General Electric Company

Hybrid Power Generation Systems, LLC

Timothy Joseph Rehg

Zafar Iqbal

James Vincent Guiheen

Dave Narasimhan

Alston Ilford Scipio

Sanji Ekanayake

James Anthony Ruud

Geoffrey David Myers

Timothy Andrew Healy

Julio Enrique Mestroni

Anthony Wayne Krull

Kihyung Kim

Thomas John Freeman

Kenneth Walter Browall

Jie Guan

Stephane Renou

John David Memmer

Kurtis C Montgomery

Todd-Michael Striker

Mark Kaiser

Shailesh Vijay Potnis

Farrokh Issacci

Gregory Robert Lear

Atul Kumar Verma

Dave Narasimahan

A power generation system may include a generator; a gas turbine system for powering the generator, the gas turbine system including a turbine component, an integral compressor and a combustor to which air from the integral compressor and fuel are supplied, the combustor arranged to supply hot combustion gases to the turbine component, and the integral compressor having a flow capacity greater than an intake capacity of at least one of the combustor and the turbine component, creating an excess air flow. A first control valve system controls flow of the excess air flow along an excess air flow path to a supplemental gas turbine system. The excess air flow may be combusted with a fuel and supplied to the supplemental gas turbine system. An eductor may be positioned in the excess air flow path for using the excess air flow as a motive force to augment the excess air flow with additional gas.

Power generation system having compressor creating excess gas flow for supplemental gas turbine system

The present application thus provides a cleaning system for use with a compressor of a turbine engine. The cleaning system may include a wash nozzle positioned about the compressor and a spheroid injection port to inject a number of spheroids therein.

Compressor wash system with spheroids

A system is provided for detecting and controlling flashback and flame holding in a combustor of a gas turbine. The system includes at least one flame indicator disposed in a combustor and at least one detector disposed downstream from the flame indicator. The flame indicator may be configured to produce light when exposed to a flame and the detector may be configured to detect the light produced by the flame indicator.

System and method for detecting and controlling flashback and flame holding within a combustor

The solid oxide fuel cell module includes a manifold, a plate, a cathode electrode, a fuel cell and an anode electrode. The manifold includes an air or oxygen inlet in communication with divergent passages above the periphery of the cell which combine to flow the air or oxygen radially or inwardly for reception in the center of the cathode flow field. The latter has interconnects providing circuitous cooling passages in a generally radial outward direction cooling the fuel cell and which interconnects are formed of different thermal conductivity materials for a preferential cooling.

SOFC seal and cell thermal management

A method of making an electrode structure is provided. The method includes disposing an electrocatalytic material on an electrode, applying heat to the electrocatalytic material to form a volatile oxide of the electrocatalytic material, and applying a voltage to the electrode to reduce the volatile oxide to provide a number of nano-sized electrocatalytic particles on or proximate to a triple phase boundary, where the number of nano-sized electrocatalytic particles is greater on or proximate to the triple phase boundary than in an area that is not on or proximate to the triple phase boundary, and where the triple phase boundary is disposed on the electrode.

Electrode structure and methods of making same

A method and related bonding compositions for use in assembling a solid oxide fuel cell ('SOFC') stack having thermally and chemically stable and electrically conductive bonds between alternating fuel cells and interconnect components in the stack. The improved method and materials allow for the assembly of solid oxide fuel cells having a stronger and more reliable bond with good electrical contact in situ between the SOFC interconnect layers (plates) and the electrodes. The bonding materials and method according to the invention provide good electrical performance while maintaining the mechanical and electrical integrity of SOFC stacks without requiring excessive mechanical compression of the stack as exemplified by prior art systems. The preferred bonding agents comprise a primary phase that provides the electrical conduction path during fuel cell operation, as well as the mechanical strength necessary to insure a reliable connection between the interconnect and the relevant anode or cathode surfaces of the fuel cell. Secondary phases can be added in small amounts to the primary phase to improve adhesion. An exemplary method according to the invention also contemplates various different steps for pre-treating the surfaces of the interconnect plates and electrodes to improve their surface bonding properties.

Method and materials for bonding electrodes to interconnect layers in solid oxide fuel cell stacks

A corrosion resistant coated fuel cell plate and method of making the same are embodied in a metal plate provided with a multilayered conductive coating and then with an overcoat which fills in fine scale porosities in the coating. In one preferred embodiment, the overcoating is amorphous graphite applied through a deposition process. In another preferred embodiment, overcoating is a thin layer of oxide created by chemical anodization process.

Corrosion resistant coated fuel cell bipolar plate with filled-in fine scale porosities

A corrosion resistant coated fuel cell plate and method of making the same are embodied in a metal plate provided with a graphite emulsion coating and then a layer of graphite foil which is pressed over the coating. The graphite emulsion bonds the graphite foil to the metal plate and seals fine scale porosities in the graphite foil. Flow fields are formed by stamping the coated fuel cell plate.

Corrosion resistant coated fuel cell plate with graphite protective barrier and method of making the same

The present invention is directed to apparatus and method for cathode-side disposal of water in an electrochemical fuel cell. There is a cathode plate. Within a surface of the plate is a flow field comprised of interdigitated channels. During operation of the fuel cell, cathode gas flows by convection through a gas diffusion layer above the flow field. Positioned at points adjacent to the flow field are one or more porous gas block mediums that have pores sized such that water is sipped off to the outside of the flow field by capillary flow and cathode gas is blocked from flowing through the medium. On the other surface of the plate is a channel in fluid communication with each porous gas block mediums. The method for water disposal in a fuel cell comprises installing the cathode plate assemblies at the cathode sides of the stack of fuel cells and manifolding the single water channel of each of the cathode plate assemblies to the coolant flow that feeds coolant plates in the stack.

Gas block mechanism for water removal in fuel cells

A corrosion resistant coated fuel cell plate and method of making the same are embodied in a metal plate provided with a multilayered conductive coating and then with an overcoating which fills in fine scale porosities in the coating. In one preferred embodiment, the overcoating is amorphous graphite applied through a deposition process. In another preferred embodiment, the overcoating is a thin layer of oxide created by a chemical anodization process.

Corrosion resistant coated fuel cell bipolar plate with filled-in fine scale porosities and method of making the same

In a hydrogen gas fuel cell a polymer electrolyte membrane, or &ldquo;PEM,&rdquo; is located between two layers composed of a catalyst material such that a sandwich-like assembly is formed. An anode electrode and a cathode electrode, each composed of a thin sheet of porous material that is permeable to liquid and gas, are situated on either side of the sandwich-like assembly such that one surface of each electrode abuts a catalyst layer. The remaining surface of each electrode abuts a conductive nonporous bipolar plate having grooves cut therein. Wicking strands composed of a trilobed fiber are located in between each catalyst layer and the adjacent PEM, and arranged in a repetitive pattern such that the strands do not cross over each other. Each wicking strand abutting the PEM surface facing the anode electrode has one end situated in a reservoir of liquid water. Each wicking strand abutting the PEM surface facing the cathode electrode drains into an exhaust reservoir.

Growing community of inventors

Simpsonville, SC, United States of America

Timothy Joseph Rehg