General Electric Company

Cummins Enterprise LLC

Mti Microfuel Cells Inc.

Ge Vernova Infrastructure Technology LLC

Keith Garrette Brown

Darren Bawden Hickey

Honggang Wang

Alistair Martin Waddell

John Eric Meschter

Michael L Chen

James K Prueitt

Andrew Philip Shapiro

Russel Hugh Marvin

Ralph Teichmann

Constantinos Minas

Daniel Qi Tan

John Raymond Krahn

Qin Chen

Charles Michael Carlstrom, Jr

Lili Zhang

Kenneth McClellan Rush

George Allen

Michael S DeFilippis

David H Leach

Irfan Hussaini

Garrick D S Smith

Liwei Hao

Luca Tonini

Robert J Miller

Mark C Mendrick

Karen Thatcher

Wenpeng Liu

Zhigang Qi

Nagaraja K Yaddanapudi

Bryan Grygus

Graciela I Varela

Luke E Yetto

Amit Chaugule

Kevin Joseph Gavel

Irfan Saif Hussaini

Andrew P Shapiro

The subject matter described herein generally relates to a sensor and method for monitoring gas quality of a fuel reformer in a fuel cell system or a power generation system.

Sensor and method for monitoring gas quality in fuel cell system

An energy storage system includes a DC bus; a plurality of battery strings, each battery string comprising batteries coupled electrically together; a plurality of DC/DC converters electrically coupling respective battery strings to the DC bus; an enclosure housing the battery strings and the DC/DC converters; and a temperature control system. The temperature control system includes at least one heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, and a controller. The controller is programmed to execute a method of predicting heat loads for respective battery strings within the enclosure, wherein the heat loads comprise external heat loads and internal heat loads; determining one or both of DC/DC converter operating commands and HVAC operating commands based on the respective predicted heat loads to control the actual heat loads of the respective battery strings; and operating one or both of the DC/DC converter and the HVAC system in response to at least one of the DC/DC converter operating commands and the HVAC operating commands.

Temperature control for energy storage system

An energy storage system includes a plurality of battery strings, each battery string including a plurality of batteries coupled electrically together; a plurality of temperature sensors; an enclosure housing the plurality of battery strings and the temperature sensors; a plurality of fans positioned in different locations within the enclosure; and a temperature control system. The temperature control system includes a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) components, and a controller. The controller is programmed to execute the method that includes determining fan speed operating commands based at least in part on sensed temperatures at the different locations, and operating the fan speed in response to the operating commands provided to the respective fans.

An electric power generation system includes a fuel cell module. The fuel cell module includes a fuel cell and a compression plate. The compression plate includes a surface contacting the fuel cell. A support plate is opposite the compression plate. The compression plate is movable in relation to the support plate. A pressurized fluid container is disposed between the compression plate and the support plate. The pressurized fluid container includes a casing defining an internal space configured to contain pressurized fluid. The electric power generation system further includes a pressurized fluid source and a fluid line coupled to the pressurized fluid source and the pressurized fluid container.

Fuel cell module and method of operating such module

A multi-stack fuel cell system includes upper and lower housings defining interior chambers in corresponding upper and lower stacks of fuel cells are disposed. A heat exchanger assembly is fluidly coupled with the interior chambers. The heat exchanger assembly receives input fuel and/or input air from outside of the housings and receives outgoing fuel and/or outgoing air from the fuel cells. The heat exchanger assembly heats the input fuel and/or the input air, and/or cools the outgoing fuel and/or the outgoing air. The heat exchanger assembly may be disposed between the upper and lower housings. The upper housing an upper stack of fuel cells and/or the heat exchanger assembly may assist in compressing the fuel cells in the lower stack against each other.

Multi-stack fuel cell systems and heat exchanger assemblies

An energy storage module includes a module housing, a positive polarity module terminal and a negative polarity module terminal accessible via an external surface of the housing, and a plurality of battery cells contained within the housing and coupled in series between the positive polarity terminal and a negative polarity terminal to form a battery cell string. A removable manual service disconnect (MSD) unit is physically coupled to the external surface of the housing and electrically coupled between at least one battery cell in the battery cell string and one of the module terminals. The MSD unit has at least a first MSD operating state to allow current conduction between the positive polarity module terminal and the negative polarity module terminal, and a second MSD operating state to prevent current conduction between the positive polarity module terminal and the negative polarity module terminal.

Manual service disconnect system and method for energy storage

A system includes a first plurality of fuel cell stacks configured to generate a first portion of an electric potential and a second plurality of fuel cell stacks configured to generate a second portion of the electric potential. The system includes a positive electrical bus bar conductively coupled with the first plurality of fuel cell stacks and configured to power an electrical load using the generated electric potential. The system includes a negative electrical bus bar conductively coupled with the second plurality of fuel cell stacks and configured to electrical load using the generated electric potential. The positive electrical bus bar is elongated and extends between the first plurality of fuel cell stacks and the negative electrical bus bar is elongated and extends between the second plurality of fuel cell stacks.

Integrated fuel cell systems

An internally-manifolded solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack is described, including an anode interconnect structure integrated with a cathode interconnect structure. The anode interconnect structure includes a fuel flow field; and the cathode interconnect structure includes an air flow field. The two structures are configured to allow for parallel flow of air and fuel across a plane of the interconnect, while the manifold openings for the fuel are arranged in a cross-flow orientation across a plane of the interconnect structure. Related processes are also described, along with a power generation system that includes an SOFC incorporating this type of interconnect, attached directly or indirectly to at least one power block, such as a combustion engine.

Interconnect for an internally-manifolded solid oxide fuel cell stack; and related methods and power systems

A flange assembly for use with a SOFC system includes a first flange, a second flange, and a dielectric element coupled between the first flange and the second flange. The dielectric element includes an outer cylindrical surface and an inner cylindrical surface. The inner cylindrical surface defines a cylindrical region having a circumference. The inner cylindrical surface also defines a channel that extends radially about the circumference of the cylindrical region.

Flange assembly for use with a solid oxide fuel cell system

A fuel cell system which includes a fuel distribution structure that uniformly distributes vaporizing fuel to a fuel cell is provided. As the fuel travels in a flow field channel in the fuel distribution structure, it is substantially converted to a vapor by the heat of the fuel cell operation in such a manner that the resulting vapor pressure works to substantially uniformly distribute fuel evenly outwardly across substantially the entire active area of the anode aspect of one or more membrane electrode assemblies in the system, and whereby localized, uneven 'hot spots' of fuel at the anode aspects are substantially prevented. A pair of enthalpy exchanger and heat spreader assemblies include a cathode current collector element that also has a heat spreader plate that collects and redirects heat in the fuel cell system, the assembly acting to manage the heat, temperature and condensation in the fuel cell system.

Direct oxidation fuel cell system with uniform vapor delivery of fuel

Fuel feed systems capable of providing substantially consistent flow of fuel to a fuel cell and also capable of tolerating varying pressures from a reservoir (also referred to as fuel supply or fuel cell cartridge) and the fuel cell while maintaining substantially consistent control flow to the fuel cell are disclosed.

Fuel cell feed systems

A single pump fuel cell system is provided that has multiple valves that have selective positioning to control fluidic flow throughout a fuel cell system. One of the valves provides for high and low concentration fuel dosing. Another valve or series of valves controls an unreacted fuel recirculation loop leading from the fuel cell. Another valve or series of valves control condensate collection by the fuel cell system, and allows the purging of the anode recirculation loop. Each of the valves is selectable between various positions to place the fuel cell system in a desired operating mode. A heat exchanger may also be employed to dissipate heat as desired out of the fuel cell system. A concentration sensor can also be employed to aid in achieving a desired fuel concentration within the fuel cell system.

Single pump fuel cell system

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Clifton Park, NY, United States of America

Keith Garrette Brown