International Fuel Cells, LLC

Other

United Technologies Corporation

Paul R Watson

Myron Krasij

Dennis C Nagle

Richard C Nickols, Jr

Larry G Christner

Americo Calderone

A flange joint that fully isolates the steel sidewall from contact with water entering the skimmer duct of an aboveground pool is provided by the use of a pair of mating flanges fitted to opposite sides of the sidewall. The flanges are comprised of two closely interfitting elements sealed together directly to the metal sidewall by a water-proof adhesive. The flanges include overlapping collars within the sidewall opening which completely seal off and isolate water entering the skimmer duct to prevent any possibility of contact with the metal pool sidewall. Thus, water damage to the pool sidewall is eliminated.

Swimming pool skimmer duct joint

A group of modular planar structural foam sections are laid on the ground directly underneath the liner of an above-ground pool. The foam panels are cut so that they fit tightly side-by-side covering all areas within the frame. The joints between the panels are then filled by caulking and taped over to smooth the top surface of the joints. The result is an improved pool underlayment system which provides many advantages, including cushioning of swimmer impact to help prevent shallow diving injuries.

Above-ground pool underlayment panels

A support plate for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell includes a porous support body that has a central portion and a peripheral portion integral with and circumferentially completely surrounding the central portion, and a sealing body of elastomeric sealing material that completely fills the pores of the peripheral portion to make it impermeable to fluids. The support plate may be assembled with another one and with a proton exchange membrane interposed between the two support plates to form an assembly, and the sealing body then peripherally joins and seals the assembly and fills any gaps that may be present between the peripheral portions due to the absence of the membrane from such regions and thus to peripherally encapsulate the membrane.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell support plate and an assembly

A butyl rubber/ethylene propylene latex sealant for use in fuel cells is disclosed. The sealant is comprised of between about 50 wt % and about 99 wt % butyl rubber and about 10 wt % to about 50 wt % ethylene propylene latex. Conventional fillers can be added to the sealant to attain or enhance various properties such as: desired viscosity, specific gravity, stability, strength, oxidation resistance, and accelerated cure.

Fuel cell component sealant

A graphite separator plate for an electrochemical cell stack is formed from component parts which are joined together edge to edge. The edges of the plates are scarfed to increase the bond area and a heat activated fluoropolymer adhesive is used to bond adjacent plates together. This allows production of plates with a larger surface areas thereby improving the economics of the cell stack.

Composite graphite separator plate for fuel cell stack

A method for fabricating porous carbon sheet material and in particular for fabricating porous carbon fuel cell electrode substrates comprises coating carbon fibers with a mixture of furfuryl alcohol and a catalyst which polymerizes furfuryl alcohol, forming the fibers into a mat or sheet of the desired size and thickness, heating the mat to polymerize the furfuryl alcohol and to cure the resin so formed, and further heating the mat to carbonize the resin. Phosphoric acid is the preferred polymerization catalyst when the sheet material is to be used as a fuel cell electrode substrate. The method produces electrode substrates which are highly porous yet strong and which are also corrosion resistant, thermally conductive and electrically conductive.

Growing community of inventors

Marlborough, CT, United States of America

Paul R Watson