Patents Assigned to Bloom Energy Corporation
  • Patent number: 12264398
    Abstract: An electrolyzer system includes a splitter configured to split a first air inlet stream into a bypass air stream and a second air inlet stream, a stack of electrolyzer cells configured receive steam and the second air inlet stream and output a product stream containing hydrogen and an oxygen exhaust stream, such that the bypass air stream is configured to bypass the stack, and a product cooler heat exchanger configured to cool the product stream using the first air inlet stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2024
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Alejandro Carlos Lavernia, Kidus Tsegay, Navaneethakrishnan Govindarasu, Mark Stanton, Andy Ta, David Edmonston
  • Patent number: 12266835
    Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) includes a solid oxide electrolyte, an anode disposed on a first side of the electrolyte and a cathode disposed on an opposing second side of the electrolyte. The anode includes a ceramic phase and a metallic phase including a Ni catalyst and a dopant including Al, Ba, Ca, Cr, Fe, Mo, Re, Rh, Ru, Sr, W, or any combination thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Andres Leming, Emad El Batawi
  • Patent number: 12173418
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for electrolysis at very large scale (e.g., exceeding 100 megawatts (MW), and at gigawatt (GW) scale having a solid oxide electolyzer cell (SOEC) system including one or more SOEC columns, and one or more heat exchangers, each of the heat exchangers configured to receive input stream that is used to heat respective SOEC columns, wherein each of the heat exchangers is located along respective SOEC columns such that the input steam exiting the heat exchanger is directed towards adjacent SOEC columns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: K R Sridhar, David Weingaertner, Carlton Cottuli, Matthias Gottmann
  • Patent number: 12151729
    Abstract: A fuel cell assembly for easy removal and installation of a fuel cell system is described. The fuel cell assembly includes one or more first rolling members provided in one or more first slots of a first base arrangement, where a plurality of holes are configured on a second surface of the first base arrangement. Each of the one or more first rolling members includes a plurality of rollers configured to be inflated and deflated. The inflating and deflating of each first rolling member facilitate movement of the plurality of rollers of each first rolling member into a plurality of holes and out of the plurality of holes, respectively, which enables the fuel cell system to move between a raised position and a lowered position. The raised position of the fuel cell system indicates a position in which the fuel cell system is in contact with the plurality of rollers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2024
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Robert Hintz
  • Patent number: 12142802
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices of the various embodiments provide a hardware and software architecture enabling electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (“EIS”) to be performed on multiple electrochemical devices, such as fuel cells, at the same time without human interaction with the electrochemical devices and to use EIS to dynamically monitor the performance of a fuel cell system. Embodiment methods may include determining an impedance of a set of fuel cells using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, determining an ohmic polarization of the set of fuel cells from the impedance, determining a concentration polarization of the set of fuel cells from the impedance, comparing the ohmic polarization of the set of fuel cells to a first threshold, comparing the concentration polarization of the set of fuel cells to a second threshold, and initiating a corrective action when the ohmic polarization is above the first threshold or when the concentration polarization is below the second threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Karthick Sudhan S, Bhavana Ganesh, Abhishek Dudhmande, Ranganathan Gurunathan, Ian Russell
  • Patent number: 12139802
    Abstract: A power control device for an electrolyzer that is configured to encode power curtailment information as a DC bus voltage level using a DC droop characteristic in first stage and decode the DC bus voltage to power information in a second stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Prasad Pmsvvsv, Chaitanya Mandela, Rakesh Roy
  • Patent number: 12136751
    Abstract: A system and method for power generation and CO2 sequestration include a fuel cell system configured to generate power using natural gas (NG), a container configured to store liquid natural gas (LNG), and a fluid processor configured to convert LNG received from the container into NG and to convert exhaust output from the fuel cell system to dry ice by transferring heat between and the LNG and the exhaust.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Martin Perry
  • Patent number: 12136752
    Abstract: A method of operating a power generator having a first electrical output electrically connected to a utility grid and a second electrical output electrically connected to a load includes detecting if the first electrical output of the power generator is electrically disconnected from the utility grid, and electrically connecting at least a neutral line of the first electrical output to ground in response to detecting that the first output is electrically disconnected from the utility grid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Prasad Pmsvvsv, Carl Cottuli, Beau Baker
  • Patent number: 12136756
    Abstract: A method of assembling a fuel cell stack includes depositing a liquid seal material on an interconnect, pressing a fuel cell into the liquid seal material, and solidifying the liquid seal material after pressing the fuel cell into the liquid seal material. The seal material may also include a support portion or extensions which are configured to reduce an amount of compressive stress on corners of the fuel cell in the fuel cell stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael D. Gasda, Madhuri Nallabolu, Brian Therault, Robert Hintz, Hoa Vo, Phuc Phan, Patrick Nikong, Greg Young
  • Patent number: 12136725
    Abstract: An electrolyzer system and a fuel cell system that include hydrogen blowers configured to compress hydrogen streams generated by the systems. The electrolyzer system includes a steam generator configured to generate steam, a stack of solid oxide electrolyzer cells configured to generate a hydrogen stream using the steam received from the steam generator, a hydrogen blower configured to pressurize the hydrogen stream generated by the stack, and a hydrogen processor configured to compress the pressurized hydrogen stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: David Weingaertner, Martin Perry
  • Patent number: 12134827
    Abstract: A compressor for a solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) system, the system including one or more stamps that receives hydrogen input and outputs wet hydrogen, a heat exchanger or condenser that is configured to decrease the temperature of the wet hydrogen, a compressor that is configured to increase the pressure of the wet hydrogen, and a dryer that is configured to reduce the dew point of the wet hydrogen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Joshua Mermelstein
  • Patent number: 12136754
    Abstract: A solid oxide electrolyzer electrolyte composition includes a scandia and ceria stabilized zirconia, containing 5 to 12 mol % scandia, 1 to 7 mol % ceria, and 80 to 94 mol % zirconia, or a yttria and ceria stabilized zirconia containing 3 to 10 mol % yttria, 1 to 6 mol % ceria, and 84 to 96 mol % zirconia.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tad Armstrong
  • Patent number: 12132322
    Abstract: A power control device for an electrolyzer that is configured to receive electrical current from a plurality of electrical power sources, rectify alternating current from a first subset of the plurality of electrical power sources, convert direct current from a second subset of the plurality of electrical power sources, provide power from the first subset and the second subset of electrical power sources to an energy bus, and receive, at the electrolyzer, power from the energy bus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Prasad Pmsvvsv, Rakesh Roy, Soma Depuru
  • Patent number: 12132234
    Abstract: A fuel cell interconnect includes fuel ribs disposed on a first side of the interconnect and a least partially defining fuel channels, and air ribs disposed on an opposing second side of the interconnect and at least partially defining air channels. The fuel channels include central fuel channels disposed in a central fuel field and peripheral fuel channels disposed in peripheral fuel fields disposed on opposing sides of the central fuel field. The air channels include central air channels disposed in a central air field and peripheral air channels disposed in peripheral air fields disposed on opposing sides of the central air field. At least one of the central fuel channels or the central air channels has at least one of a different cross-sectional area or length than at least one of the respective peripheral fuel channels or the respective peripheral air channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael Gasda, Cheng-Yu Lin, Ling-Hsiang Chen, Harald Herchen, Ian Russell, Tad Armstrong
  • Patent number: 12119521
    Abstract: A conduit assembly includes a dielectric tube having a first end and a second end, a first metal tube including a first flange coupled to the first end of the inner dielectric tube, the first flange including relief openings, a first dielectric ring coupled to the first flange, a second metal tube including a second flange coupled to the second end of the inner dielectric tube, the second flange including relief openings, and a second dielectric ring coupled to the second flange.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2024
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael Petrucha, James Huynh, Avinash Verma, Martin Perry, Kyle Kekelis
  • Patent number: 12119519
    Abstract: System and methods for refurbishing fuel cell stack components, the methods including singulating the stack using a splitting apparatus or a liquid nitrogen bath. Fuel cell debris may be removed from interconnects of the fuel cell stack using laser heating, flame heating, a die, sonication, a nubbed roller, grit blasting, and/or a high pressure fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2024
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Elson Seiki
  • Patent number: 12091759
    Abstract: An electrolyzer system includes a stack of solid oxide electrolyzer cells configured receive steam and output a hydrogen exhaust and an oxygen exhaust, a supplemental steam generator configured to generate the steam provided to the stack by vaporizing water using heat extracted from the oxygen exhaust, a water preheater configured to preheat water using heat extracted from the oxygen exhaust, and a primary steam generator configured to generate the steam provided to the stack by vaporizing the water preheated by the water preheater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventor: David Weingaertner
  • Patent number: 12091764
    Abstract: A solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) system including a stack of electrolyzer cells configured to receive liquid water that is heated using one or more heaters, and a mass flow controller configured to control the liquid water flowrate into the one or more heaters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shannon Bell, Andy Ta, Cory Mcclintic, Anthony Brewer, Julio Luna, Mark Stanton, Alireza Saeedmanesh, Ehsan Raoufat
  • Patent number: 12095124
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes at least one hot box including a fuel cell stack and producing an anode exhaust product, at least one hydrogen pump, at least one product conduit fluidly connecting an anode exhaust product outlet of the hot box to an inlet of the at least one hydrogen pump, a compressed hydrogen product conduit connected to a compressed hydrogen product outlet of the at least one hydrogen pump, and at least one effluent conduit connected to an unpumped effluent outlet of the at least one hydrogen pump. Additional embodiments include a fuel cell system in which the anode exhaust product stream is provided to at least one carbon dioxide pump to generate a compressed carbon dioxide product and an unpumped effluent that may be recycled to the at least one hot box of the fuel cell system. In various embodiments, the fuel cell system may use or recapture essentially all of the hydrogen content and nearly all of the carbon content of the input fuel that is provided to the fuel cell system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: David Weingaertner, Michael Gasda, Martin Perry
  • Patent number: D1053385
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2024
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chad Joseph Pearson, Carson Pirie Turner, Christian Daco