Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Joseph F Pierre

Theodore R Vasilow

William R Wolfe

Lymperios N Yannopoulos

Owen S Taylor

Arthur L Wolfe

John W Wiss

An apparatus for directly powering a unipolar electric motor with direct current (DC) power includes a control mechanism, and a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) having a fuel input and an oxidizer input. The control mechanism may control the fuel input and the oxidizer input. The fuel input may utilize a hydrocarbon fuel or, alternatively, an arbitrary mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The electric motor may have a field excitation current and the control mechanism may further control the field excitation current. Alternatively, an apparatus may power a vehicle, such as a ship or automobile, and may include an electric motor for powering the vehicle, a fuel cell for providing fuel cell power, a turbine-generator for providing turbine-generator power, and a control mechanism. The electric motor may include a motor power input. The fuel cell may include a fuel input, a fuel cell oxidizer input, a thermal exhaust output, and a fuel cell power output. The turbine-generator may include a compressor for pressurizing oxidizer, a generator for producing a generator power output, and a turbine for driving the compressor and the generator. The generator power output may supplement the fuel cell power output in order to produce power for the motor power input. The turbine may have a thermal exhaust input interconnected with the thermal exhaust output of the fuel cell. The compressor may have a compressor oxidizer input and an oxidizer output interconnected with the fuel cell oxidizer input. The control mechanism may control the fuel input, the compressor oxidizer input or the field excitation current.

Fuel cell powered propulsion system

Disclosed is a method of making an .alpha.-hematite catalyst comprising condensing a ferric halide gas such as ferric chloride onto an inert metal oxide support such as alumina in the presence of moisture. The ferric chloride gas could be formed by reacting in iron source such as hematite with hydrogen chloride gas. The catalyst formed is less subject to erosion and is useful in the reduction of sulfur trioxide to sulfur dioxide.

Method of making .alpha.-hematite catalyst

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Valencia, PA, United States of America

Joseph F Pierre