Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Hyzon Motors Inc.

Jiangsu Horizon New Energy Technologies Co., Ltd.

Gary M Robb

Steven G Goebel

Daniel I Harris

Balasubramanian Lakshmanan

John P Salvador

Zhijun Gu

Joseph Nicholas Lovria

William Henry Pettit

Thomas W Tighe

Hubert Gasteiger

Gerald E Voecks

Thomas A Greszler

Daniel T Folmsbee

Joe C Machuca

Charles Mackintosh

Mohammed E Sennoun

Clipson M Class

Steve Goebel

Gerald W Fly

Yan Chen

Manish Sinha

Abdullah Basar Alp

Patrick Frost

David A Arthur

Matthew C Kirklin

Daniel J Darga

Daniel P Miller

Wenbin Gu

Todd D Bogumil

Anthony G Chinnici

Dieter Kaimann

Chen Jie

A bipolar plate assembly includes a first frame member, a second frame member, and a membrane electrode assembly. The first frame member has a first side and a second side. The first side has a first side protuberance. The second frame member includes a first side and a second side. The second side has a second side recess. The membrane electrode assembly has an anode plate and a cathode plate. A portion of the membrane electrode assembly is disposed between the first frame member and the second frame member. The portion of the membrane electrode assembly has a juxtaposition of the anode plate and the cathode plate. The first side protuberance of the first frame member deforms the portion of the membrane electrode assembly into the second side recess of the second frame member.

Integrated plate and cell sealing

A method for assembling a fuel cell humidifier can include steps of providing a first humidifier plate and a humidifier membrane. The first humidifier plate can have a first top plate surface. The humidifier membrane can have a bottom membrane surface. The bottom membrane surface of the humidifier membrane can be disposed on the first top plate surface of the first humidifier plate. The first humidifier plate can be partially melted. This can permit the first top plate surface of the first humidifier plate to permeate into the bottom membrane surface of the humidifier membrane. The first humidifier plate can be cooled, which can fuse the first top plate surface of the first humidifier plate with the bottom membrane surface of the humidifier membrane.

Manufacturable humidifier

A modular boost converter includes a fuel cell, a modular boost converter, a battery, a motor, and a capacitor. The modular boost converter includes a plurality of modules. Each of the plurality of modules include a boost system. Only one converter is necessary to utilize each of the fuel cell and the capacitor. The single converter can have a capacity to convert power greater than the energy of the fuel cell, but the total output power of the converter is less than the total energy provided by the fuel cell and the capacitor combined. The modular boost converter utilizes internal module switching to selectively draw energy from at least one of the fuel cell and the capacitor.

Modular boost converter system with super capacitor

A hybrid bipolar plate assembly for a fuel cell includes a formed cathode half plate and a stamped metal anode half plate. The stamped metal anode half plate is unnested with and affixed to the formed cathode half plate. Each of the half plates has a reactant side and a coolant side, a feed region, and a header with a plurality of header apertures. The coolant side of the formed cathode half plate need not correspond with cathode flow channels formed on the opposite reactant side. The coolant side of the stamped metal anode half plate has lands corresponding with anode channels formed on the opposite oxidant side. The lands define a plurality of coolant channels on the coolant side of the stamped metal anode half plate and abut the coolant side of the formed cathode half plate.

Hybrid bipolar plate for fuel cell

A method for creating an oxygen depleted gas in a fuel cell system, including operating a fuel cell stack at a desired cathode stoichiometry at fuel cell system shutdown to displace a cathode exhaust gas with an oxygen depleted gas. The method further includes closing a cathode flow valve and turning off a compressor to stop the flow of cathode air.

Method for creating an oxygen depleted gas in a fuel cell system

A fuel cell system including a fuel cell stack having a plurality of fuel cells, each of the fuel cells including an electrolyte membrane disposed between an anode and a cathode, an anode supply manifold in fluid communication with the anodes of the fuel cells, the anode supply manifold providing fluid communication between a source of hydrogen and the anodes, an anode exhaust manifold in fluid communication with the anodes of the fuel cells, and a fan in fluid communication with the anodes of the fuel cells, wherein the fan controls a flow of fluid through the anodes of the fuel cells after the fuel cell system is shutdown.

Shutdown strategy to avoid carbon corrosion due to slow hydrogen/air intrusion rates

A system and method for reconditioning a fuel cell stack to recover stack voltage loss. The method includes first operating the fuel cell stack in a wet condition where the humidity level in the stack is above 100% to provide liquid water at the cell electrodes. The method then applies a low voltage potential to the stack that causes contaminants to be released from the catalyst surface of the cell electrodes. This step can include starving the cathode side of oxygen for a limited period of time. The method then causes water to flow through the stack so that the contaminants are flushed out of the stack. The process can be performed during vehicle operation where small amounts of voltage would be recovered or during vehicle service where a relatively large amount of voltage could be recovered.

Procedure for stack voltage recovery

A fuel cell system including a fuel cell stack having a plurality of fuel cells, the fuel cell stack including an anode supply manifold and an anode exhaust manifold, a first valve in fluid communication with at least one of the anode supply manifold and the anode exhaust manifold, wherein the first valve includes an inlet for receiving a fluid flow and an outlet for exhausting a fluid, a sensor for measuring at least a fluid pressure at the inlet and the outlet of the first valve, wherein the sensor generates a sensor signal representing the pressure measurement, and a processor for receiving the sensor signal, analyzing the sensor signal, and determining a composition of a fluid in the fuel cell system based upon the analysis of the sensor signal.

System and method for observing anode fluid composition during fuel cell start-up

A fuel cell system is disclosed with a fuel cell stack having a plurality of fuel cells, the fuel cell stack including an external electrical circuit adapted to control current from the fuel cell stack, a sensor for measuring at least one of an environmental condition affecting the fuel cell stack and a characteristic of the fuel cell stack, wherein the sensor generates a sensor signal representing a measurement of the sensor, and a processor for receiving the sensor signal, analyzing the sensor signal, and controlling an adaptive load applied to the external electrical circuit based upon the analysis of the sensor signal.

Adaptive loading of a fuel cell

A method for controlling cathode air flow at system start-up by controlling a stack by-pass valve. The method includes determining a concentration of hydrogen in a cathode side of the fuel cell stack. The method also includes determining a volumetric flow rate through a cathode compressor, determining a volumetric flow rate through the cathode side and determining a fraction of volumetric flow rate through the cathode side to the total flow through the compressor. The method determines a modeled hydrogen outlet concentration from the fuel cell stack based on the volumetric flow rate through the compressor, the fraction of volumetric flow rate through the compressor to the total flow through the compressor and the concentration of hydrogen in the cathode side. The method uses a desired fraction of volumetric flow rate through the cathode side and the total flow through the compressor to determine the position of the by-pass valve.

Optimized cathode fill strategy for fuel cell

A fluid distribution insert adapted to be received within an inlet header of a fuel cell assembly is disclosed. The fluid distribution insert includes a hollow insert with a first end and a second end. An inlet is formed at the first end of the hollow insert in fluid communication with a source of a reactant gas and adapted to receive the reactant gas therein. A plurality of outlets is formed intermediate the first end and the second end. A plurality of flow channels is formed in the hollow insert providing fluid communication between the inlet and the outlets to deliver the fluid to a plurality of fuel cells of the fuel cell assembly, wherein a total flow volume and flow resistance of each of the flow channels is substantially the same to provide for a substantially simultaneous delivery of the reactant gas to the fuel cells.

PEM fuel cell stack hydrogen distribution insert

A method for filling a fuel cell system with a fuel during start-up is disclosed, the method including the steps of providing a fuel cell stack having a plurality of fuels cells, each fuel cell having an active area, the fuel cell stack including an anode supply manifold and an anode exhaust manifold, the anode supply manifold and in fluid communication with a source of fuel; providing an anode sub-system in fluid communication with an anode side of the fuel cell stack; and supplying the fuel to the fuel cell stack substantially uniformly and substantially simultaneously to compress any fluids in the fuel cell stack into a volume between an end of each active area adjacent to the anode exhaust manifold and an outlet of the anode sub-system.

Compression fill of anode of a fuel cell system

A fluid distribution insert adapted to be received within an inlet header of a fuel cell assembly. The fluid distribution insert includes a hollow insert with a first end and a second end. An inlet is formed at the first end of the hollow insert in fluid communication with a source of a reactant gas and adapted to receive the reactant gas therein. An outlet is formed intermediate the first end and the second end. The outlet is adapted to deliver the reactant gas to a plurality of fuel cells of the fuel cell assembly, wherein the hollow insert delivers the reactant gas to the fuel cells in a substantially simultaneous and uniform manner.

A fuel cell system that enables an assisted anode purge upon start-up is provided. The fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack having a plurality of fuel cells with anodes and cathodes. The fuel cell stack has an anode supply manifold and an anode exhaust manifold in fluid communication with the anodes. The fuel cell system further includes a suction device in fluid communication with at least one of the anode supply manifold and the anode exhaust manifold. The suction device adapted to selectively draw a partial vacuum on the fuel cell stack during a start-up of the fuel cell system. Methods for starting the fuel cell system are also provided.

Growing community of inventors

Honeoye Falls, NY, United States of America

Gary M Robb