Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Prabhakar Singh

Roswell J Ruka

Raymond A George

Theodore R Vasilow

Raymond J Bratton

Vinod Kumar Sikka

Paolo R Zafred

Jeffrey T Dederer

Mujeeb Ismael Ijaz

George S Saloka

Roddie Reagan Judkins

George R Folser

Richard A Basel

Larry A Shockling

Lewis J Kuo

Charles J Spengler

Von L Richards

Jeffrey Charles Bowker

Charles A Hager

Gregory W Tomlins

Douglas S Schmidt

James M Toms

A method of manufacturing thin foil alloys through a series of steps. A carrier having a polished carrier surface is placed within a deposition chamber. The carrier surface is generally polished to a mirrored surface finish. A sacrificial layer is applied atop the carrier surface. The sacrificial layer is made of a material that may be easily dissolved or separated from the carrier surface to remove the metal foil. The carrier surface and sacrificial layer are placed within the deposition chamber. The sacrificial layer is exposed to an evaporated first metal which becomes deposited upon the sacrificial layer. An evaporated second metal is then applied concurrently or sequentially with the first metal. The first and second evaporated metals solidify on the sacrificial layer to form a multilayer foil. At this point, the multilayer foil includes discrete layers or areas of the evaporated metals.

Method of manufacturing thin metal alloy foils

A solid oxide fuel cell (,) having a closed end (,) and an open end (,) operates in a fuel cell generator (,) where the fuel cell open end (,) of each fuel cell contains a sleeve (,) fitted over the open end (,), where the sleeve (,) extends beyond the open end (,) of the fuel cell (,) to prevent degradation of the interior air electrode of the fuel cell by fuel gas during operation of the generator (,).

Open end protection for solid oxide fuel cells

A container for fuel cells is made from an iron aluminide alloy. The container alloy preferably includes from about 13 to about 22 weight percent Al, from about 2 to about 8 weight percent Cr, from about 0.1 to about 4 weight percent M selected from Zr and Hf, from about 0.005 to about 0.5 weight percent B or from about 0.001 to about 1 weight percent C, and the balance Fe and incidental impurities. The iron aluminide container alloy is extremely resistant to corrosion and metal loss when exposed to dual reducing and oxidizing atmospheres at elevated temperatures. The alloy is particularly useful for containment vessels for solid oxide fuel cells, as a replacement for stainless steel alloys which are currently used.

Iron aluminide alloy container for solid oxide fuel cells

A cover and startup gas supply system for a solid oxide fuel cell power generator is disclosed. Hydrocarbon fuel, such as natural gas or diesel fuel, and oxygen-containing gas are supplied to a burner. Combustion gas exiting the burner is cooled prior to delivery to the solid oxide fuel cell. The system mixes the combusted hydrocarbon fuel constituents with hydrogen which is preferably stored in solid form to obtain a non-explosive gas mixture. The system may be used to provide both non-explosive cover gas and hydrogen-rich startup gas to the fuel cell.

Cover and startup gas supply system for solid oxide fuel cell generator

A low cost, lanthanide-substituted, dimensionally and thermally stable, gas permeable, electrically conductive, porous ceramic air electrode composition of lanthanide-substituted doped lanthanum manganite is provided which is used as the cathode in high temperature, solid oxide electrolyte fuel cells and generators. The air electrode composition of this invention has a much lower fabrication cost as a result of using a lower cost lanthanide mixture, either a natural mixture or an unfinished lanthanide concentrate obtained from a natural mixture subjected to incomplete purification, as the raw material in place of part or all of the higher cost individual lanthanum. The mixed lanthanide primarily contains a mixture of at least La, Ce, Pr, and Nd, or at least La, Ce, Pr, Nd and Sm in its lanthanide content, but can also include minor amounts of other lanthanides and trace impurities. The use of lanthanides in place of some or all of the lanthanum also increases the dimensional stability of the air electrode. This low cost air electrode can be fabricated as a cathode for use in high temperature, solid oxide fuel cells and generators.

Low cost stable air electrode material for high temperature solid oxide

A hydrocarbon reforming catalyst material comprising a catalyst support impregnated with catalyst is provided for reforming hydrocarbon fuel gases in an electrochemical generator. Elongated electrochemical cells convert the fuel to electrical power in the presence of an oxidant, after which the spent fuel is recirculated and combined with a fresh hydrocarbon feed fuel forming the reformable gas mixture which is fed to a reforming chamber containing a reforming catalyst material, where the reforming catalyst material includes discrete passageways integrally formed along the length of the catalyst support in the direction of reformable gas flow. The spent fuel and/or combusted exhaust gases discharged from the generator chamber transfer heat to the catalyst support, which in turn transfers heat to the reformable gas and to the catalyst, preferably via a number of discrete passageways disposed adjacent one another in the reforming catalyst support. The passageways can be slots extending inwardly from an outer surface of the support body, which slots are partly defined by an exterior confining wall. According to a preferred embodiment, the catalyst support is non-rigid, porous, fibrous alumina, wherein the fibers are substantially unsintered and compressible, and the reforming catalyst support is impregnated, at least in the discrete passageways with Ni and MgO, and has a number of internal slot passageways for reformable gas, the slot passageways being partly closed by a containing outer wall.

Hydrocarbon reforming catalyst material and configuration of the same

The invention comprises of an electrically conducting doped or admixed cerium oxide composition with niobium oxide and/or tantalum oxide for electrochemical devices, characterized by the general formula:

Protective interlayer for high temperature solid electrolyte

A dense, substantially gas-tight electrically conductive interconnection layer is formed on an air electrode structure of an electrochemical cell by (A) providing an air electrode surface; (B) forming on a selected portion of the electrode surface, a layer of doped LaCrO.sub.3 particles doped with an element or elements selected from Ca, Sr, Ba, Mg, Co, Ni, Al and mixtures thereof by thermal spraying doped LaCrO.sub.3 particles, either by plasma arc spraying or flame spraying; (C) depositing a mixture of CaO and Cr.sub.2 O.sub.3 on the surface of the thermally sprayed layer; and (D) heating the doped LaCrO.sub.3 layer coated with CaO and Cr.sub.2 O.sub.3 surface deposit at from about 1000.degree. C. to 1200.degree. C. to substantially close the pores, at least at a surface, of the thermally sprayed doped LaCrO.sub.3 layer. The result is a dense, substantially gas-tight, highly doped, electrically conductive interconnection material bonded to the electrode surface. A solid electrolyte layer can be applied to the nonselected portion of the air electrode. A fuel electrode can be applied to the solid electrolyte, to form an electrochemical cell, for example for generation of electrical power.

Method and closing pores in a thermally sprayed doped lanthanum chromite

In the method of operating an electrochemical cell generator apparatus containing a generator chamber (20) containing an array of cells (12) having interior and exterior electrodes with solid electrolyte between the electrodes, where a hot gas (F) contacts the outside of the cells (12) and the generating chamber normally operates at over 850.degree. C., where N.sub.2 gas is fed to contact the interior electrode of the cells (12) in any case when the generating chamber (20) temperature drops for whatever reason to within the range of from 550.degree. C. to 800.degree. C., to eliminate cracking within the cells (12).

Method of low temperature operation of an electrochemical cell array

An electrochemical cell is made having a porous cermet electrode (16) and a porous lanthanum manganite electrode (14), with solid oxide electrolyte (15) between them, where the lanthanum manganite surface next to the electrolyte contains a thin discontinuous layer of high surface area cerium oxide and/or praseodymium oxide, preferably as discrete particles (30) in contact with the air electrode and electrolyte.

Oxide modified air electrode surface for high temperature

An electrochemical generator apparatus (30) is constructed containing an electrochemical cell assembly which contains a plurality of electrochemical cells or cell bundles (41) and (43) and insulation materials in the form of at least one of porous partition boards (33) between cell bundles, porous generator insulation (44), porous cell support boards (45), porous fuel entry distribution boards (35), and porous fuel conditioner boards (53), where a gaseous fuel (46) containing hydrocarbons will contact the insulation materials, characterized in that at least one of the insulation materials is impregnated with metal atom containing material, where the metal is selected from the group consisting of (A) metals selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ca-Al combinations, Sr-Al combinations, Ce, Ba, and mixtures thereof, and, (A) metals plus Ni. The impregnated insulation materials may also be pre-heated in air so that the oxides are formed prior to their insertion into the generator apparatus. These electrochemical cells are contacted with a hydrocarbon fuel gas and operated at over 700.degree. C. The metal oxides formed are effective in preventing cell assembly deterioration due to carbon deposition from the hydrocarbon fuel and any elemental nickel formed is effective as a fuel reforming medium.

Electrochemical generator apparatus containing modified high temperature

An electrochemical generator apparatus (30) is constructed containing one or more electrochemical cells (10), the cells containing a porous fuel electrode (18), a porous air electrode (14), and solid oxide electrolyte (16) disposed therebetween, where the fuel electrode is impregnated with chemicals which form metal oxides upon heating, where the metal of the oxide is selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ca plus Al, Sr plus Al, Zr, Y, Ce, and their mixtures; and where these electrochemical cells are contacted with a hydrocarbon fuel gas and operated at over 800.degree. C., and where the metal oxides are effective in preventing cell deterioration due to carbon deposition from the hydrocarbon fuel.

Electrochemical generator apparatus containing modified fuel electrodes

An electrochemical device is made of a containment vessel (30) optional ceramic material within the containment vessel and including one or more electrochemical cells (10), the cells containing a porous exposed electrode (11) in contact with a solid electrolyte, where at least one of the exposed electrode, the containment vessel, and the optional ceramic material contains a deposit selected from metal oxide and metal salt capable of forming a metal oxide upon heating, where the metal is selected from the group consisting of Ce, Sm, Mg, Be, Ca, Sr, Ti, Zr, Hf, Y, La, Pr, Nb, Pm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Th, U, and their mixtures.

Devices capable of removing silicon and aluminum from gaseous atmospheres

A dense, electronically conductive interconnection layer 26 is bonded onto a porous, tubular, electronically conductive air electrode structure 16, optionally supported by a ceramic support 22, by (A) providing an air electrode surface, (B) forming on a selected portion of the electrode surface 24, without the use of pressure, particles of LaCrO.sub.3 doped with an element selected from the group consisting of Sr, Mg, Ca, Ba, Co, and mixtures thereof, where the particles have a deposit on their surface comprising calcium oxide and chromium oxide; (C) heating the particles with the oxide surface deposit in an oxidizing atmosphere at from 1,300.degree. C. to 1,550.degree. C., without the application of pressure, to provide a dense, sintered, interconnection material 26 bonded to the air electrode 16, where calcium and chromium from the surface deposit are incorporated into the structure of the LaCrO.sub.3. A solid electrolyte layer 18 can be applied to the uncovered portion of the air electrode, and a fuel electrode 20 can be applied to the solid electrolyte, to provide an electrochemical cell 10.

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Export, PA, United States of America

Prabhakar Singh