Miniaturized Fuel Cells Recent Developments in Efficiency

A fuel cell power pack for drones that provides long flight times without increasing weight or size. The pack integrates the fuel cell stack and hydrogen tank inside the drone in a weight-balanced configuration. This reduces overall weight compared to external batteries. The pack also improves airflow and lift generation by optimizing exhaust ducts and blinds. The internal fuel cell stack is surrounded by heated elements to maintain optimal operating temperature. This allows stable stack performance in cold or hot environments. The pack also has a removable hydrogen tank for easy refueling.

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A compact, lightweight hydrogen fuel cell system for unmanned aircraft that enables long endurance flights with high power-to-weight ratio. The system uses a small hydrogen fuel cell, carbon fiber reinforced tank, single stage regulator, and control electronics optimized for unmanned aerial vehicle applications. The fuel cell has minimum continuous power output of 25 W, maximum of 5000 W, specific power of 200 W/kg, operates up to 90°C, and can handle 2 psig hydrogen inlet. The carbon fiber tank holds compressed or cryogenic hydrogen. The system enables unmanned aircraft propulsion with hydrogen fuel cells while meeting weight, power, and temperature requirements.

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A flat fuel cell device designed for low height applications like drones and aircraft. The fuel cell stack, fuel inlet/outlet, air inlet/outlet, and electrical connections are all arranged horizontally around the cell stack. This allows the fuel cell to have a low profile, unlike conventional vertical fuel cell layouts.

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Portable fuel cell systems for powering devices in remote locations that are lightweight, compact, and comfortable to wear. The fuel cell systems have unique thermal management designs to dissipate waste heat and maintain operation at extreme temperatures. The fuel cell stack is enclosed in a chassis with an air gap between it and the engine block. A heatsink is attached to the stack and a blower draws cooling air. A boiler mounted on the stack side vaporizes fuel using waste heat. A burner away from the stack provides heat via a heat pipe. This allows compactness, comfort, and reliable operation in extreme conditions.

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A vehicle with an efficient, modular, and easily maintainable onboard electricity generation system. The system has a fuel cell stack-based electricity production unit that can be removed as an integrated unit from the vehicle. This allows replacing the production unit without needing to remove the fuel storage unit. The production unit has a single connection to the storage unit. It has a shared cooling, air supply, and hydrogen supply circuit for the fuel cells. The fuel storage unit contains gaseous hydrogen. This modular design allows separating and replacing the complex production unit without affecting the simpler storage unit. It improves vehicle availability by allowing quicker and easier maintenance compared to integrated systems.

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Modular range extender system for electric vehicles that allows easy customization and scaling of range extenders based on fuel cells. The system uses interchangeable fuel cell modules connected in series and parallel to form variants with different outputs. A central air and hydrogen supply channel connects the modules. This allows configuring variants with different numbers of modules without needing complex air compressors or interconnections for each module. The modules themselves can have their own controls but run a common software for swapping. The modular design enables easy module replacement and scaling. The circuit connects the range extender in parallel with the battery without a DC converter, saving cost.

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Hybrid fuel cell system that can use a wide range of fuels with minimum weight. The system includes a fuel source, a reformer, a depressurization system and a fuel cell stack. The depressurization system reduces the pressure of the hydrogen gas produced by the reformer. The fuel cell stack then uses this reduced-pressure hydrogen gas. This allows the stack to be lighter and eliminates the need for reinforced stack components.

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Microscale fuel cell that is flexible, air breathing, planar, and double sided, which are suitable for use as miniaturized energy sources in portable electronics. The fuel cell is made without silicon wafers and instead uses polymer membranes. It uses hot embossing to pattern channels into the polymer membrane to create the fuel cell structure. By using flexible polymer materials and patterning directly into the membrane, the fuel cell can be made highly miniaturized and flexible.

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Flexible fuel cell power systems that can be configured for various uses and are compact, lightweight, and safe for applications like portable electronics, military equipment, and first responders. The systems have a flexible platform with bendable joints that allows the components to bend and flex. This enables compact packaging of the fuel cell cartridge and system. The cartridge contains multiple fuel cell modules that share fluid lines for hydrogen and water. The modules are hot swappable for maintenance or replacement. The system has a flexible platform that allows bending and twisting to accommodate the cartridge and components. This provides a compact and flexible power source for applications with space constraints or where portability is important.

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Cylindrical proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack architecture with improved fluid routing and sealing for uniform cell performance. The stack has a cylindrical housing with the fuel cell modules arranged radially. The cathode air supply is axially directed into an annular plenum surrounding the stack. This provides uniform air flow distribution to each cell. The stack compression mechanism is integrated into the housing. The modules have aligned fuel and oxidant manifolds. This enables compact integration of balance-of-plant components like humidifiers and coolant channels into the housing. The stack architecture enables modular fuel cell systems with integrated components for efficient, compact fuel cell power generation.

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Compactly integrating a fuel cell into the structure of a vehicle like an aircraft by custom-fitting the fuel cell into existing spaces. The fuel cell has a shape that matches the contours of the vehicle structure, like between stringers in an aircraft fuselage. The fuel cell enclosure is 3D printed to fit precisely into the space. It has inlets and outlets integrated into the walls for the fuel and oxidant gases. This allows the fuel cell to be inserted into the vehicle structure without modifying the outer shape. Multiple fuel cells can be stacked in the same space.

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Multi-function fuel cell bundle for use in fuel cell engines that integrates all the basic support functions into a single unit. The bundle contains multiple fuel cells, oxidant supply, fuel supply, and reformation systems all attached to a support structure. This eliminates the need for external components and simplifies assembly compared to separate fuel cell stacks. The integrated bundle can be easily assembled and installed in a compact space for fuel cell engines.

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Wearable power generator that can provide electricity for extended periods without requiring charging or replacing batteries. The generator is worn like a vest or backpack and uses a fuel cell to convert oxygen from the air and hydrogen from a cartridge into electricity. The fuel cell is enclosed in an insulated container with features like oxygen-selective membranes, vaporizing insulation, and adaptive thermal resistance to optimize performance. The generator can be worn for multiple days without resupply, eliminating the need for bulky batteries and facilitating extended missions for soldiers and first responders.

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Compact fuel cell system with integrated components like heat exchangers and reformers that have optimized flow paths for improved performance. The components are stacked next to the fuel cell stack and arranged with matching dimensions to enable parallel fluid flow. The components have channels that enter and exit the stack at the sides, adjacent to the fuel cell stack. This allows fluid flow into and out of the system from the same side. The components also have obstructions in the channels to vary flow velocity and distribute/collect fluid. The stack components have wedge-shaped inlet/outlet sections for full height coverage.

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Fuel cell assembly with configurable interconnections between individual fuel cells to optimize current and voltage output. The fuel cell stack allows reconfiguring the electrical connections between cells without changing their spatial arrangement. This enables connecting cells in series, parallel, or both to match the required current and voltage. The configurable interconnections replace the need for external converters and allows customizing the stack for specific applications.

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Operating a portable electronic device, like a hearing aid, with a fuel cell as a power source while mitigating issues like low voltage output, high power consumption, and noise. The device uses a boost converter to step up the fuel cell voltage to the required level. It also has a current limiting feature to prevent excessive power drain that could drop the boost converter output below normal. If the output voltage drops, power is temporarily cut to the rest of the device to let the boost converter recover.

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Fuel cell stack with reduced thickness and weight for compact portable electronic devices. The stack has a composite unit cell structure with multiple cells and fuel channels between them. This allows commonalizing components and reducing thickness compared to layered cells. The composite cells have spacers between them to maintain electrical contact. The fuel channels supply fuel to anodes of multiple cells. This reduces thickness compared to separate fuel channels per cell. By stacking composite cells instead of separate cells, it eliminates the need for fasteners and thick separators. This reduces weight and volume compared to traditional stacks.

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Removable fuel cell system for passenger seats that allows quick and easy replacement of fuel bottles by passengers themselves. The fuel cell system provides power and by-products like heat, water, and oxygen-depleted air to seat functions like lighting, heating, cooling, and charging. The fuel cell bottle extends from the seat area and can be easily grasped and replaced. This allows autonomous seats to be freely placed in the cabin without requiring tools or expertise to refuel.

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