The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 21, 2001
Filed:
Jul. 17, 1998
Carl Anthony Reiser, Stongington, CT (US);
Deliang Yang, Vernon, CT (US);
Paul Richard Margiott, South Windsor, CT (US);
International Fuel Cells Corporation, South Windsor, CT (US);
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for improving water management in a PEM fuel cell power supply are disclosed. The fuel cell power supply includes a combustion unit that combusts anode exhaust, producing combusted exhaust that includes water. The combusted exhaust is recycled to the anode input and/or the cathode input. The recycling system can include additional devices, for example, a CO removal device for removing CO from the combusted exhaust prior to recycling to the anode. A fuel processor can be thermally coupled to the combustion unit that combusts the anode exhaust. One advantage of the invention is that the condenser typically employed for recovering water from combusted exhaust can be eliminated, of reduced capacity or operated less frequently, thereby reducing the cost and/or the complexity of the fuel cell power supply.