation in the electrolysis of hydrogen

An HCl electrolyzer utilizing a membrane with catalytic electrodes physically bonded to the surfaces of the membrane is provided with an electron current conducting structure which comprises an array of individual current conducting elements contacting the electrode. The cell is operated at high temperatures (60.degree.-90.degree. C.) to take advantage of the reduction of electrode overpotential at these temperatures but with low feed acid concentrations (.ltoreq.9M) to minimize hydrogen chloride in the chlorine, i.e, HCl vapor pressure is below 0.1 atmospheres--76 Torr. There is also a large decrease in membrane resistance as temperature is increased. Simultaneously O.sub.2 evolution is suppressed to maintain O.sub.2 content in the chlorine at 0.1% or less.

High temperature and low feed acid concentration operation of HCl

In a process for making chlorine electrolytically in which a build-up of nitrogen trichloride occurs in the bottoms of cooling apparatus, a method and apparatus is provided wherein the nitrogen trichloride is dissolved in an organic solvent such as carbon tetrachloride, the chlorine removed, and the solution treated to destroy the otherwise hazardous nitrogen trichloride. The solvent is then separated and recycled to avoid environmentally undesirable waste products.

Growing community of inventors

Wilmington, MA, United States of America

Edward N Balko