High-Performance Fuel Cell Architecture

Fluidized bed electrode solid oxide fuel cell device that improves heat and mass transfer efficiency in the electrodes and prevents carbon fouling. The device has a fuel cell stack surrounded by a fluidized bed containing the electrode particles. Air is injected near the cathode side and fuel near the anode side. This creates a fluidized bed around the electrodes to improve heat and mass transfer. A cyclonic separator and circulating fluidized bed further separate and recirculate the particles. This prevents carbon fouling by keeping the anode surface clean and uniform. The fluidized bed also provides uniform temperature and prevents hot spots.

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Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems with improved thermal management and reliability. The system uses a thermally conductive wall around the hot zone that provides a heat conduction path to distribute heat and prevent hot spots. An external temperature sensor monitors the enclosure wall instead of internal sensors. A backup thermal fuse interrupts power to the fuel supply if the enclosure overheats. The fuel reformer has a catalyst body with independent fuel passages and a thermally conductive element. The catalyst coating initiates reforming and the element conducts heat. An oxidant modulator and syngas collector deliver reformate to the SOFC anodes. A controller adjusts oxidant and fuel flow rates based on sensor signals to maintain desired temperatures.

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Solid oxide fuel cell power generation system with improved temperature control and exhaust gas utilization. The system has separate cathode and anode fuel branches with valves and heat exchangers to selectively heat or cool the fuel before entering the fuel cell. This allows fine-tuning of fuel temperatures to maintain optimal operating conditions within the fuel cell stack. It prevents excessive temperatures that degrade performance or cooler temperatures that decrease efficiency. The exhaust gas can also be heated or cooled using the branches to further optimize utilization.

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Fuel cell system with an operating strategy for intermittent operation to improve robustness and prevent flooding and drying issues. The strategy involves switching between dry and humid operation modes to mitigate risks of flooding or drying out the fuel cells. In dry mode, the fuel cell stack operates with higher hydrogen-air ratios to reduce water accumulation. In humid mode, lower ratios are used. The system only switches to intermittent operation when below a threshold current intensity at stack temperature to avoid discharging liquid water. This balances efficiency and robustness by avoiding flooding or drying.

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Solid oxide fuel cell system with simplified structure and improved stability for better performance. The system has fuel and oxidant channels on both sides of the fuel cell stack to supply fuel to the anode and oxidant to the cathode. This allows separate transport of reactants rather than mixing them in the stack. It also has a combustion chamber connected to the anode outlet to prevent waste and pollution from excess fuel. The fuel and oxidant can be preheated before mixing. Recycling unused oxidant and exhaust gas for preheating reduces energy consumption.

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Fuel cell system that reduces electrolyte membrane degradation by controlling power generation when fuel cell operating conditions are conducive to membrane deterioration. When the fuel cell temperature exceeds a threshold, low load and humidity, the system reduces power output until cell temperature drops below the threshold. This prevents excessive drying of the membrane in harsh conditions that speeds up degradation. By maintaining minimum moisture during high temperature operation, it suppresses membrane degradation.

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Temperature control system for solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) to reduce startup energy and improve efficiency. The system burns mixed gas containing hydrogen and oxygen to heat the SOEC. It has separate combustors for hydrogen-rich and oxygen-rich gases. The hydrogen combustor provides preheated hydrogen for the SOEC. The oxygen combustor provides preheated oxygen. The mixed gas combustion temperatures are adjusted by varying oxygen and hydrogen flow rates. This allows precise SOEC temperature control without using external heat sources. The SOEC exhaust is recycled to heat the mixed gases. Boosters pressurize the exhausts to reuse unburned hydrogen and oxygen. A cell temperature sensor adjusts combustor flows to balance SOEC heating.

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A method and device for distributing the power generated by multiple fuel cell systems in a vehicle. The method involves activating the fuel cell systems with a time delay between each activation. This prevents all the fuel cells from ramping up and down power together, which would cause increased degradation due to voltage cycling. By staggering the fuel cell power activations, it allows some fuel cells to stabilize and dissolve any platinum oxide before the next fuel cells ramp up power. This reduces degradation and allows the fuel cells to operate at different power levels.

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A recovery control system for fuel cells that can detect and recover from air supply issues that can occur when restarting the fuel cell after a shutdown. The system senses abnormal cell voltage behavior that indicates insufficient air supply. When this is detected after certain conditions are met, it increases the air flow to avoid cell performance degradation. The recovery system monitors voltage differences between measured and expected values. If the difference changes in a certain way after a power down, it indicates air supply issues and triggers increased airflow.

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Method for optimizing water management in fuel cell systems using zeolite water absorbent. The method involves a two-step process to regenerate the zeolite water absorber without interrupting fuel cell operation. First, the zeolite absorber is opened during fuel cell operation to absorb water vapor from the recirculated exhaust gas. Then, the absorber is separated from the recirculation path to regenerate it independently by heating to desorb the absorbed water. An integrated electric heater in the zeolite absorber enables rapid regeneration. This allows efficient water removal from the fuel cell system without impairing operation or risking freezing.

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Solid oxide fuel cell stack system that improves stack lifetime and efficiency by avoiding anode carbon deposits, managing stack temperature, and efficiently utilizing waste gases. The stack has indirect internal reforming where fuel is reformed outside the stack and supplied to the anode. Temperature and power signals control the reformer and oxidant flows. Preheating, waste gas recovery, and stack cooling are also implemented. This allows efficient thermal management, prevents anode carbon deposition, and increases stack lifetime and efficiency compared to external reforming or gas recirculation.

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Designing gas diffusion layers (GDLs) for fuel cells that improve efficiency and stability by providing custom porosity gradients. The GDLs have non-uniform porosity along the oxygen flow direction to distribute oxygen evenly over the catalyst layer. This reduces hotspots and water accumulation that can decrease fuel cell efficiency.

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Pulse hydrogen supply system for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell that can provide a pulsating hydrogen flow to remove water and purging hydrogen from the fuel cell. The system has a high-pressure vessel and low-pressure vessel that can generate pressure waves through opening and closing electromagnetic valves. This pulsing hydrogen flow helps dynamically dislodge and remove water droplets that can accumulate in the fuel cell, improving cell performance and durability.

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Fuel cell system with improved efficiency and reduced heat loss by using an electrochemical pump with a proton conductive oxide membrane to separate hydrogen from the fuel gas. The hydrogen-rich cathode off-gas is recycled back to the anode through a recycle line, reducing heat losses from cooling the anode gas and heating the cathode gas. The proton conductive oxide membrane allows operating the pump at lower temperatures similar to the fuel cell. This allows thermal insulation of the pump and fuel cell, further reducing heat losses. The reformer and combustor can also be insulated together.

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Operating a fuel cell at high temperatures above 100°C while maintaining high humidity levels to prevent dehydration of the electrolyte membrane and preserve proton conductivity. The fuel cell is operated with a relative humidity of at least 70% for the supply gases, and a back pressure of 330 kPa or higher. This prevents moisture loss from the membrane during operation at high temperatures. The increased humidity and pressure mitigate performance degradation due to low moisture levels and gas concentration.

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Fuel cell system that enhances fuel cell lifetime by controlling hydrogen partial pressure in the cell membrane. The system calculates the optimal target hydrogen partial pressure based on the catalyst location in the membrane. A controller adjusts the gas supply to achieve the target. This reduces chemical degradation of the membrane. The catalyst suppresses hydrogen peroxide formation when hydrogen is over-rich. By limiting hydrogen partial pressure, the catalyst location maximizes the suppression effect.

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A novel fuel cell design with a unique geometry that improves gas distribution, water management, and membrane utilization compared to traditional flat plates. The design uses hollow, three-dimensional rods as electrodes instead of flat plates. The rods have holes on their peripheries to allow fluid flow and contact with the membrane. This allows uniform distribution of gases and water, prevents dry spots, and maximizes membrane exposure. The rods also serve as electrical conductors. The hollow rods can be filled with catalyst impregnated on their surfaces.

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Foam metal enhanced heat transfer carbon auxiliary solid oxide electrolytic cell that improves the performance and longevity of carbon-assisted solid oxide electrolysis cells (CA-SOEC) used to convert excess renewable energy into hydrogen. The cell has an anode cavity filled with foam metal, carbon fuel, and catalyst. Water vapor is introduced as an in-situ gasification substance. This allows carbon gasification to generate CO and H2, reducing overpotential and improving anode reaction dynamics. The foam metal enhances heat transfer to better control temperatures. This reduces degradation and improves cell life compared to high-temperature CA-SOECs.

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Fuel cell system that can detect poor quality hydrogen fuel and prevent irreversible degradation of the fuel cell performance. The system uses a pressure sensor to monitor the hydrogen gas pressure in the fuel cell. If, after a certain amount of time, the pressure does not reach expected levels based on the amount of hydrogen supplied, it indicates impurities in the gas. The system then disables power generation to avoid damaging the fuel cell.

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Dynamic adjustment of fuel cell systems to optimize purge valve actuation and improve efficiency. The adjustment involves analyzing the behavior of the proportional valve during purging operations to infer the hydrogen concentration in the fed gas. This inferred hydrogen concentration is then used to dynamically fine-tune the fuel cell system operation, such as optimizing purge and drain valve actuation, to maximize efficiency.

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