Electro Power Systems S.p.a.

Electro Power Systems Manufacturing S.r.l.

Pierpaolo Cherchi

Giuseppe Gianolio

Luca Mercante

Luisa Borello

Luisa Anna Borello

Andrea Musso

Denis Bona

Luca Baldini

Francesco Pedrazzo

Dario Ceffa

Simone Silvini

Ilaria Rosso

Pedrazzo Francesco

Cristina Pullara

A method for producing electric power from hydrogen and hydrogen from electric power, comprising:

Management of the operation of a system for producing electric power from hydrogen and hydrogen from electric power

A PEM-fuel-cell-stack backup electric generator comprising: a fuel-cell stack, formed by a plurality of stacked PEM fuel cells electrically connected in series for supplying electrical energy to an electrical load; a cell-voltage monitor for measuring the voltage supplied by each fuel cell; an electrical-energy management and conditioning unit, connected between the fuel-cell stack and the electrical load; a blower for supplying the amount of air necessary for the chemical reactions that occur in the fuel cells; a hydrogen recirculator for recirculating hydrogen between the outlet and the inlet of the fuel-cell stack; a hydrogen-purging device for carrying out a primary purging of hydrogen at a lower flow rate, and a secondary purging of hydrogen at a higher flow rate; and a controller, programmed for managing operation of the electric generator differently at start-up, at shut-down, and during normal operation thereof.

Management of operation of PEM-fuel-cell-stack backup electric generator

A fuel cell electric generator designed for back-up in the absence of network electricity supply. The generator comprises a fuel cell stack, means for supplying the stack with a first and a second reagent flow comprising, in turn, pressure reducing means, and a manifold body to communicate with the stack said first and second reagent flows and at least a flow of coolant fluid via a respective coolant loop. The manifold body comprises inside chambers for the mixing of said reagent flows with corresponding re-circulated product flows and a coolant fluid expansion chamber within which said pressure reducing means of said first and second reagent flows are positioned at least partially drowned by said coolant. Method for the start-up and shutdown of the generator, and a method for detecting the flooding of a fuel cell and a method for detecting the presence of gas leakages in the generator are also disclosed.

Back-up fuel cell electric generator comprising a compact manifold body, and methods of managing the operation thereof

The invention relates to a stack () comprising a plurality of stacked fuel cells (), fixed and fluidically connected to a first head (), which comprises: a feeding inlet () for a fuel flow and a corresponding outlet (); a feeding inlet () for a comburent flow and a corresponding outlet (); a feeding inlet () and a corresponding outlet () for a flow of a cooling heat-transfer fluid thermally coupled with the fuel cells () in order to remove at least part of the reaction heat at the fuel cells () themselves; the first head () comprising a feeding inlet () and a corresponding outlet () for a flow may pass, said volume being thermally coupled with the cooling heat-transfer fluid flow, so that the cooling heat-transfer fluid delivers at least some of the heat removed from the fuel sells () to the working heat-transfer fluid.

Stack of improved fuel cells and electric power generator comprising said stack

A fuel cell electric generator designed for back-up in the absence of network electricity supply. The generator comprises a fuel cell stack, means for supplying the stack with a first and a second reagent flow comprising, in turn, pressure reducing means, and a manifold body to communicate with the stack said first and second reagent flows and at least a flow of coolant fluid via a respective coolant loop. The manifold body comprises inside chambers for the mixing of said reagent flows with corresponding re-circulated product flows and a coolant fluid expansion chamber within which said pressure reducing means of said first and second reagent flows are positioned at least partially drowned by said coolant. Method for the start-up and shut-down of the generator, and a method for detecting the flooding of a fuel cell and a method for detecting the presence of gas leakages in the generator are also disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Turin, Italy

Pierpaolo Cherchi