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:
Jun. 27, 2006
Filed:
Dec. 07, 2001
James H. Lee, Rochester, NY (US);
James S. Siepierski, Williamsville, NY (US);
George R. Woody, Wiesbaden, DE;
James H. Lee, Rochester, NY (US);
James S. Siepierski, Williamsville, NY (US);
George R. Woody, Wiesbaden, DE;
General Motors Corporation, Detroit, MI (US);
Abstract
A fuel cell system and process using an organic Rankine cycle to produce shaft work to operate a fuel cell system component such as an air compressor. The air compressor delivers compressed air to a fuel cell stack. The steps of the Rankine cycle include pumping a liquid working fluid to an elevated pressure, heating the fluid to a gas, expanding the high temperature and high-pressure gas through an expander to produce shaft work used to drive a fuel cell system component such as an air compressor, and then removing energy from the cooling fluid to change the gas back to a liquid, and repeating the cycle. The liquid fluid can be heated by an external boiler, or one of the components of the fuel cell system such as the combustor and/or the fuel cell stack.