Mti Microfuel Cells Inc.

Teledyne Energy Systems, Inc.

Energy Partners, L.c.

Jay K Neutzler

Frano Barbir

Juan J Becerra

Shimshon Gottesfeld

Xiaoming Ren

Gerhard B Beckmann

Michael S DeFilippis

Eric J Brown

Vladimir Gurau

James C Braun

Walter Edward Pierce, Iii

Robert Kenneth Wynne

John E Zabriskie, Jr

Robert C Gustafson

Bhaskar Balasubramanian

Michel Fuchs

A simplified direct oxidation fuel cell system is provided. The fuel cell is constructed in such a manner that fuel is added to the cell anode as it is consumed and water is evaporated off at cell cathode so that there is no need for recirculation of unreacted fuel at the cell anode or water at the cell cathode. In addition, carbon dioxide generated from the anodic reaction is passively vented out of the system by using a CO2 gas permeable membrane material integrated as part of the anode chamber construction. It is thus possible that, the CO2 separation from the anode fluid occurs without the recirculation of the anode fluid outside the anode chamber. The passive system in which fuel is added as it is consumed and CO2 separated, both without pumping, ultimately will increase net power provided to the load due to low parasitic losses.

Method of controlling delivery of fuel to a direct oxidation fuel cell

A simplified direct oxidation fuel cell system is provided. The fuel cell is constructed in such a manner that fuel is added to the cell anode as it is consumed and water is evaporated off at cell cathode so that there is no need for recirculation of unreacted fuel at the cell anode or water at the cell cathode. In addition, carbon dioxide generated from the anodic reaction is passively vented out of the system by using a CO2 gas permeable membrane material integrated as part of the anode chamber construction. Other embodiments of the invention include a fuel container and delivery assembly.

Simplified direct oxidation fuel cell system

A flow through gas separation apparatus for a direct oxidation fuel cell system that incorporates a porous hydrophobic conduit having and inlet end through which anodic effluent flows is provided. Backpressure created at an outlet end of the conduit allows the carbon dioxide gas of the effluent to be driven through the porous openings of the conduit while un-reacted fuel and water mixture ultimately exits the flow through gas separation apparatus for re-circulation. The gas separation apparatus operates at ambient pressure and independent of orientation of the device with which it is used.

Flow through gas separator

In a fuel cell system, sufficient water to supply the consumption needs of the system, particularly by the system humidifiers and fuel processor, can be obtained from the exhaust of the fuel cell stack without the use of a condenser, by controlling the operating temperature of the fuel cell stack. The operating temperature can be controlled, for example, using a controller that monitors water level in the process water reservoir and increases or decreases the operating temperature through control of the fuel cell cooling system to maintain the water level within a predetermined range representative of neutral water balance in the system.

Method and apparatus for maintaining neutral water balance in a fuel cell system

A fuel cell collector plate can be provided with one or more various channel constructions for the transport of reactants to the gas diffusion layer and the removal of water therefrom. The outlet channel can be arranged to have a reduced volume compared to the inlet channel, in both interdigitated and discontinuous spiral applications. The land width between an inlet channel and outlet channel can be reduced to improved mass flow rate in regions of deleted reactant concentrations. Additionally or alternatively, the depth of the inlet channel can be reduced in the direction of flow to reduce the diffusion path as the concentration of reactant is reduced.

Fuel cell collector plates with improved mass transfer channels

A self-humidifying polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell assembly has an ion-exchange membrane interposed between hydrogen and oxygen diffusion layers to form a membrane electrode assembly (MEA). The MEA is in turn interposed between a pair of current collector plates having flow field channels for flowing the reactants adjacent the respective diffusion layers to produce corresponding anodic and cathodic electrochemical reactions. Various embodiments of the assembly incorporate one or more of the following features: interdigitated flow field channels, countercurrent reactant flows, opposing channel alignment, and uncatalyzed membrane hydration enhancement zones.

Self-humidifying fuel cell

An improved molding composition is provided for compression molding or injection molding a current collector plate for a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell. The molding composition is comprised of a polymer resin combined with a low surface area, highly-conductive carbon and/or graphite powder filler. The low viscosity of the thermoplastic resin combined with the reduced filler particle surface area provide a moldable composition which can be fabricated into a current collector plate having improved current collecting capacity vis-a-vis comparable fluoropolymer molding compositions.

Growing community of inventors

Palm Beach Gardens, FL, United States of America

Jay K Neutzler