Utc Power Corporation

Utc Fuel Cells, LLC

Ballard Power Systems Corporation

Audi Ag

United Technologies Corporation

Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation

Raytheon Technologies Corporation

Collins Engine Nozzles, Inc.

Tommy Skiba

Robert Mason Darling

Carl Anthony Reiser

Craig E Evans

Thomas D Jarvi

Jeremy P Meyers

Chi-Hum Paik

Kazuo Saito

Ryan J Balliet

Timothy W Patterson

Kirtikumar H Patel

David D Johnson

Lawrence A Binek

Michael L Perry

Richard D Breault

Jesse R Boyer

Evan J Butcher

David W Morganson

Ned Emidio Cipollini

Vijay Narayan Jagdale

Lesia V Protsailo

Dmytro Mykolayovych Voytovych

Timothy William Patterson, Jr

Deliang Yang

Matthew B Kennedy

Jung S Yi

Chris Vargas

Christopher John Carnevale

Timothy M Remmers

James A Leistra

Lawrence J Bregoli

Sathya Motupally

Brendan T Gustafson

Hiroshi Chizawa

Emily A Dykeman

Rishi Grover

Wesley E Sedlacek, Jr

Paul A Grubb

David D Jayne

Timothy A Bekkedahl

Andrew Haug

Ping Yu

Tsutomu Aoki

A powder removal fixture includes a mounting arm extending along and rotatable about a mounting arm axis, at least one pneumatic knocker mounted to the mounting arm via a strike plate, and configured to impact the strike plate, and a build plate attachment mechanism disposed on the mount bar, and configured to receive a build plate having an at least partially formed component.

High amplitude pneumatic impact for powder removal in additive manufacturing

An assembly for use in an attritable engine includes a hub and a blade. The hub is configured to rotate about a centerline axis passing through a center of the hub and is formed with a first type of layer-by-layer additive manufacturing process. The blade is connected to and extends radially outward from the hub. The blade is formed with a second type of layer-by-layer additive manufacturing process that is different than the first layer-by-layer additive manufacturing process. The hub and the blade are integrally formed together as a single piece of material with a layer-by-layer additive manufacturing process. The blade includes a root of a first material, a platform connected to the root, an airfoil connected to and extending from the platform, and a tip connected on a distal end of the airfoil opposite from the root. The platform includes a material that is different from the first.

Multi-material rotor for attritable engines

An exemplary manifold assembly includes a gas inlet manifold configured to introduce a gas to a fuel cell. A gas outlet manifold is configured to direct gas away from the fuel cell. A drain channel connects the inlet manifold to the outlet manifold. The drain channel is configured to carry liquid from the gas inlet manifold to the gas outlet manifold.

Fuel cell gas inlet manifold drain

Fuel cells () have passageways () that provide water through one or both reactant gas flow field plates () of each fuel cell, whereby the fuel cell is cooled evaporatively. The water passageways may be vented by a porous plug (not shown), or by a microvacuum pump (). A condenser () may have a reservoir (); the condenser () may be a vehicle radiator. A highly water permeable wicking layer () is disposed adjacent to one or both water passageways () which exist between individual fuel cells (). The passageways may be flow-through passageways () (FIG.) or they may be interdigitated passageways () (FIG.) in order to increase the flow of water-purging air through the wicking layer () utilized to clear the stack of water during shutdown in cold environments. The inlet interdigitated channels () may be only partially blocked at their outlet ends such as by a protrusion () or a hole () in order to ensure that any gas entering the inlet coolant passageways () will not accumulate at the outlet end () of the inlet coolant passageways.

Evaporatively cooled fuel cells with water passageways enhanced by wicks

An anode exhaust recycle turbocharger () has a turbocharger turbine () secured in fluid communication with a compressed oxidant stream within an oxidant inlet line () downstream from a compressed oxidant supply (), and the anode exhaust recycle turbocharger () also includes a turbocharger compressor () mechanically linked to the turbocharger turbine () and secured in fluid communication with a flow of anode exhaust passing through an anode exhaust recycle loop () of the solid oxide fuel cell power plant (). All or a portion of compressed oxidant within an oxidant inlet line () drives the turbocharger turbine () to thereby compress the anode exhaust stream in the recycle loop (). A high-temperature, automotive-type turbocharger () replaces a recycle loop blower-compressor ().

Solid oxide fuel cell power plant with an anode recycle loop turbocharger

A unitized electrode assembly () for use in the fuel cell comprises a first GDL (), a PEM (), and a second GDL (), with electrode catalysts () disposed between said PEM and each of said GDLs, said layers () being impregnated with a thermoplastic polymer a sufficient distance from each edge of the UEA so as to form a fluid seal (). The UEA is formed by a process which comprises making a sandwich of some or all of said layers (and), with thermoplastic polymer film () extending inwardly from the edges of said sandwich a sufficient distance to form the seal, said thermoplastic polymer film being disposed between each electrode and the adjacent GDL and/or between each GDL and release film () on the top and bottom of the sandwich. The sandwich, compressed by force between a holding fixture () and an anvil (), is heated by ultrasonic vibration so as to cause said thermoplastic polymer to melt and impregnate the layers () of the UEA with the film (and/orand/or).

Method of preparing a fuel cell unitized electrode assembly by ultrasonic welding

A unitized electrode assembly () for use in the fuel cell comprises a first GDL (), a PEM (), and a second GDL (), with electrode catalyst () disposed between said PEM and each of said GDLs, said layers () being impregnated with a thermoplastic polymer a sufficient distance from each edge of the UEA so as to form a fluid seal (). The UEA is formed by a process which comprises making a sandwich of some or all of said layers (and), with thermoplastic polymer film () extending inwardly from the edges of said sandwich a sufficient distance to form the seal, said thermoplastic polymer film being disposed between each electrode and the adjacent GDL and/or between each GDL and release film () on the top and bottom of the sandwich. The sandwich, compressed by force between a holding fixture () and an anvil (), is heated by ultrasonic vibration so as to cause said thermoplastic polymer to melt and impregnate the layers () of the UEA with the film (and/orand/or).

A membrane electrode assembly includes an anode, a cathode, a membrane disposed between the anode and the cathode, wherein at least one of the anode, cathode and membrane contains a hydrocarbon ionomer, and an electrode catalyst disposed in at least one of the anode and the cathode, wherein the catalyst is a metal alloy catalyst.

Alloy catalysts for extending life of fuel cell membranes and ionomer

The invention is a hydrogen passivation shut down system for a fuel cell power plant (). During shut down of the plant (), hydrogen fuel is permitted to transfer between an anode flow path (') and a cathode flow path (&#x2032;). A passive hydrogen bleed line () permits passage of a smallest amount of hydrogen into the fuel cell () necessary to maintain the fuel cell () in a passive state. A diffusion media () may be secured in fluid communication with the bleed line () to maintain a constant, slow rate of diffusion of the hydrogen into the fuel cell () despite varying pressure differentials between the shutdown fuel cell () and ambient atmosphere adjacent the cell ().

Hydrogen passivation shut down system for a fuel cell power plant

A PEM fuel cell () power plant includes a passive air vent () through which air separated from a cathode effluent stream can be expelled from the power plant. The air vent operates satisfactorily during ambient freezing conditions thus it is eminently suitable for use in mobile applications such as in PEM fuel cell-powered automobiles, buses, or the like. The vent is formed from a liquid antifreeze layer () that is disposed in a sparging tank () which communicates with ambient surroundings. Any water vapor in the stream can condense out of the gas-stream in the antifreeze. In order to facilitate this result, the antifreeze can be a liquid that is immiscible with water so that the condensed water will form a separate layer () in the sparging tank.

Non-circulating coolant PEM fuel cell power plant with antifreeze back pressure air venting system

A fuel cell power plant () has a plurality of fuel cells (,) arranged in a stack (), each fuel cell having porous, at least partially hydrophilic water transport plates () with fuel () and oxidant () reactant gas channels, there being water channels () exchanging water with the water transport plates. On shut down, water is retained in the water channels and water transport plates by means of either a micro vacuum pump (), one or two valves (), a check valve (), capillary force in the water channels to prevent water from entering the reactant channels which, if frozen, could block flow of reactant gas upon startup.

Retaining water in a fuel cell stack for cooling and humidification during frozen startup

Fuel cells () have water passageways () that provide water through reactant gas flow field plates () to cool the fuel cell. The water passageways may be vented to atmosphere (), by a porous plug (), or pumped () with or without removing any water from the passageways. A condenser () receives reactant air exhaust, may have a contiguous reservoir (), may be vertical, (a vehicle radiator, FIG.), may be horizontal, contiguous with the top of the fuel cell stack (, FIG.), or below () the fuel cell stack (). The passageways may be grooves () or may comprise a plane of porous hydrophilic material () contiguous with substantially the entire surface of one or both of the reactant gas flow field plates. Air flow in the condenser may be controlled by shutters (). The condenser may be a heat exchanger () having freeze-proof liquid flowing through a coil () thereof, the amount being controlled by a valve (). A deionizer () may be used.

Fuel cells evaporative reactant gas cooling and operational freeze prevention

Fuel cells () have minute water passageways () that provide water through one or both reactant gas flow field plates () of each fuel cell, whereby the fuel cell is cooled evaporatively. The water passageways () may be vented by a porous plug (), or by a microvacuum pump () that does not pump any water from the passageways, or simply vented () to atmosphere. A condenser () may have a contiguous reservoir (); the condenser () may be vertical, such as a vehicle radiator (FIG.), or may be horizontal, contiguous with the top of the fuel cell stack (, FIG.). The passageways may be grooves () in the reactant gas flow plates () or the passageways may comprise a plane of porous hydrophilic material () contiguous with substantially the entire surface of one or both of the reactant gas flow field plates.

Fuel cells evaporatively cooled with water carried in passageways

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

Growing community of inventors

East Hartford, CT, United States of America

Tommy Skiba