United Technologies Corporation

Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation

Ballard Power Systems Corporation

Utc Fuel Cells, LLC

Utc Power Corporation

Sunil Govinda Warrier

David A Litton

Michael J Maloney

Jean Yamanis

Raymond C Benn

Nicholas E Ulion

Mladen F Trubelja

Richard S Bailey

Shihong Gary Song

Willard H Sutton

Venkata R Vedula

Wayde R Schmidt

Sergei F Burlatsky

John G Smeggil

Justin R Hawkes

Sonia Tulyani

Benoit Olsommer

Shubhro Ghosh

Jean Colpin

James R Maus

Jai-woh Kim

A fuel cell stack formed of repeating cell units is provided wherein each cell unit includes a fuel cell having an anode side and a cathode side; an anode side frame; a cathode side frame; a bipolar plate having an anode side interconnect adjacent to the anode side frame and a cathode side interconnect adjacent to a cathode side frame of an adjacent cell unit; a cathode side seal between the fuel cell and the cathode side frame; and an anode side seal between the fuel cell and the anode side frame, wherein at least one of the anode side interconnect, cathode side interconnect, anode side seal and cathode side seal are compliant.

Compliant stack for a planar solid oxide fuel cell

A fuel cell includes a cell having a solid oxide electrolyte between electrodes. The cell has a first coefficient of thermal expansion. A metallic support is in electrical connection with one of the electrodes. The metallic support includes a metal substrate and a compliant porous nickel layer that is bonded to the metal substrate between the cell and the metal substrate. The metal substrate has a second coefficient of thermal expansion that nominally matches the first coefficient of thermal expansion of the cell. The metal substrate has a first stiffness and the compliant porous nickel layer has a second stiffness that is less than the first stiffness such that the compliant porous nickel layer can thermally expand and contract with the metal substrate.

Solid oxide fuel cell having metal support with a compliant porous nickel layer

A multi-layer seal arrangement includes a dissolution barrier between a braze alloy and a ceramic component. The inventive seal is useful for joining a ceramic component to another ceramic component or a metal component, for example. In one example, the braze comprises a gold alloy and the dissolution barrier comprises a layer of alumina on the order of 2-3 microns thick. A titanium wetting layer is provided between the alumina layer and the alloy. A metallization layer provided between the dissolution barrier and the ceramic component in one example comprises a layer of gold between two thin layers of titanium. In one particular example, a platinum mesh is included with the gold of the braze alloy to control braze flow during the brazing operation.

High temperature seal for joining ceramic components such as cells in a ceramic oxygen generator

A seal assembly for a solid oxide fuel cell stack, includes at least two fuel cell stack components having opposed surfaces and a seal member disposed between the surfaces, wherein the seal member is a compliant seal member that is mechanically compliant in both in-plane and out-of-plane directions relative to the surfaces. The seal member is advantageously formed of one or more substantially continuous fibers. Further, preferred materials for the seal member are provided which advantageously allow for a desired level of impermeability while preventing contamination of the fuel cell stack.

Compliant seals for solid oxide fuel cell stack

An electrode assembly for solid oxide fuel cells includes an electrolyte member defining a cathode side and an anode side and having an active area and an edge portion; cathode disposed on the cathode side; an anode disposed on the anode side; and at least one electrolyte support member positioned adjacent to the edge portion of the electrolyte and having an opening positioned over at least a portion of the active area.

Reinforcement structures for electrolyte-supported solid oxide fuel cell

A ceramic material having particular utility as a thermal insulating or thermal barrier coating on metallic substrates is provided. The ceramic material broadly comprises at least one oxide and the balance comprising a first oxide selected from the group consisting of zirconia, ceria, and hafnia. The at least one oxide has a formula AOwhere A is selected from the group consisting of La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, In, Sc, Y, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, and mixtures thereof. The present invention also broadly relates to an article having a metal substrate and a thermal barrier coating as discussed above.

Thermal barrier coatings with low thermal conductivity

A turbine component has a substrate formed from a ceramic material selected from the group consisting of a monolithic ceramic material and a composite ceramic material and a thermal barrier coating bonded to the substrate. In one embodiment, the ceramic material forming the substrate is selected from the group of silicon nitride and self-reinforced silicon nitride. In another embodiment, the ceramic material forming the substrate is selected from the group consisting of a silicon carbide-silicon carbide material and a carbon-carbon material. At least one bond coat layer may be interposed between the substrate and the thermal barrier coating.

Turbine components with thermal barrier coatings

A fuel cell stack includes a plurality of fuel cells each having an anode layer, an electrolyte layer, and a cathode layer, the fuel cells each having a first effective thermal expansion coefficient; a plurality of bipolar plates positioned between adjacent fuel cells having an anode interconnect, a separator plate, and a cathode interconnect, the bipolar plates being positioned between adjacent fuel cells, wherein the anode interconnect is in electrical communication with the anode layer of one adjacent fuel cell, wherein the cathode interconnect is in electrical communication with the cathode layer of another adjacent fuel cell, and wherein at least one interconnect of the cathode interconnect and the anode interconnect has a second thermal expansion coefficient and is adapted to reduce strain between the at least one interconnect and an adjacent fuel cell due to differences between the first and second thermal expansion coefficients over repeated thermal cycles.

Interconnect for solid oxide fuel cells

A ceramic material having particular utility as a thermal insulating or thermal barrier coating on metallic substrates is provided. The ceramic material broadly comprises at least one oxide and the balance comprising a first oxide selected from the group consisting of zirconia, ceria, and hafnia. The at least one oxide has a formula A O where A is selected from the group consisting of La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Th, In, Sc, Y, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, and mixtures thereof. The present invention also broadly relates to an article having a metal substrate and a thermal barrier coating as discussed above.

Growing community of inventors

Middletown, CT, United States of America

Sunil Govinda Warrier