Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Triad National Security, LLC

Rodney Lynn Borup

William Henry Pettit

Glenn William Skala

Mark A Brundage

Brian K Brady

Gerald E Voecks

Mark A Meltser

Stephen Andreas Grot

Matthew Howard Fronk

Kirk Weisbrod

Stanley Gutowski

David J Hart-Predmore

Kevin M Cunningham

Jay S Hulett

Jay Kevin Neutzler

William J LaBarge

John P Salvador

Mahlon Scott Wilson

Rangachary Mukundan

Kevin Stukey

Mohammed E H Sennoun

Siddharth Komini Babu

Joel Fairchok

Natalia Macauley

Stephen Grot

Disclosed herein are embodiments of a patterned electrode comprising regions of catalyst and segregating regions that separate the regions of catalyst. The segregating regions may be regions of non-catalytic material. The catalyst regions may correspond to the channels of a flow field. The electrode provides improved fuel cell performance, particularly at high current densities. The electrode may be for all suitable applications, such as in a membrane electrode assembly and/or a fuel cell. Also disclosed is a method for making the patterned electrode. The method may comprise using masks to apply the catalyst and non-catalyst material to a substrate.

Patterned electrode catalyst

A PEM fuel cell having electrical contact elements comprising a corrosion-susceptible substrate metal coated with an electrically conductive, corrosion-resistant polymer containing a plurality of electrically conductive, corrosion-resistant filler particles. The substrate may have an oxidizable metal first layer (e.g., stainless steel) underlying the polymer coating.

Corrosion resistant PEM fuel cell

A fuel processor system includes first and second reactors each having an inlet that receives fuel from a fuel supply and an outlet that discharges a reformate containing hydrogen. The reactors are operable to reform the fuel to form the reformates. The second reactor is coupled in parallel with the first reactor with the reformates produced by each combining to form a reformate flow. The first reactor can be an autothermal reforming reactor and the second reactor can be a steam reforming reactor. The first and second reactors are controlled differently to provide quick startup and transient capability while providing improved overall efficiency under normal operation.

Combined autothermal/steam reforming fuel processor mechanization

A compact autothermal (partial oxidation and steam reforming) fuel reactor is provided for implementation with a fuel cell system. The reactor includes a premixing chamber for premixing a volume of air, steam and fuel into an effluent, a thermal POX reactor, a first stage reforming segment, a post-premix chamber, and a second stage reforming segment. Further provided are a water/fuel vaporizer for supplying steam and fuel as a gas to the premix chamber and an airflow cavity disposed about the reactor for pre-heating air supplied to the premix chamber. The thermal POX segment operates during an initial start-up period for pre-heating the other components of the reactor. Once the other components achieve an operation temperature, the first and second stage reforming segments catalytically reform the effluent. The premix and post-premix chambers enable variance in the O/C and S/C ratios to be achieved as the effluent is reformed through the multiple stages.

Compact partial oxidation/steam reactor with integrated air preheater, fuel and water vaporizer

A preferential oxidation reactor is provided including a plurality of reactor sections. The reactor sections are individually optimized for operating at a preferred reaction temperature. In one embodiment, each reactor subsection includes a respective coolant flow for manipulating the operating temperature of the respective subsection. In another embodiment, a first section includes a lower temperature catalyst substrate, a second reactor section includes a higher temperature (i.e. normal) catalyst substrate and a third reactor section includes a lower temperature catalyst substrate. Yet another embodiment includes modifying the catalyst substrates of the respective subsections through the inclusion of promoters. Still another embodiment includes varying a density of the catalyst substrate across the reactor sections. Each of the embodiments enable quick light-off of the reactor, while limiting a reverse water-gas shift reaction.

Reactor for preferential oxidation and method of use

In one aspect, the present invention provides a method for operating a fuel cell system. The system comprises a reactor having one or more catalytic beds and is fed a hydrocarbon fuel along with air and steam. Where more than one catalytic bed is present, such catalytic beds are preferably arranged sequentially such that the outlet from one bed enters the inlet of the next bed. The catalytic beds are the regions where reactions among the hydrocarbon, air, and steam are catalyzed within the reactor. The method comprises supplying a stream of a fuel and air mixture to the reactor which is lean. The mixture is lean in that it has an excess amount of oxygen relative to the stoichiometric amount required for reaction with the fuel. The reactions occurring with the lean mixture heat the reactor. When there is more than one catalytic bed, the hot gases generated from one catalytic bed can be used to heat other catalytic beds. After sufficient heating of the reactor by the lean mixture, a fuel-rich stream is fed to the reactor. This fuel-rich mixture comprises fuel, air, and water in the form of steam. The mixture is rich in that fuel is fed in an excess amount relative to the amount of oxygen for a stoichiometric reaction. The reactions of the fuel-rich stream produce a product comprising hydrogen (H ).

Method for operating a combination partial oxidation and steam reforming fuel processor

A fuel cell system having a thermally integrated isothermal CO-cleansing subsystem including a water-gas-shift reactor, a preferential oxidation reactor, at least one system heat exchanger, and a closed-loop heat transfer circuit dedicated to that subsystem. The heat transfer circuit utilizes a heat transfer medium which has a high specific heat and is circulated through the circuit at a sufficiently high rate as to thermally dominate the gas stream components communicating with the circuit.

Fuel cell system having thermally integrated, isothermal co-cleansing subsystem

An electrochemical engine for a vehicle comprises a fuel processor operating to process liquid fuel to hydrogen gas reformate, a combustor to generate heat for the fuel processor, and a fuel cell stack to generate electricity from the hydrogen gas reformate and producing water vapor by-product. A water management system of the engine comprises a condenser to reclaim liquid water from the water vapor by-product and a water tank for storing the reclaimed water. A water pump circulates water from the water tank to the fuel processor. A drainage valve is operable to open to release water from the water tank to a freeze tank to avoid freezing water in the water tank.

Water management system for electrochemical engine

A thermally integrated two-stage methanol reformer including a heat exchanger and first and second reactors colocated in a common housing in which a gaseous heat transfer medium circulates to carry heat from the heat exchanger into the reactors. The heat transfer medium comprises principally hydrogen, carbon dioxide, methanol vapor and water vapor formed in a first stage reforming reaction. A small portion of the circulating heat transfer medium is drawn off and reacted in a second stage reforming reaction which substantially completes the reaction of the methanol and water remaining in the drawn-off portion. Preferably, a PrOx reactor will be included in the housing upstream of the heat exchanger to supplement the heat provided by the heat exchanger.

Thermally integrated staged methanol reformer and method

There is provided a method and apparatus for treatment of a hydrogen-rich gas to reduce the carbon monoxide content thereof by reacting the carbon monoxide in the gas with an amount of oxygen sufficient to oxidize at least a portion of the carbon monoxide in the presence of a catalyst in a desired temperature range without substantial reaction of hydrogen. The catalyst is an iridium-based catalyst dispersed on, and supported on, a carrier. In the presence of the catalyst, carbon monoxide in a hydrogen-rich feed gas is selectively oxidized such that a product stream is produced with a very low carbon monoxide content.

Method and apparatus for selective removal of carbon monoxide

A multi-stage, isothermal, carbon monoxide preferential oxidation (PrOx) reactor comprising a plurality of serially arranged, catalyzed heat exchangers, each separated from the next by a mixing chamber for homogenizing the gases exiting one heat exchanger and entering the next. In a preferred embodiment, at least some of the air used in the PrOx reaction is injected directly into the mixing chamber between the catalyzed heat exchangers.

Multi-stage, isothermal CO preferential oxidation reactor

The CO concentration in the H.sub.2 feed stream to a PEM fuel cell stack is monitored by measuring current and/or voltage behavior patterns from a PEM-probe communicating with the reformate feed stream. Pattern recognition software may be used to compare the current and voltage patterns from the PEM-probe to current and voltage telltale outputs determined from a reference cell similar to the PEM-probe and operated under controlled conditions over a wide range of CO concentrations in the H.sub.2 fuel stream. The PEM-probe is intermittently purged of any CO build-up on the anode catalyst (e.g., by (1) flushing the anode with air, (2) short circuiting the PEM-probe, or (3) reverse biasing the PEM-probe) to keep the PEM-probe at peak performance levels.

Method of monitoring CO concentrations in hydrogen feed to a PEM fuel

The CO concentration in the H.sub.2 feed stream to a PEM fuel cell stack is monitored by measuring current and/or voltage behavior patterns from a PEM-probe communicating with the reformate feed stream. Pattern recognition software may be used to compare the current and voltage patterns from the PEM-probe to current and voltage telltale outputs determined from a reference cell similar to the PEM-probe and operated under controlled conditions over a wide range of CO concentrations in the H.sub.2 fuel stream. A CO sensor includes the PEM-probe, an electrical discharge circuit for discharging the PEM-probe to monitor the CO concentration, and an electrical purging circuit to intermittently raise the anode potential of the PEM-probe's anode to at least about 0.8 V (RHE) to electrochemically oxidize any CO adsorbed on the probe's anode catalyst.

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Los Alamos, NM, United States of America

Rodney Lynn Borup