Utc Fuel Cells, LLC

Audi Ag

Utc Power Corporation

Ballard Power Systems Corporation

International Fuel Cells, LLC

Doosan Fuel Cell America, Inc.

Timothy W Patterson

Michael L Perry

Ned Emidio Cipollini

Carl Anthony Reiser

Sergei F Burlatsky

Lei Chen

David A Condit

Thomas D Jarvi

Thomas Harry Madden

Lesia V Protsailo

Tommy Skiba

Mallika Gummalla

Ryan J Balliet

Jung S Yi

James A Leistra

Sridhar V Kanuri

Lawrence J Bregoli

Sathya Motupally

Timothy A Bekkedahl

Wayde R Schmidt

Richard D Breault

Robert Mason Darling

Roger R Lesieur

Richard D Sawyer

Deliang Yang

Jonathan Daniel O'Neill

Chris Vargas

Jeremy P Meyers

Christopher John Carnevale

Paravastu Badrinarayanan

Margaret M Steinbugler

Glenn Michael Allen

Sonia Tulyani

Jared B Hertzberg

Eric Livaich

Eric O'Brien

William Bajorek

Kevin A Arpin

Hiroshi Chizawa

Emily A Dykeman

Jonathan Puhalski

Roopnarine Sukhram

Tsutomu Aoki

Marianne Pemberton

Andrew Johnson

Chi H Paik

Ping Yu

A membrane electrode assembly is provided which includes an anode; a cathode; a membrane between the anode and the cathode; and a protective layer between the membrane and at least one electrode of the anode and the cathode, the protective layer having a layer of ionomer material containing a catalyst, the layer having a porosity of between 0 and 10%, an ionomer content of between 50 and 80% vol., a catalyst content of between 10 and 50% vol., and an electrical connectivity between catalyst particles of between 35 and 75%. A configuration using a precipitation layer to prevent migration of catalyst ions is also provided.

Protective and precipitation layers for PEM fuel cell

An illustrative example fuel cell electrolyte management device includes a first component having a first density and a second component having a second density that is less than the first density. The first component has a first side including a pocket and a second side facing opposite the first side. The second side of the first component includes a first plurality of fluid flow channels. The second component has a porosity configured for storing electrolyte in the second component. The second component fits within the pocket. The second component has a first side received directly against the first side of the first component. The second component has a second side including a second plurality of fluid flow channels.

Fuel cell electrolyte management device

The fuel cell power plant operating system () includes an on/off switching device by-pass circuit () to sustain operation of a fuel cell () whenever the fuel cell () on/off switching device () is turned off while a fuel cell operating temperature is below a predetermined freeze-safe operating temperature. The by-pass circuit () operates the fuel cell () until the fuel cell () temperature reaches or exceeds the freeze-safe temperature to thereby prevent fuel cell () product water from becoming ice in and adjacent fuel cell catalysts ().

Fuel cell power plant operating system and method for use in sub-freezing ambient conditions

The oxidant inlets of the reactant gas flow field grooves () of a fuel cell () which suffers a crossover between the fuel and oxidant flow fields, due to a leak in the seals, the maxtrix or the membrane of the fuel cell, are blocked with a liquid () which cures in place, hot glue, two-part epoxy, or fluoroelastomers. This prevents heating as a result of combusting fuel with oxygen near the site, which avoids excessive heating and damaging of successive fuel cells. As a result, a fuel cell power plant () can continue to operate with only a minor loss of voltage and power, thereby avoiding the need to tear down the stack by loosening the tie-bolts. Voltage and hydrogen levels may be used to detect the crossover. The particular cell () with the leak can be determined by voltage or hydrogen monitoring, or by immersing the stack in a liquid while applying gas to the fuel inlet of the stack.

Fuel cell stack conditioned to operate safely with failed cells

A method of controlling an amount of liquid in a fuel cell includes increasing the oxygen utilization within the fuel cell to increase heat. The heat reduces the amount of liquid in the fuel cell. A disclosed example method includes decreasing a supply of air to the fuel cell to lower a fuel cell voltage by increasing the oxygen utilization. The example method includes maintaining an essentially electrical current density while decreasing the supply of air.

Controlling an amount of liquid within a fuel cell

A fuel cell stack includes at least one fuel cell having a fuel inlet for directing a hydrogen fuel to the fuel cell to generate electric current; a sensor cell having an anode, a cathode and a membrane between the anode and the cathode, the anode being communicated with the fuel inlet to receive a portion of fuel from the fuel inlet, the sensor cell being connected across the stack to carry the electric current whereby hydrogen from the portion of fuel is electrochemically pumped to the cathode of the sensor cell; and a sensor communicated with the sensor cell to receive a signal corresponding to evolution of hydrogen from the anode to the cathode of the sensor cell and adapted to detect contaminants in the fuel based upon the signal.

Hydrogen sensor cell for detecting contaminants

A method for making a membrane electrode assembly includes the steps of providing a membrane electrode assembly including an anode including a hydrogen oxidation catalyst; a cathode; a membrane disposed between the anode and the cathode; and depositing a peroxide decomposition catalyst in at least one position selected from the group consisting of the anode, the cathode, a layer between the anode and the membrane and a layer between the cathode and the membrane wherein the peroxide decomposition catalyst has selectivity when exposed to hydrogen peroxide toward reactions which form benign products from the hydrogen peroxide. The peroxide decomposition catalyst can also be positioned within the membrane. Also disclosed is a power-generating fuel cell system including such a membrane electrode assembly, and a process for operating such a fuel cell system.

Method for preparing membranes and membrane electrode assemblies with hydrogen peroxide decomposition catalyst

A decontamination procedure for a fuel cell power plant () includes operating the plant to produce electrical power for an operating period, and then terminating operation of the plant () for a decontamination period, and then, whenever optimal electrical production of a plant fuel cell () is reduced by at least 5% by contaminants adsorbed by fuel cell electrodes (), decontaminating the fuel cell () of the plant () during the decontamination period by oxidizing contaminants adsorbed by electrodes () of the fuel cell. Oxidizing the contaminants may be accomplished by various steps including exposing the electrodes () to flowing oxygen; to heated flowing oxygen; to a sequence of start-stop cycles; and, to varying controlled potentials.

Decontamination procedure for a fuel cell power plant

A fuel cell power plant includes a fuel cell having a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), disposed between an anode support plate and a cathode support plate, the anode and/or cathode support plates include a hydrophilic substrate layer having a predetermined pore size. The pressure of the reactant gas streams is greater than the pressure of the coolant stream, such that a greater percentage of the pores within the hydrophilic substrate layer contain reactant gas rather than water. Any water that forms on the cathode side of the MEA will migrate through the cathode support plate and away from the MEA. Controlling the pressure also ensures that the coolant water will continually migrate from the coolant stream toward the anode side of the MEA, thereby preventing the membrane from becoming dry. Proper pore size and a pressure differential between coolant and reactants improves the electrical efficiency of the fuel cell.

Fuel cell having a hydrophilic substrate layer

Each cell of a fuel cell stack is provided, between the anodeand cathodes, with either (a) a permanent shunt () which may be a discrete resistor (), a diode (), a strip of compliant carbon cloth (), or a small amount of conductive carbon black () in the ionomer polymer mixture of which the proton exchange membrane () is formed, or (b) a removeable shunt such as a conductor () which may be rotated into and out of contact with the fuel cell anodes and cathodes, or a conductor () which may be urged into contact by means of a shape memory alloy actuator spring (), which may be heated.

Reducing fuel cell cathode potential during startup and shutdown

The invention is a start up system and method for a fuel cell power plant () using a purging of the cathode flow field () with a hydrogen rich reducing fluid fuel to minimize corrosion of the cathode electrode (). The method for starting up the shut down fuel cell power plant () includes the steps of: a. purging the cathode flow field () with the reducing fluid fuel; b. then, directing the reducing fluid fuel to flow through an anode flow field (); c. next, terminating flow of the fuel through the cathode flow field () and directing an oxygen containing oxidant to flow through the cathode flow field (); and, d. finally, connecting a primary load () to the fuel cell () so that electrical current flows from the fuel cell () to the primary load ().

Start up system and method for a fuel cell power plant using a cathode electrode fuel purge

A PEM fuel cell oxidant flow field plate ( ) having a substantial portion ( A) of the flow field formed of interdigitated reactant flow channels ( ) includes a humidification zone coextensive with an electrolyte dry-out barrier ( ). Within the humidification zone, the reactant flow channels are flow-through channels ( ), which permits the inlet reactant flow to be sufficiently slow to permit adequate humidification of the inlet reactant gas from adjacent water, such as coolant water flow channels and/or the anode, to avoid electrolyte dry-out.

Fuel cell hybrid flow field humidification zone

A process for regenerating a selective oxidizer bed, by the introduction of oxygen is provided. In a single oxidizer bed environment, regeneration may be carried out on shut-down or on start-up. On start-up, the process includes providing a selective oxidizer bed as well a fuel processor. The selective oxidizer bed is heated to approximately 180&deg; F. Air is passed through the selective oxidizer bed while maintaining the selective oxidizer bed at a temperature of approximately 180&deg; F. for 1-2 minutes. The selective oxidizer is then purged with steam to remove residual air therefrom. Fuel is then introduced from the fuel processor into the selective oxidizer. On shut-down, residual fuel is purged from the oxidizer bed and then air is passed therethrough while maintaining the bed at a temperature between approximately 180&deg; F. to approximately 220&deg; F. The oxidizer is allowed to cool to ambient temperature and then heated to 180&deg; F. Residual air is then purged from the oxidizer for subsequent introduction of fuel. Multiple oxidizer beds may be provided in parallel to one another to enable continuous, uninterrupted operation with bed remaining operation at all times while the other is being regenerated. Regeneration may also be carried out by thermal cycling of the selective oxidizer bed.

Process for regenerating a carbon monoxide oxidation reactor

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East Hartford, CT, United States of America

Timothy W Patterson