Institute of Gas Technology

Electric Power Research Institute Incorporated

Randy J Petri

Leonard G Marianowski

Mark G Lawson

Frank C Schora

John R Meek

Terry D Claar

Robert P Bachta

Estela T Ong

Marianowski, Leonard G

Fuel cells, fuel cell components, and other electrochemical devices and components fabricated by plasma spraying. Devices such as fuel cells may be made by plasma spraying and then assembling individual components or by plasma spraying components on other components to form a laminate.

Fuel cell having solidified plasma components

A separator plate for a fuel cell comprising an anode current collector, a cathode current collector and a main plate, the main plate disposed between the anode current collector and the cathode current collector. The anode current collector forms a flattened peripheral wet seal structure and manifold wet seal structure on the anode side of the separator plate and the cathode current collector forms a flattened peripheral wet seal structure and manifold wet seal structure on the cathode side of the separator plate. In this manner, the number of components required to manufacture and assemble a fuel cell stack is reduced.

Separator plate for a fuel cell

Integrated main rail, feed rail, and current collector

A fully internally manifolded fuel cell stack is provided by each separator plate and electrolyte in the fuel cell stack having a plurality of aligned perforations forming gas manifolds extending for the length of the cell stack. Each perforation through the separator plate is surrounded by a flattened manifold wet seal structure extending to contact the electrolytes on each face of the separator plate to form separator plate/electrolyte wet seals under cell operating conditions. Conduits through the extended manifold wet seal structure provides gas communication between one set of manifolds and the anode chambers on one face of the separator plates, and conduits through the extended manifold wet seal structure on the opposite face of the separator plates provides gas communication between a second set of the manifolds and the cathode chambers on the other face of the separator plates. Extended wet seal structures formed of thin plate material provide limited flexibility and resiliency to assure good sealing. This structure provides fully internal manifolding of and separation of fuel and oxidant gases to each of the unit fuel cells in the fuel cell stack. The disclosed structure is suitable for both high temperature cell stacks, such as molten carbonate cell stacks, and low temperature cell stacks, such as ion exchange membrane cell stacks.

Fully internal manifolded fuel cell stack

A fully internally manifolded fuel cell stack is provided by each separator plate, current collector, electrode, and electrolyte in the fuel cell stack having a plurality of aligned perforations forming gas manifolds extending for the length of the cell stack. Each perforation through the separator plate is surrounded by a flattened manifold wet seal structure extending to contact the current collector and/or electrode on each face of the separator plate to form electrolyte/electrode wet seals under cell operating conditions. Conduits through the extended manifold wet seal structure provide gas communication between one set of manifolds and the anode chambers on one face of the separator plates, conduits through the extended manifold wet seal structure on the opposite face of the separator plates provide gas communication between a second set of the manifolds and the cathode chambers on the other face of the separator plates, and conduits through the extended manifold structure of a reactant gas manifold provide communication to interspersed reforming chambers. Extended wet seal structures formed of thin plate metal provide limited flexibility and resiliency to assure good sealing. This structure provides fully internal manifolding of and separation of fuel and oxidant gases to each of the unit fuel cells in the fuel cell stack while providing reactant gas to reforming chambers interspersed along the cell axis to reform hydrocarbonaceous gas and supply enhanced hydrogen content to the fuel supply manifold.

A fully internally manifolded fuel cell stack is provided by each separator plate and electrolyte in the fuel cell stack having a plurality of aligned perforations forming gas manifolds extending for the length of the cell stack. Each perforation through the separator plate is surrounded by a flattened manifold wet seal structure extending to contact the electrolytes on each face of the separator plate to form separator plate/electrolyte wet seals under cell operating conditions. Conduits through the extended manifold wet seal structure provides gas communication between one set of manifolds and the anode chambers on one face of the separator plates, conduits through the extended manifold wet seal structure on the opposite face of the separator plates provides gas communication between a second set of the manifolds and the cathode chambers on the other face of the separator plates, and conduits through the extended manifold structure of a reactant gas manifold provides communication to interspersed reforming chambers. Extended wet seal structures formed of thin plate metal provide limited flexibility and resiliency to assure good sealing. This structure provides fully internal manifolding of and separation of fuel and oxidant gases to each of the unit fuel cells in the fuel cell stack while providing reactant gas to forming chambers interspersed along the cell axis to reform hydrocarbonaceous gas and supply enhanced hydrogen content to the fuel supply manifold.

Fully internal manifolded and internal reformed fuel cell stack

A fully internally manifolded fuel cell stack is provided by each separator plate and electrolyte in the fuel cell stack having a plurality of aligned perforations forming gas manifolds extending for the length of the cell stack. Each perforation through the separator plate is surrounded by a flattened manifold wet seal structure extending to contact the electrolytes on each face of the separator plate to form separator plate/electrolyte wet seals under cell operating conditions. Conduits through the extended manifold wet seal structure provides gas communication between one set of manifolds and the anode chambers on one face of the separator plates and conduits through the extended manifold wet seal structure on the opposite face of the separator plates provides gas communication between the other set of the manifolds and the cathode chambers on the other face of the separator plates. Extended wet seal structures formed of thin plate metal provide limited flexibility and resiliency to assure good sealing. This structure provides fully internal manifolding of and separation of fuel and oxidant gases to each of the unit fuel cells in the fuel cell stack.

Fully internal mainfolded fuel cell stack

A fully internally manifolded molten carbonate fuel cell stack is provided by each separator plate and electrolyte in the fuel cell stack having an aligned perforation in each corner area forming a gas manifold extending for the length of the cell stack. Each perforation through the separator plate is surrounded by a flattened manifold wet seal structure extending to contact the electrolytes on each side of the separator plates to form a separator plate/electrolyte wet seal under cell operating conditions. This forms a gas manifold at each corner area extending through the cell stack and conduits through the extended manifold wet seal structure provides gas communication between one of the manifolds at each end of the separator plates and the anode chambers on one side of the separator plates and conduits through the extended manifold wet seal structure on the opposite side of the separator plates provides gas communication between the other of the manifolds at each end of the separator plates and the cathode chambers on the other side of the separator plates. This structure provides fully internal manifolding of and separation of fuel and oxidant gases to each of the unit fuel cells in the fuel cell stack.

Internal manifolded molten carbonate fuel cell stack

A high-temperature direct-contact thermal energy storage element for use in a system for storage and retrieval of thermal energy in the range of about 400.degree. to about 3000.degree. F. The thermal energy is directly stored, without heat exchange tubes in composite latent/sensible heat thermal energy storage media utilizing the heat of fusion and high-temperature stability of alkaline metal and alkaline earth carbonates, chlorides, nitrates, nitrites, fluorides, hydroxides and sulfates and metal, metallic alloys and mixtures thereof maintained within a porous support-structure material which itself is capable of storage as sensible heat. The thermal energy storage according to the invention may be effectively utilized for storage of thermal energy derived from solar, industrial waste, process heat, and high-temperature gas reactor energy sources and retrieved for a wide variety of uses such as combustion air preheating, drying, space heating, heating of process gases, power generating heat engines and the like.

High-temperature direct-contact thermal energy storage using

A high-temperature direct-contact thermal energy storage element for use in a system for storage and retrieval of thermal energy in the range of about 400.degree. to about 2000.degree. F. The thermal energy is directly stored, without heat exchange tubes in composite latent/sensible heat thermal energy storage media utilizing the heat of fusion and high-temperature stability of alkaline metal and alkaline earth carbonates, chlorides, nitrates, nitrites, fluorides, hydroxides, sulfates, and mixtures thereof maintained within a porous support-structure material which itself is capable of storage as sensible heat. The thermal energy storage according to the invention may be effectively utilized for storage of thermal energy derived from solar, industrial waste, process heat, and high-temperature gas reactor energy sources and retrieved for a wide variety of uses such as combustion air preheating, drying, space heating, heating of process gases, and the like.

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Highland, IN, United States of America

Randy J Petri