Westinghouse Electric Corporation

The United States of America As Represented by the United States

Electric Power Research Institute Incorporated

Siemens Energy, Inc.

The United States of America As Represented by the Department of Energy

Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation

U.S. Dept. of Energy

Richard E Kothmann

Donald K Whirlow

Noel P Grimm

Tapan K Gupta

Robert Draper

Raymond A George

Frank I Bauer

Andrew S Sweetana, Jr

Thomas G Bengel

Phillip E Miller

Robert B Salton

Stephen E Veyo

Gary C Rauch

Robert S Mavretish

Edward V Somers

Joseph C Osterhout

Raymond J Nath

Brian D Ottinger

Arun K S Iyengar

Vaughn M Thomas

Abram Batenburg

George B Cushing

Joseph A Cyphers

Russell R Booth, Jr

Arun KS Iyengar

In one embodiment the present comprises an air inlet, a series of fuel cells, a new fuel inlet, a fuel distributor, a recirculation plenum, and an exhaust. Fresh fuel from the fuel distributorenters the fuel cell stack in a middle-third section of the fuel cell stack, and the fresh fuel is divided into an exhaust fuelflow and a recirculation fuel flow. The exhaust fuel flow passes along a first portion of the series of fuel cells to the exhaust, and the recirculation fuel flow passes along a second portion of the series of fuel cells to the recirculation plenum and mixes with new fuel from the new fuel inlet in the fuel distributor. The recirculation plenum is located at an opposite end of the fuel cell stack from the exhaust, and the fuel-cell stack is of a seal-less design.

Mid-sectional fuel distributor for fuel cells

A fuel cell generator contains a plurality of fuel cells ( ) in a generator chamber ( ) and also contains a depleted fuel reactor or a fuel depletion chamber ( ) where oxidant ( ) and fuel ( ) is fed to the generator chamber ( ) and the depleted fuel reactor chamber ( ), where both fuel and oxidant react, and where all oxidant and fuel passages are separate and do not communicate with each other, so that fuel and oxidant in whatever form do not mix and where a depleted fuel exit ( ) is provided for exiting a product gas ( ) which consists essentially of carbon dioxide and water for further treatment so that carbon dioxide can be separated and is not vented to the atmosphere.

Segregated exhaust SOFC generator with high fuel utilization capability

An electromagnetic pumping assembly (10) for liquid metal is made, which contains an immersible pump section (16) where electromagnetic windings (22) are disposed in the pump section, and an eddy current blocking structure (25) is disposed within the electromagnetic winding (22), providing liquid flow orifices unoccupied by the structure between the eddy current blocking structure and the winding, where there is at least one axial bore (27) through the eddy current blocking structure (25).

Electromagnetic pump cooling bypass

A core-form transformer winding with liquid coolant flow diversion bands is disclosed. The apparatus includes a winding tube with a central longitudinal axis. A number of coil sections are axially displaced along the central longitudinal axis of the winding tube. Radial ducts are formed between the coil sections. Internal vertical ducts are formed within each of the coil sections. A liquid coolant is used to cool the windings during operation. Flow diversion bands are placed around every other coil section. The flow diversion bands generate a partial blockage of the liquid coolant, which produces a radial flow into one or more of the radial ducts, resulting in vertical flow through the internal vertical ducts.

Core-form transformer with liquid coolant flow diversion bands

A process for controlling the heating of a thin-walled body according to a predetermined temperature program by means of electrically controllable heaters, comprising: disposing the heaters adjacent one surface of the body such that each heater is in facing relation with a respective zone of the surface;

Menu driven heat treatment control of thin walled bodies

A temperature monitoring device for measuring the temperature at a surface of a body, composed of: at least one first thermocouple and a second thermocouple; support members supporting the thermocouples for placing the first thermocouple in contact with the body surface and for maintaining the second thermocouple at a defined spacing from the body surface; and a calculating circuit connected to the thermocouples for receiving individual signals each representative of the temperature reading produced by a respective one of the first and second thermocouples and for producing a corrected temperature signal having a value which represents the temperature of the body surface and is a function of the difference between the temperature reading produced by the first thermocouple and a selected fraction of the temperature reading provided by the second thermocouple.

Temperature monitoring device and thermocouple assembly therefor

A method of stress-relief annealing a magnetic core constructed of magnetic, metallic strip material, with at least a portion of the strip material being amorphous, wherein the strip material has major plane surfaces which define first exposed surfaces of the magnetic core, and lateral edges which collectively define second exposed surfaces of the magnetic core. The method includes the step of thermally insulating the first exposed surfaces of the magnetic core, and the step of heating the magnetic core via the second exposed surfaces.

Method of stress-relief annealing a magnetic core containing amorphous

Method and apparatus for cooling electrochemical fuel cell system components. Periodic reversal of the direction of flow of cooling fluid through a fuel cell stack provides greater uniformity and cell operational temperatures. Flow direction through a recirculating coolant fluid circuit is reversed through a two position valve, without requiring modulation of the pumping component.

Fuel cell system with coolant flow reversal

A minimum loss multilayer solenoid for induction heating is characterized by the ampere-turns carrying the same current per conductor from one layer to the next on account of the dimensioning of the conductors having width and thickness varying monotonically in opposite directions across the layers. Central cooling for the conductors is accommodated in the parallel layers with sectional distribution of the cooling medium.

Minimum loss multilayer electrical winding for induction heating

A fuel cell and system for supply electrolyte, as well as fuel and an oxidant to a fuel cell stack having at least two fuel cells, each of the cells having a pair of spaced electrodes and a matrix sandwiched therebetween, fuel and oxidant paths associated with a bipolar plate separating each pair of adjacent fuel cells and an electrolyte fill path for adding electrolyte to the cells and wetting said matrices. Electrolyte is flowed through the fuel cell stack in a back and forth fashion in a path in each cell substantially parallel to one face of opposite faces of the bipolar plate exposed to one of the electrodes and the matrices to produce an overall head uniformly between cells due to frictional pressure drop in the path for each cell free of a large hydrostatic head to thereby avoid flooding of the electrodes. The bipolar plate is provided with channels forming paths for the flow of the fuel and oxidant on opposite faces thereof, and the fuel and the oxidant are flowed along a first side of the bipolar plate and a second side of the bipolar plate through channels formed into the opposite faces of the bipolar plate, the fuel flowing through channels formed into one of the opposite faces and the oxidant flowing through channels formed into the other of the opposite faces.

Low hydrostatic head electrolyte addition to fuel cell stacks

Arrangements of stacks of fuel cells and ducts, for fuel cells operating with separate fuel, oxidant and coolant streams. An even number of stacks are arranged generally end-to-end in a loop. Ducts located at the juncture of consecutive stacks of the loop feed oxidant or fuel to or from the two consecutive stacks, each individual duct communicating with two stacks. A coolant fluid flows from outside the loop, into and through cooling channels of the stack, and is discharged into an enclosure duct formed within the loop by the stacks and seals at the junctures at the stacks.

Fuel cell stack arrangements

A fuel cell arrangement having cooling fluid flow passages which vary in surface area from the inlet to the outlet of the passages. A smaller surface area is provided at the passage inlet, which increases toward the passage outlet, so as to provide more uniform cooling of the entire fuel cell. The cooling passages can also be spaced from one another in an uneven fashion.

Variable area fuel cell cooling

A fuel cell arrangement having a non-uniform distribution of fuel and oxidant flow paths, on opposite sides of an electrolyte matrix, sized and positioned to provide approximately uniform fuel and oxidant utilization rates, and cell conditions, across the entire cell.

Variable area fuel cell process channels

Fuel cell stack configurations having elongated polygonal cross-sectional shapes and gaskets at the peripheral faces to which flow manifolds are sealingly affixed. Process channels convey a fuel and an oxidant through longer channels, and a cooling fluid is conveyed through relatively shorter cooling passages. The polygonal structure preferably includes at least two right angles, and the faces of the stack are arranged in opposite parallel pairs.

Fuel cell system configurations

A gapless surge arrester is disclosed herein and includes a porcelain outer casing and a stack of zinc oxide discs located within the casing for passing surge currents therethrough. Silicon dioxide, preferably sand, is provided between this stack in the casing for transferring heat from the discs to the porcelain outer casing as a result of the surge current and for absorbing fault energy where necessary by changing states.

Growing community of inventors

Churchill Borough, PA, United States of America

Richard E Kothmann