Kraftwerk Union Aktiengesellschaft

Siemens Aktiengesell Schaft

Reinhard Muller

Willi Bette

Hans-Jurgen Cirkel

A process for operating a fuel cell installation and a fuel cell installation for carrying out the process include at least one fuel cell block. A process gas for the fuel cell block is fed into the fuel cell block with a liquid ring compressor. In this way, the process gas is humidified at the same time as it is compressed, thus using the compression heat simultaneously as evaporation enthalpy, as well as the heat from the cooling circuit of the fuel cell stack.

Process for operating a fuel cell installation and fuel cell

A high-energy TE laser system, includes an excitation circuit, a laser head having an optical axis, a laser chamber with a gas space formed therein, at least two laser electrodes being disposed opposite each other and spaced apart in the laser chamber parallel to the optical axis of the laser head for producing an arc-free capacitor discharge between the electrodes being as homogenous as possible in the gas space for excitation, at least one rapid high-voltage switch, a pulse-forming network connected to the rapid high-voltage switch for producing high-voltage pulses at the laser electrodes with the rapid high-voltage switch, the pulse-forming network including first and second strip conductor capacitors respectively associated with the rapid high-voltage switch and with the laser head, the strip conductor capacitors including plates and dielectric layers disposed between the plates extended substantially normal to the optical axis of the laser head, forming a capacitor stack stacked substantially parallel to the optical axis of the laser head, the plates being connected in the pulse-forming network, the pulse-forming network being a Blumlein circuit in which at least one plate of the second strip conductor capacitor is connected to one of the laser electrodes, and the plates being divided into n adjacent plate sections having n-1 partings respectively disposed therebetween, and coupling inductances conductively connecting the plate sections to each other. Otherwise, the pulse-forming network is a charge-transfer circuit in which at least a partial surface of the plates of the first and second strip conductor capacitors are connected in common to one of the laser electrodes.

High-energy laser system

An excitation circuit for a TE high-energy laser system, includes at least one high-speed, high-voltage switch, activatable for energizing a pulse-generating network to generate high-voltage pulses at a pair of laser electrodes; the pulse generating network having first and second strip-line capacitors associated with the high-voltage switch and the laser chamber and with appertaining equivalent inductances of the excitation circuit formed from self-inductance of the high-voltage switch, the laser chamber, leads of the system and the stripline capacitors has at least a third stripline capacitor included in the pulse-generating network in addition to the first and second stripline capacitors, a series connection of the high-voltage switch and one of the equivalent inductances being connected in parallel with the first stripline capacitor and with a series-parallel circuit formed of the second stripline capacitor and a parallel connection made up of the third stripline capacitor in parallel with an impedance as well as with a series connection of the laser chamber and another of the equivalent inductances.

Excitation circuit for a TE high-energy laser system

Laser of the TE type, including a gas-tight housing defining a laser chamber having a gas space, at least two laser electrodes disposed parallel to the optical axis of the laser within the housing, the electrodes being disposed mutually opposite and at a given distance from each other, excitation of the laser being provided by an arc-free capacitor discharge being as homogeneous as possible in the gas space between the electrodes, a pre-ionization device disposed within the housing, current leads and a current return disposed in the housing, each of the electrodes being connected to one of the current leads and current return, a device disposed in the laser chamber for conducting laser gas therethrough, a pulse-forming network having a capacitor contact surface and being connected to the current leads and current returns, the laser electrodes being in the form of at least two subelectrodes facing toward the pulse-forming network and subelectrodes facing away from the pulse-forming network, an electrode bridge connected to the subelectrodes facing away from the pulse-forming network, the subelectrodes of opposite electrodes defining subdischarge spaces therebetween and a subelectrode space between the subdischarge spaces, and insulation jackets disposed on the current leads, the current leads being extended in an insulated manner from the electrode bridge through the subelectrode space, through the current return and to the capacitor contact surface.

Laser of the TE type, especially a high-energy laser

Sheetform conductor type capacitor for energy storage in combination with a high-energy laser of the TE type, the laser having an optical axis, a laser chamber with at least two laser electrodes having a gas space therebetween, the laser electrodes being spaced apart opposite each other and extended parallel to the optical axis, excitation taking place by an arc-free capacitor discharge in the gas space being as homogeneous as possible, and pre-ionization devices associated with the laser electrodes, a pulse forming network, connected to the laser electrodes, coatings of the sheetform conductor type capacitor connected to the laser electrodes, electrodes defining a fast-high-voltage contact-break distance, the contact-break electrodes being connected to the laser electrodes, dielectric layers disposed between the coating of the sheetform conductor type capacitor in a direction substantially normal to a given stacking direction thereto parallel to the optical axis of the laser, the at least two laser electrodes including a first electrode connected through the sheetform conductor type capacitor to the pulse-forming network for a high voltage pulse, and a second electrode being disposed opposite the first electrode being connected to ground potential, wherein the improvement comprises at least one of the sheetform conductor type capacitors connected to the first laser electrode having notches formed therein for increasing the length of their current path for discharge current.

Growing community of inventors

Erlangen, Germany

Reinhard Muller