Daimler-benz Ag

Daimler Chrysler Ag

Xcellsis Gmbh

Hps Home Power Solutions Gmbh

Ballard Power Systems Ag

Modine Manufacturing Company

Dornier Gmbh

Uwe Benz

Dietmar Heil

Norbert Wiesheu

Gerald Hornburg

Wolfram Fleck

Andreas Hierl

Gunnar Schneider

Kevin Schroder

Zeyad Abul-Ella

Dirk Radue

Rainer Autenrieth

Detlef Zur Megede

Stefan Boneberg

Alois Tischler

Marc Weisser

Barbara Strobel

Peter Waitkat

Mark G Voss

Michael J Reinke

Jonathan P Wattelet

Ottmar Schmid

Bruno Motzet

Matthias Wolfsteiner

Wolfgang Weger

Stefan Brauchle

Johann Einhart

Martin Sch&uuml;ssler

Wolfgang Kleinekathoefer

Dirk Georg

Christian Duelk

Horst Michels

Martin Sch&auml;fer

Werner Tillmetz

Lothar Haug

Kevin SCHRÖDER

A domestic power plant has a housing which has an external air connection and an output air connection, and comprises a ventilation device with a heat exchanger. The ventilation device is connected to the external air connection such that external air can flow in a first air tract via the heat exchanger, or via an external air bypass past the heat exchanger, into a feed air tract of the domestic power plant. The feed air tract runs at least partially within the housing. The domestic power plant also has an exhaust air tract in which an air volume flow, brought about by the ventilation device, can be propagated within the housing and a fuel cell unit.

Domestic power plant and method for operating a domestic power plant

The invention relates to a flushing arrangement for flushing (purging) a fuel cell unit on its anode side and/or an electrolysis unit on its cathode side. The flushing arrangement has a flushing channel with a first and a second flushing channel section, which can be fluidically connected to one another via a purge valve of the flushing arrangement, and with a buffer store which is fluidically connected to the flushing channel and downstream of the purge valve, and which has a storage chamber that is provided for intermediate storage of a fluid mass to be flushed in a pulse-type manner with a flush mass flow from the fuel cell unit and/or from the electrolysis unit, so that this fluid mass can be discharged with a discharge mass flow, which is smaller than the flush mass flow, out of an outflow element fluidically connected to the second flushing channel section.

Dynamic purge chamber

A method for operating a domestic energy generation installation comprises ascertaining or prespecifying at least one expectation time period, ascertaining an expected load profile of an electrical consumer, ascertaining an expected yield profile of the regenerative energy source in the expectation time period, ascertaining or prespecifying a minimum consumption power which should be available for withdrawal from the storage battery unit, ascertaining an energy balance over one expectation time period from the expected yield profile and the expected load profile, ascertaining a time range of the storage battery unit from the expected load profile, the expected yield profile and the minimum consumption power, which should not be undershot at any time, and from a currently ascertained state of charge of the storage battery unit, operating the fuel cell unit depending on the ascertained time range and operating the electrolysis unit depending on the ascertained energy balance.

Domestic energy generation installation and operating method for operating a domestic energy generation installation

Rapid response to a fuel cell system of the type including a reformer () in response to a change in load is achieved in a system that includes a fuel tank (), a water tank () and a source () of a fluid at an elevated temperature. A heat exchanger () is provided for vaporizing fuel and water and delivering the resulting vapor to the system reformer () and includes an inlet () and an outlet () for the fluid. It includes a plurality of fluid flow paths (), (), () extending between the inlet () and outlet () as well as a fuel inlet () and a fuel outlet () spaced therefrom. The fuel inlet () and outlet () are connected by a plurality of fuel flow paths () that are in heat exchange relation with the fluid flow paths (), (), () and the fuel water inlet () is located adjacent the upstream ends of the fluid flow paths (), (), ().

Method and apparatus for vaporizing fuel for a reformer fuel cell system

A reactor structure has a heat transfer layer stacking construction with a stack of heat-conductive plate elements which, alternating in the stacking direction, bound one catalyst-filled reactor layer and one tempering layer respectively, adjacent plate elements being connected in a fluid-tight manner on at least two closed side areas. The plate elements on the closed side areas are bent in a U-shape and are arranged with U-side flanks which rest against one another in the stack such that the reactor layers have a larger height than the tempering layers. In addition or as an alternative, heat-conductive corrugated ribs are inserted at least in the reactor layers which are higher than the tempering layers.

Reactor structure as a heat exchanger layer stacking construction and method of making same

An arrangement for generating a hydrogen-containing gas from a hydrocarbon-containing medium includes a multi-stage reforming unit that is connected to a multi-stage carbon monoxide removal unit by a heat-conducting separating medium. The stages of the reforming unit, in an ascending order relative to the gas flow direction in the reforming unit, are in a thermal contact with stages of the carbon monoxide removal unit, in a descending order relative to the gas flow direction in the carbon monoxide removal unit.

Arrangement for generating a hydrogen-containing gas

A fuel cell vehicle comprises an electric drive system and a fuel cell system for providing electric energy for the drive system. According to the invention, the electric drive system is set up for regenerating braking energy, and devices are provided for the direct utilization of the regenerated braking energy in at least one energy-consuming component of the fuel cell system. This direct braking energy utilization in the fuel cell system increases the degree of energy utilization without the requirement of a separate intermediate energy storage device for the intermediate storing of regenerated braking energy.

Fuel cell vehicle

In a method and apparatus for selective catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide, the gas mixture and an additionally added oxidizing gas are conducted through a reactor containing the catalyst. Oxidizing gas is added at several points along the mixed gas flow path with a controlled or regulated through flow volume. The mixed gas stream is cooled passively by static mixing structures located in the inlet area of the CO-oxidation reactor. By controlling exothermal CO oxidation along the reactor path, a very variable process guidance is provided, that can be adjusted to individual situations.

Method for selective catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide

In method for soldering metal microstructured plates, stacks of plates and solder layers are prepared by placing the solder layers between each adjacent plate. The thickness of the solder layers range from 3 to 25 &mgr;m. The stack is then soldered by heating it in a vacuum or an inert atmosphere.

Method for soldering microstructured sheet metal

In a device for providing heating energy to a gas-generating system by means of essentially complete catalytic combustion of a fuel on a suitable catalyst material, heat energy is transferred directly or by means of a heat-conducting medium from the catalytic burner to the gas-generating system. To improve the starting behavior and the exhaust emissions, the device comprises three components that are at least temporarily traversed by fuel, with a cold-start component having an electrical heating device. The central component is preferably designed as a filter press with an integrated heat exchanger. A third, unheated, stage is also provided for residual gas combustion.

Central heating device for a gas-generating system

The invention provides a process for operating a system for water vapor reforming of methanol in which, in a mixture preparation step, a water vapor/methanol mixture is prepared from water and methanol and is introduced into a reforming reactor. According to the invention, the mixing ratio of the water vapor/methanol mixture is adjusted as a function of the load condition and/or load changes of the system so that a CO-concentration is obtained in the reformate which remains constant over the whole load range.

Process for operating a system for the water vapor reforming of methanol

In a reforming reactor suitable particularly for the water vapor reforming of methanol in mobile applications such as vehicles, a reaction space is filled with a catalyst pellet fill and has a movable reaction space wall which exerts a position-fixing pressure onto the catalyst pellet fill. According to the invention, a filling device is provided through which catalyst material can be filled from the outside into the reaction space through a passage opening formed in one of the reaction space walls.

Reforming reactor, particularly for the water vapor reforming of methanol

Method and apparatus for selective catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide

A two-stage evaporator unit converts a liquid reactant mass flow adjustable as a function of a load presetting into a gaseous reactant mass flow. The liquid reactant mass flow is at least partially evaporated in the first stage by a heat-exchange medium, and, if appropriate is completely evaporated and subsequently superheated in the second stage. The evaporator unit is formed by the alternating stacking one on the other of foils having heat-exchange channels and by foils having reaction channels that, in each case, have at least one first and one second stage integrated in one foil. The first stage is configured as a channel with a minimized cross-sectional area which is directly connected to the inflow conduit. The first stage is operated at high coefficients of heat transmission. The total cross-section of the reaction channels in the second stage increases in the flow direction.

Two-stage evaporator unit

A method and a system meters a supply of methanol and/or water out of a storage reservoir to a fuel-cell system by way of a conveying conduit with a metering valve. A constant mass flow is conveyed out of the storage reservoir into the conveying conduit via a conveying pump. The differential pressure between the conveying conduit and fuel-cell system is set at a predetermined value via a differential-pressure controller which is arranged in a return conduit provided between the conveying conduit and storage reservoir. The methanol and/or water supplied can be set, for example, by varying the opening and closing times of a solenoid valve. A second metering stage can be provided in the return conduit downstream of the first metering stage. When two separate metering systems are used, a common pump motor can be employed.

Method and system for metered supply of methanol and/or water to a

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Uhldingen, Germany

Uwe Benz