Utc Fuel Cells, LLC

USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Utc Power Corporation

Nissan Motor Company Limited

Ballard Power Systems Corporation

Patrick L Hagans

Susanne Marie Opalka

Belabbes Merzougui

Minhua Shao

Richard D Breault

Brian Rhys Stoner

Paul M Natishan

Jeremy A Schrooten

William E O'Grady

Wayde R Schmidt

Michael L Perry

Sergei F Burlatsky

Weilong Zhang

Leslie L Van Dine

Koudai Yoshizawa

Gennady Resnick

John W Glesener

Akihiro Iiyama

H Harvey Michels

Cynthia A Rice

Arthur A Morrish

Shubhro Ghosh

Emily A Dykeman

Jean Colpin

Jesse M Marzullo

Nikunj Gupta

Shugo Higashi

A method of generating electrical power includes flowing hydrogen across an anode, splitting the hydrogen into protons and electrons using a catalyst attached to the anode, directing the electrons to a circuit to produce electrical power, flowing oxygen across a cathode, splitting the oxygen molecules into oxygen atoms using a cathode catalyst, passing the protons through an electrolyte to the cathode, and combining the protons with oxygen to form water. The cathode catalyst includes a plurality of nanoparticles having terraces formed of platinum, and corner regions and edge regions formed of a second metal.

Power generation method using a fuel cell having a stabilized cathode catalyst

A fuel cell () having an anode (), a cathode () and an electrolyte () between the anode () and the cathode () includes a cathode catalyst () formed of a plurality of nanoparticles. Each nanoparticle () has a plurality of terraces () formed of platinum surface atoms (), and a plurality of edge () and corner regions () formed of atoms from a second metal ()&#x2014;The cathode catalyst may be formed by combining a platinum nanoparticle with a metal salt in a solution. Ions from the second metal react with platinum and replace platinum atoms on the nanoparticle. The second metal atoms at the corner and edge regions of the nanoparticle, as well as at any surface defects, result in a more stable catalyst structure. In some embodiments, the fuel cell () is a proton exchange membrane fuel cell and the nanoparticles are tetrahedron-shaped. In some embodiments, the fuel cell () is a phosphoric acid fuel cell and the nanoparticles are cubic-shaped.

Fuel cell having a stabilized cathode catalyst

A bipolar plate () for use in a fuel cell stack () includes one or more first metal layers () having a tendency to grow an electrically passive layer in the presence of a fuel cell reactant gas and one or more second metal layers () directly adjacent the one or more first metal layers (). The second metal layer has a tendency to resist growing any oxide layer in the presence of the fuel cell reactant gas to maintain a threshold electrical conductivity. The second metal layer also has a section for contacting an electrode () and providing an electrically conductive path between the electrode () and the first metal layer.

Fuel cell flow field having strong, chemically stable metal bipolar plates

A stabilized platinum nanoparticle has a core portion surrounded by a plurality of outer surfaces. The outer surfaces include terrace regions formed of platinum atoms, and edge and corner regions formed of atoms from a second metal. The stabilized nanoparticle may be formed by combining a platinum nanoparticle with a metal salt in a solution. Ions of the second metal react with platinum and replace platinum atoms on the nanoparticle. Platinum atoms from the edge and corner regions react with the second metal ions quicker than surface atoms from the terraces, due to a greater difference in electrode potential between the platinum atoms at the edge and corner regions, as compared to the second metal in the solution. The platinum nanoparticle may include surface defects, such as steps and kinks, which may also be replaced with atoms of the second metal. In an exemplary embodiment, the platinum nanoparticle is a cathode catalyst in an electro-chemical cell.

Stabilized platinum catalyst

A freeze tolerant fuel cell power plant () includes at least one fuel cell (), a coolant loop () including a freeze tolerant accumulator () for storing and separating a water immiscible fluid and water coolant, a direct contact heat exchanger () for mixing the water immiscible fluid and the water coolant within a mixing region () of the heat exchanger (), a coolant pump () for circulating the coolant through the coolant loop (), a radiator loop () for circulating the water immiscible fluid through the heat exchanger (), and a radiator () for removing heat from the coolant. The plant () utilizes the water immiscible fluid during steady-state operation to cool the fuel cell and during shut down of the plant to displace water from the fuel cell () to the freeze tolerant accumulator ().

Freeze tolerant fuel cell power plant with a direct contact heat exchanger

A fuel cell system having a stack of proton exchange membrane fuel cells is operated in sub-freezing temperatures by draining any liquid water from the fuel cell water flow passages upon or after the previous shut-down of the stack before freezing can occur, and, thereafter a) starting-up the stack by directing fuel and oxidant reactants into the cell and connecting a load to the stack; b) using heat produced by the stack to increase the operating temperature of the stack to melt ice within the stack; and, c) upon the stack operating temperature reaching at least 0&#xb0; C., circulating anti-freeze through stack coolers to maintain the temperature of the stack low enough to maintain a sufficiently low water vapor pressure within the cells to prevent cell dry out for at least as long as there is insufficient liquid water to circulate through the water flow passages.

Method of operating a fuel cell system under freezing conditions

A freeze tolerant fuel cell power plant () includes at least one fuel cell (), a coolant loop () having a porous water transport plate () secured in a heat and mass exchange relationship with the fuel cell () and a coolant pump () for circulating a coolant through the plate () and for transferring water into or out of the plate () with the coolant. A coolant heat exchanger () removes heat from the coolant, and an accumulator () stores the coolant and fuel cell product water and directs the product water out of the accumulator (). The coolant is a two-component mixed coolant liquid circulating through the coolant loop () consisting of between 80 and 95 volume percent of a low freezing temperature water immiscible fluid component and between 5 and 20 volume percent of a water component.

Freeze tolerant fuel cell power plant with a two-component mixed coolant

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell () having a water passage and passage for gas required for power generation, a first protection device () which prevents freezing of water in the fuel cell by maintaining the temperature of the fuel cell (), and a second protection device () which prevents freezing of water in the fuel cell by discharging the water in the fuel cell (). A controller () selects one of the first protection device () and the second protection device () as the protection device to be used when the fuel cell () has stopped, and the fuel cell () is protected from freezing of water by operating the selected protection device.

Fuel cell system, and method of protecting a fuel cell from freezing

The invention is a method of using a temporary dilute surfactant water solution to enhance mass transport in a fuel cell ( ) that generates electrical current from hydrogen containing reducing fluid and oxygen containing oxidant reactant streams. The method includes the steps of: a. directing the dilute surfactant water solution to flow through a cathode flow field ( ) of a fuel cell ( ); b. then removing the solution from the fuel cell ( ); and, c. then directing flow of the reactant streams through the flow fields ( ) ( ). The temporary dilute surfactant water solution has a surface tension of not less than 50 dynes/cm. Flowing the temporary dilute surfactant water solution through the fuel cell ( ) for a temporary, short duration improves mass transport of the cell ( ) even after the solution is removed from the cell ( ).

Method of using a temporary dilute surfactant water solution to enhance mass transport in a fuel cell

Recovery of PEM fuel cell performance is achieved by evacuating ( ) or by flowing water absorbing gas ( ) through, or both, the fuel flow field ( ), the air flow field ( ), and the water flow field ( ), while resistance of the individual cells, or of the fuel cell stack, is measured; the dry out process is continued until the resistance of the cells (or the resistance per cell, measured across the fuel cell stack as a whole), has increased by at least 5 to 1 (preferably 10 to 1) over the normal resistance of the cells. The water absorbing gas may be air ( ) or nitrogen ( ); it may be at ambient temperature or heated ( ).

Performance recovery process for PEM fuel cells

An electrode for electrochemical uses is made of a conductive metal mesh coated with diamond-like carbon or dirty diamond. The electrode may be used in electrochemical cell either as a cathode or as an anode, or can be used with an alternating current.

Fabrication of a high surface area diamond-like carbon or dirty diamond coated metal mesh for electrochemical applications

An electrode for electrochemical uses is made of a conductive metal mesh coated with boron-doped diamond. The electrode may be used in electrochemical reactions either as a cathode or as an anode, or can be used with an alternating current.

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Columbia, CT, United States of America

Patrick L Hagans