Institute of Gas Technology

Electric Power Research Institute Incorporated

Hybrid Power Generation Systems, LLC

Other

Gas Technology Institute

General Electric Company

Estela T Ong

Nguyen Q Minh

Leonard G Marianowski

Rafael A Donado

James Piascik

Jean Yamanis

Kevin Krist

Jie Guan

Rajiv Doshi

Gregory Lear

Diane S Erickson

Nellie Burton-Gorman

Vahid Sendijarevic

Randy J Petri

Chakravarthy Sishtla

Kenneth E Hrdina

Kurtis C Montgomery

Brandon W Chung

Farrokh Issacci

Daniel Dalfonzo

Liang Xue

Elias H Camara

Kurt Montgomery

A direct carbon fuel cell having an anode electrode of carbon particles pre-wetted with carbonate, a cathode electrode, and an electrolyte layer disposed between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode and containing a molten carbonate. The fuel cell includes a wicking feature whereby excess carbonate produced during the operation of the fuel cell is removed. The use of carbonate pre-wetted carbon particles as the anode provides a network of empty voids, facilitating the removal of COgas from the cell, thereby enhancing fuel cell performance.

Direct carbon fuel cell with pre-wetted carbon particles

A method for separation of molecular hydrogen from a gaseous mixture containing the molecular hydrogen, which method employs a dense mixed oxide ion/electronic/hydrogen atom conducting membrane or separator having a feed side and a permeate side that enables two mechanisms for hydrogen separation&#x2014;ambi-polar conduction and hydrogen atom conduction. In this method, at least a portion of the molecular hydrogen is converted on the feed side of the membrane to hydrogen atoms, which hydrogen atoms are conducted through the membrane to the permeate side thereof where they are converted back to molecular hydrogen. The permeate side of the membrane is contacted with steam, forming water and/or steam on the feed side of the membrane and additional molecular hydrogen on the permeate side of the separator.

Hydrogen separation process using mixed oxide ion/electronic/hydrogen atom conducting membranes

A sealant composition for use in sealing solid oxide fuel cells is provided which comprises a glass component which comprises a mixture of alkali-free inorganic oxides, and an optional filler component dispersed in the glass component, said filler component being up to 40% by weight of the composition. The glass component can include, on a mole basis, 20 to 50% BaO, 1 to 10% YO, 5 to 20% BO, 10 to 30% SiO, 3 to 35% MgO, 2 to 20% CaO, 1 to 10% ZnO, and 0 to 5% ZrO, and exemplary filler components include zirconia, alumina, barium titanate, strontium titanate, and combinations thereof.

Alkali-free composite sealant materials for solid oxide fuel cells

A fuel cell stack comprises a plurality of planar fuel cells in a spiral configuration. The fuel cells angularly offset from one another such that immediately adjacent cells only partially overlap one another. The cells are preferably of the unitized type. A manifold assembly is operatively adjacent to the fuel cells. The manifold assembly includes an inlet manifold and an outlet manifold for each of the gases that are in communication with the fuel cells. The unitized solid oxide fuel cell comprises a first planar interconnect, a planar ceramic cell adjacent the first planar interconnect, a second planar interconnect adjacent the opposite side of the planar ceramic cell, and a plurality of gas tubes adjacent the planar ceramic cell. The gas tubes are arranged to a first configuration, a second configuration, a third configuration and a fourth configuration with a cylindrical gas tube shape and a T-shape gas tube designs. These configurations provide a choice of co-flow, cross flow or counter flow patterns inside the cell to improve the thermal management and cell efficiency and provide more flexibilities to connect a manifold assembly. They also provide an option to directly combust the spent fuel just outside the fuel cell to eliminate a separate burner for residual energy recovery. These configurations thus provide means for improved fuel cell power system efficiency and lowered capital and operational costs.

Stacking and manifolding of unitized solid oxide fuel cells

A sealless, planar fuel cell stack system, including a continuous bottom plate, a first permeable or interconnect layer, a continuous cell, a second permeable or interconnect layer, a continuous top plate, a fuel supply member, and an oxidant gas supply member, is provided. The fuel cell system of the present invention does not require glass-based sealants to seal its planar components. In the present system, the continuous cell of the system is supported by the first permeable layer. The second permeable layer is supported by the continuous cell. The fuel supply member supplies fuel into the first permeable layer. The fuel supply member extends between an outer edge and a center region of the first permeable layer and allows distribution of the fuel in a radial fashion. Further, the fuel supply member is connected to an external fuel manifold adjacent the outer edge. The oxidant gas supply member supplies oxidant gas into the second permeable layer. The oxidant gas supply member extends between an outer edge and a center region of the second permeable layer and allows distribution of the oxidant gas in a radial fashion. The oxidant gas supply member is connected to an external oxidant gas manifold adjacent the outer edge.

Sealless radial solid oxide fuel cell stack design

The present invention relates to a multi-layered and multifunctional cathode in solid oxide fuel cells having high conductivity, high catalytic activity, minimized coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch, excellent compatibility to other portions of the fuel cell, and reduced temperature operation. The cathode comprises a conductive layer, a catalyst layer and a graded composition layer. The conductive layer has a first density, the catalyst layer has a second density that is less than the first density, and the graded composition layer is characterized by a graded electronic conductivity and a graded ionic conductivity.

High performance cathodes for solid oxide fuel cells

A solid oxide fuel cell comprises an anode, a cathode opposite to the anode, and an electrolyte between the anode and cathode. The electrolyte includes a barrier layer that prevents chemical interactions between the electrolyte and the anode, in addition to preventing elemental losses from the electrolyte. The electrolyte further includes a strengthening layer having alternating layer elements that provide fracture resistance to the electrolyte.

Integrated SOFC

A fuel cell stack comprises a plurality of planar fuel cells in a spiral configuration. The fuel cells angularly offset from one another such that immediately adjacent cells only partially overlap one another. The cells are preferably of the unitized type. A manifold assembly is operatively adjacent to the fuel cells. The manifold assembly includes an inlet manifold and an outlet manifold for each of the gases that are in communication with the fuel cells.

Stacking and manifolding of angularly offset, unitized solid oxide fuel cells

A method for producing engineered materials from salt/polymer aqueous solutions in which an aqueous continuous phase having at least one metal cation salt is mixed with a hydrophilic organic polymeric disperse phase so as to form a metal cation/polymer gel. The metal cation/polymer gel is then treated to form a structural mass precursor, which structural mass precursor is heated, resulting in formation of a structural mass having predetermined characteristics based upon the intended application of the structural mass.

Method for producing engineered materials from salt/polymer aqueous

A process for producing nano size powders comprising the steps of mixing an aqueous continuous phase comprising at least one metal cation salt with a hydrophilic organic polymeric disperse phase, forming a metal cation salt/polymer gel, and heat treating the gel at a temperature sufficient to drive off water and organics within the gel, leaving as a residue a nanometer particle-size powder.

Process for preparing nanosized powder

Methods of making fuel cell electrodes in which the pores of an electrically conductive metal substrate are filled with a slurry containing particles of the same or a different electrically conductive metal. The liquid phase of the slurry is removed, leaving the particles of conductive material in the pores of the substrate; and the conductive metal(s) making up the substrate and the metal particles supplied from the slurry are converted to oxide.

Fuel cell cathodes

A method for producing a ribbed electrode for a fuel cell including the steps of depositing a suspension of a powdered electrode metal onto the face of a substantially flat porous electrode metal substrate, forming a plurality of raised structures on the face of the electrode, and sintering the electrode.

Ribbed electrodes for molten carbonate fuel cells

Fuel cells, fuel cell components, and other electrochemical devices and components fabricated by plasma spraying. Devices such as fuel cells may be made by plasma spraying and then assembling individual components or by plasma spraying components on other components to form a laminate.

Fuel cell having solidified plasma components

Fuel cell cathodes formed by the oxidation of a porous, fiber reinforced, green structure and methods of fabricating cathodes of the character just described.

A composite active electrolyte-matrix tape, single laminated active electrolyte-matrix tapes laminate, single electrolyte matrix/cathode tapes laminate, and single composite active electrolyte-matrix/cathode tapes laminate, all in the form of a single flexible sheet for use as fuel cells components, and process for producing same in situ. These components reduce the number of components necessarily handled in fuel cell assembly. The composite active electrolyte-matrix tape provides a major portion or all of the active electrolyte required by the entire cell for operation. The electrolyte matrix/cathode tapes laminate provides a supported electrolyte matrix structure resistant to cracking and fracture. Active electrolyte may also be added to either the electrolyte matrix, to the cathode, or to both tapes in the electrolyte matrix/cathode laminate to provide a major portion or all of the active electrolyte for cell operation. The invention is suited for molten alkali metal carbonates fuel cells.

Growing community of inventors

Chicago, IL, United States of America

Estela T Ong