Audi Ag

United Technologies Corporation

Utc Power Corporation

Paravastu Badrinarayanan

Robert Mason Darling

Michael L Perry

Carl Anthony Reiser

Timothy William Patterson, Jr

Kazuki Amemiya

Timothy W Patterson

Christopher John Carnevale

Steven W Gronda

Glenn Michael Allen

A fuel cell includes an electrode assembly having an electrolyte between an anode and a cathode for generating an electric current and byproduct water. A porous plate is located adjacent to the electrode and includes reactant gas channels for delivering a reactant gas to the electrode assembly. A separator plate is located adjacent the porous plate such that the porous plate is between the electrode assembly and the separator plate. The separator plate includes a reactant gas inlet manifold and a reactant gas outlet manifold in fluid connection with the reactant gas channels, and a purge manifold in fluid connection with the porous plate such that limiting flow of the reactant gas from the reactant gas outlet manifold and opening the purge manifold under a pressure of the reactant gas in the reactant gas channels drives the byproduct water toward the purge manifold for removal from the fuel cell.

Fuel cell with purge manifold

A method of operating a fuel cell power plant () including a stack () of fuel cells having an anode catalyst layer and a cathode electrode () including a catalyst layer disposed on catalyst support material is characterized by, during normal operation of said power plant, adjusting the voltage of the stack to be substantially equal to or less than a predetermined maximum voltage for the temperature of the stack. Further, said step of adjusting comprises adjusting the stack voltage to the lesser of: a) a predetermined voltage above which corrosion of catalyst support material is significant and below which corrosion of catalyst support material is insignificant at the temperature of the stack; and b) a predetermined voltage above which dissolution of catalyst is significant and below which dissolution of the catalyst is insignificant at the temperature of the stack.

Mitigating electrode erosion in high temperature PEM fuel cell

The fuel cell device includes an electrode assembly. A gas diffusion layer is on each side of the electrode assembly. A solid, non-porous plate is adjacent each of the gas diffusion layers. A hydrophilic soak up region is near an inlet portion of at least one of the gas diffusion layers. The hydrophilic soak up region is configured to absorb liquid water from the electrode assembly when the fuel cell device is shutdown.

Fuel cell device having a liquid soak up region

A fuel cell power plant () has vertical fuel cells () each sharing a half of a hybrid separator plate () which includes a solid fuel flow plate () having horizontal fuel flow channels () on one surface and coolant channels () on an upper portion of the opposite surface, bonded to a plain rear side of a porous, hydrophilic oxidant flow field plate () having vertical oxidant flow channels (). Coolant permeates through the upper portion of the porous, hydrophilic oxidant flow field plates and enters the oxidant flow channels, where it evaporates as the water trickles downward through the oxidant flow field channels, thereby cooling the fuel cell.

Hybrid bipolar plate for evaporatively cooled fuel cells

An exemplary device for managing moisture content within a fuel cell includes a reactant distribution plate having a plurality of members that establish reactant flow channels that are open on at least one side of the plate. A wicking layer is against the one side of the plate. The wicking layer includes a first portion that is uninterrupted and covers over at least some of the channels. A second portion of the wicking layer extends along ends of at least some of the members such that sections of the channels coextensive with the second portion are open toward the one side.

Wicking layer for managing moisture distribution in a fuel cell

A method of processing a porous article includes distributing a blended material that includes an electrically conductive material and a binder into a cavity of a mold that is at a temperature below a curing temperature of the binder. The electrically conductive material is formed from particles of the electrically conductive material that have a size distribution such that 10 vol % of the particles are less than 12 micrometers in diameter, 50 vol % of the particles are less than 27 micrometers in diameter, and 90 vol % of the particles are less than 53 micrometers. The blended material is compressed within the cavity under a molding pressure, and the mold is heated to a curing temperature of the binder to form a molded article.

Method for processing a porous article

The fuel cell power plant operating system () includes an on/off switching device by-pass circuit () to sustain operation of a fuel cell () whenever the fuel cell () on/off switching device () is turned off while a fuel cell operating temperature is below a predetermined freeze-safe operating temperature. The by-pass circuit () operates the fuel cell () until the fuel cell () temperature reaches or exceeds the freeze-safe temperature to thereby prevent fuel cell () product water from becoming ice in and adjacent fuel cell catalysts ().

Fuel cell power plant operating system and method for use in sub-freezing ambient conditions

Fuel cell stacks () include fuel cells () in which internal pressure on membranes (), caused by adjacent cross points () or ribs () of gas flow field plates () is reduced by lowering the axial load holding the stack together, after an initial high axial load, that establishes minimal possible internal resistance, has been held for between a few hours and 20 hours. The need for robust axial load restraints is also reduced. Pressure of cross points () can also be spread by stiffening components or adding stiffeners.

Reduced axial pressure in fuel cell stacks

An example fuel cell stack () includes a cathode plate () having oxidant flow passages () and coolant flow passages (), and a porous anode plate () adjacent the coolant flow passages (). The porous anode plate () includes fuel flow passages () and a network of pores () that fluidly connect the fuel flow passages () and the coolant flow passages (). A membrane electrode arrangement () adjacent the fuel flow passages () generates electricity in a fuel cell reaction. A hydrophilic gas diffusion layer () between the membrane electrode arrangement () and the porous anode plate () distributes water from the coolant flow passages () to maintain or establish a wet seal () within the network of pores () that limits fuel transport through the network of pores () from the fuel flow passages () to the coolant flow passages ().

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Manchester, CT, United States of America

Paravastu Badrinarayanan