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:
Dec. 11, 2001
Filed:
Jun. 21, 1999
Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprises a main stack alternately stacked with cells each provided with gas-diffusing electrodes on both sides of an ion-conducting electrolyte membrane and gas separators for supplying fuel to one of the electrodes and oxidant gas to the other electrode on each of the cells, and an auxiliary stack alternately stacked with the cells and the gas separators, the auxiliary stack having a lesser number of cells and gas separators than the main stack and having an independent current path from the main stack, wherein fuel and oxidant gas are supplied to the main stack after passing through the auxiliary stack, and wherein the load on the auxiliary stack is controlled. The load on the auxiliary stack is additionally controlled such that the electric potential of the fuel electrodes of the auxiliary stack exceeds the electric potential of the oxidation of carbon monoxide, whereby the voltage per layer of cell in the auxiliary stack continuously oscillates.