Audi Ag

United Technologies Corporation

Utc Power Corporation

Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation

Doosan Fuel Cell America, Inc.

Rockwell Collins, Inc.

Clearedge Power Corporation

Sitaram Ramaswamy

Kazuo Saito

Matthew P Wilson

Venkateshwarlu Yadha

Michael L Perry

Sean P Breen

Robert Mason Darling

Paul R Hanrahan

Craig E Evans

James P Mitchell

Paul R Margiott

Thomas D Jarvi

Evan Christopher Rege

Michael E Gorman

Ryan J Balliet

Jeremy P Meyers

Bryan F Dufner

Richard R Phillips

Dale W Maine

Mithun Kamat

John W Kowalski

Eric J Gottung

Matthew I Riley

Masaki M Yokose

Philip Harris

Catherine M Goodrich

Mothivel Mummudi Boopathy

Guangyan Zhu

A system collects air samples at altitude and shares data among aircraft in a network. The system includes an antenna with an antenna housing; the housing defines air inlets and outlets. While in flight, air samples are collected through the inlets, processed via sensors, and allowed to flow through to the outlet. Air quality data, including, but not limited to, contrail humidity, gas content, and particle density and size, may be transmitted to other aircraft in a network via the antenna. Air quality measurements are geolocated and correlated from different platforms at different altitudes. A data model or machine learning artificial intelligence may utilize the geolocated air quality data to make certain predictions.

Aerospace antenna and network system for simultaneously delivering internet to aircraft and reporting air quality index parameters

A computer system and method for optimizing operation of a device having associated software routines for operating the device in which data associated with a device is received that is indicative of alert conditions present in the device. The received data associated with the alert conditions is analyzed to determine corrective actions to mitigate the alert conditions. Actors for implementing the determined corrective actions is determined based upon the alert conditions and the determined corrective actions. A determination is made we to whether the determined corrective actions have been successfully implemented to mitigate the alert conditions. A determination is then performed as to whether alteration of the corrective actions is required to mitigate the alert conditions.

System and method for performing device analytics

Provided are embodiments including a method, system and computer program product for collecting aircraft performance data using smart applications. Some embodiments include receiving sensor data from one or more sensors of one or more user devices associated with an aircraft, and detecting an aircraft event of the aircraft based at least in part on the sensor data. Embodiments can also include analyzing performance of the aircraft by comparing the sensor data with historical data for the aircraft event responsive to detecting the aircraft event, and mapping the performance of the aircraft to the received sensor data.

Smart application for aircraft performance data collection

A technique is disclosed of modified shutdown of a fuel cell power plant () having a fuel eel! stack assembly () contained with and supplying electrical power to a mobile vehicle (). The -vehicle characteristically proceeds at intervals to a station. () containing one or more resources (A,B,C, etc) utilized by the fuel cell power plant, for resupply thereof. One such, resource provided at/by the station is electrical energy (A), aid operation of the fuel cell power plant () is controlled to utilize the availability of that electrical energy (A) to maintain, an active protective Hydrogen On condition for greatly extended intervals, for example many hours to several days or longer, via a Power On mode of operation. The Power On mode maintains at least a low level of hydrogen introduction and circulation sufficient to maintain a predetermined presence, e.g., pressure, of hydrogen at the fuel cell stack assembly ().

Power-on shutdown of fuel cell power plant for enhanced durability

An illustrative example fuel cell manifold includes a manifold structure having at least one surface situated where the surface may be exposed to phosphoric acid. The surface has a coating that reduces a possibility of an electrical short between the manifold and the fuel cell stack adjacent the manifold if that surface is exposed to phosphoric acid during fuel cell operation.

Fuel cell manifold including a coating to reduce the possibility of an electrical short

According to an embodiment, a method of monitoring the operation of a device includes determining a plurality of operational parameters that are indicative of an operation condition of the device. A difference between each operational parameter and a corresponding limit on that parameter is determined. Each limit indicates a value of the corresponding operational parameter that corresponds to an undesirable operation condition of the device. An action index is determined based on at least a smallest one of the determined differences. A determination is made whether the action index is within a range corresponding to desirable operation of the device.

Limit based threshold estimation for prognostics and health management

The performance of a fuel cell power plant that decays, in an electric vehicle which makes frequent starts, is recovered by partially shutting down the power plant. Recovery is enabled by a recovery enable flag upon conditions such as vehicle using low or no power, vehicle speed at or near zero, electric storage SOC above a threshold, and no recovery during the last half-hour (or other duration). The recovery restart resets a timer to ensure that recovery is not attempted too often. The power plant then remains in a recovery stand-by mode until a recovery restart flag is set to 1. The restart causes start-up of the fuel cell power plant, reaching an operational mode.

In-service fuel cell performance recovery

An exemplary method of providing an electrolyte for a fuel cell comprises including a electrolyte precursor within a fuel cell. An electrolyte is generated within the fuel cell from the precursor. An exemplary fuel cell system includes a cell stack assembly. A manifold is associated with the cell stack assembly. An electrolyte precursor is within at least one of the cell stack assembly or manifold for generating an electrolyte within a fuel cell.

Electrolyte generation within a fuel cell

A thermal priority fuel cell power plant includes a cell stack assembly for generating an electrical power output. The cell stack assembly includes an anode, a cathode, and a waste heat recovery loop. The waste heat recovery loop is configured to remove waste heat generated from the electrochemical reaction and is thermally coupled to the cell stack assembly for managing the waste heat of the cell stack assembly and for supplying thermal power to a thermal load demand. The waste heat recovery loop includes a heat exchanger in heat exchange relationship with the coolant outlet conduit and the thermal load demand. A controller is operatively associated with the cell stack assembly and the waste heat recovery loop. The controller controls the operation of the cell stack assembly by adjusting a fuel cell power plant parameter responsive to the thermal load demand.

System and method for thermal priority operation of a fuel cell power plant

Cathode exhaust of an evaporatively cooled fuel cell stack () is condensed in a heat exchanger () having extended fins () or tubes () to prevent pooling of condensate, and/or having the entire exit surface of the condenser rendered hydrophilic with wicking () to conduct water away. The cathode exhaust flow paths may be vertical or horizontal, they may be partly or totally rendered hydrophilic, and if so, in liquid communication with hydrophilic end surfaces of the condenser, and the condensers () may be tilted away from a normal orientation with respect to earth's gravity.

Freeze-resistant fuel cell condensers

A fuel cell power plant keeps track, such as with a fuel-off timer (), of the extent to which shutdown of the fuel cell power plant has occurred, in case the fuel cell power plant is quickly commanded to resume full operation. In one embodiment, if the fuel-off timer has not timed out at the time that the fuel cell power plant is ordered to resume full operation, a fuel-on timer is set () equal to the value of the fuel-off timer when the fuel cell power plant is ordered to resume full operation. Then, the fuel cell power plant is refueled (), in a duration of time related to the setting of the fuel-off timer, rather than doing a full fuel purge.

Quick restart of fuel cell power plant as alternative to idling

The performance of a fuel cell power plant that decays, in an electric vehicle which makes frequent starts, is recovered by partially shutting down (-) the power plant. Recovery is enabled by a recovery enable flag () upon conditions such as vehicle using () low or no power (), vehicle speed at or near zero (), electric storage SOC above a threshold (), and no recovery () during the last half-hour (or other duration). The recovery restart resets a timer () to ensure () that recovery is not attempted too often. The power plant then remains in a recovery stand-by mode () until a recovery restart flag () is set to 1 (). The restart causes start-up of the fuel cell power plant (), reaching an operational mode ().

In a system where the thermal energy of a geothermal fluid is applied to an ORC system, the energy is enhanced by the use of solar energy to thereby increase the temperature of the fluid being applied by the ORC system. A single heat exchanger version provides for direct heat exchange relationship with the geothermal and solar fluids, whereas a two heat exchanger version provides for each of the geothermal and solar fluids to be in heat exchange relationship with the working medium of the ORC system. Control features are provided to selectively balance the various fluid flows in the system.

Combined geothermal and solar thermal organic rankine cycle system

Embodiments of an ORC system can be configured to reduce ingress of contaminants from the ambient environment. In one embodiment, the ORC system can comprise a pressure equilibrating unit that comprises a variable volume device for holding a working fluid. The variable volume device can be fluidly coupled to a condenser so that working fluid can move amongst the condenser and the variable volume device. This movement can occur in response to changes in the pressure of the working fluid in the ORC system, and in one example the working fluid is allowed to move when the pressure deviates from atmospheric pressure.

System and method for equilibrating an organic rankine cycle

A fuel cell system is disclosed that includes a heat exchanger having first and second heat exchanger portions arranged in a fluid flow passage. The second heat exchanger portion is arranged downstream from the first heat exchanger portion. The first and second heat exchanger portions include a coolant flow passage and are configured to transfer heat between the fluid flow and coolant flow passages. The first heat exchanger portion includes a first corrosion-resistant material and the second heat exchanger portion includes a second corrosion-resistant material that is less corrosion-resistant than the first corrosion-resistant material. A collector, which includes a tray and/or a mist trap, is configured to collect acid in the first heat exchanger portion from a gas stream in the fluid flow passage. Collected acid can be sprayed into a gas stream upstream from a flow field of the fuel cell.

Growing community of inventors

West Hartford, CT, United States of America

Sitaram Ramaswamy