Abstract: Methods for fabricating an interconnect for a fuel cell stack that include providing a protective layer over at least one surface of an interconnect formed by powder pressing pre-alloyed particles containing two or more metal elements and annealing the interconnect and the protective layer at elevated temperature to bond the protective layer to the at least one surface of the interconnect.

Abstract: Various embodiments may provide non-isolated single-input dual-output (SIDO) bi-directional buck-boost direct current (DC) to DC (DC-DC) converters. Various embodiments may provide a method for controlling a buck duty cycle of the non-isolated SIDO bi-directional buck-boost DC-DC converter such that a first voltage measured across a first portion of the non-isolated SIDO bi-directional buck-boost DC-DC converter is maintained at less than a voltage of a first load and a second voltage measured across a second portion of the non-isolated SIDO bi-directional buck-boost DC-DC converter is maintained at less than a voltage of a second load.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a stack of fuel cells, a cathode recuperator configured to heat air using cathode exhaust output from the stack, and an air inlet baffle disposed between the cathode recuperator and the stack and containing at least two rows of apertures which are separated along a vertical direction and configured to provide the heated air output from the cathode recuperator to plural areas of the stack.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes at least one of plural electrochemical pump separators to separate carbon dioxide from a fuel exhaust stream or a combination of a gas separator and a fuel exhaust cooler located outside a hotbox.

Abstract: A manifold plate for a fuel cell stack includes a lower manifold portion, an upper manifold portion, a dielectric layer sandwiched between the lower manifold portion and the upper manifold portion, a bottom inlet hole and a bottom outlet hole formed in a bottom surface of the lower manifold portion, where the bottom inlet hole and the bottom outlet hole extend through the dielectric layer, top outlet holes and top inlet holes formed in opposing sides of a top surface of the upper manifold portion, outlet channels fluidly connecting the top outlet holes to the bottom inlet hole, and inlet channels fluidly connecting the top inlet holes to the bottom outlet hole.

Abstract: A solid oxide electrochemical cell includes a solid oxide electrolyte, an anode located on a first side of the solid oxide electrolyte, and a cathode located on a second side of the solid oxide electrolyte. The cathode includes lanthanum nickel ferrite.

Abstract: A fuel cell system component ink includes a fuel cell system component powder, a solvent including propylene carbonate (PC), and a binder including polypropylene carbonate (PPC).

Abstract: Various embodiments include fuel cell interconnects having a fuel distribution portion having an inlet opening, a fuel collection portion having an outlet opening, and a primary fuel flow field containing channels, wherein the fuel distribution portion comprises at least one raised feature defining a fuel distribution flow path, and the fuel distribution flow path is not continuous with the channels in the primary fuel flow field. The at least one raised feature may include, for example, a network of ribs and/or dots. Further embodiments include interconnects having a fuel distribution portion with a variable surface depth to provide variable flow restriction and/or a plenum with variable surface depth and raised a raised relief feature on the cathode side, and/or varying flow channel depths and/or rib heights adjacent a fuel hole.

Abstract: A power generation method includes providing power from a first DC power source to a load, while a second DC power source is electrically disconnected from the load, electrically connecting the second DC power source to the load and providing power from the second DC power source to the load if an output voltage from the first DC power source drops below a threshold voltage and an output voltage from the second DC power source is not below the threshold voltage, and electrically disconnecting the first DC power source from the load if an output current of the first DC power source is below a threshold current.

Abstract: A fuel cell stack and inspection method, the fuel cell stack including fuel cells disposed in a stack and interconnects disposed between the fuel cells. Each fuel cell includes an electrolyte, an anode disposed on a first side of the electrolyte, a cathode disposed on an opposing second side of an electrolyte, and a witness mark disposed on the first side of the electrolyte. Each interconnect includes first ribs disposed on air side of the interconnect and at least partially defining oxidant channels, and second ribs disposed on an opposing fuel side of the interconnect and at least partially defining fuel channels. The witness mark of each fuel cell is visible from outside of the stack when the cathode directly faces the air side of an adjacent interconnect.

Abstract: A fuel cell system column includes a first terminal plate connected to a first electrical output of the column, a second terminal plate connected to a second electrical output of the column, at least one first fuel cell stack located in a middle portion of the column between the first terminal plate and the second terminal plate, and at least one electrical connection which is electrically connected to the middle portion of the column and which is configured to provide a more uniform fuel utilization across the first column.

Abstract: A method of operating a fuel cell system includes providing an anode exhaust from a fuel cell stack to a water injector, supplying water to the water injector, and injecting the water from the water injector into the anode exhaust to vaporize the water and generate a humidified anode exhaust.

Abstract: A microgrid system includes first and second DC power sources electrically connected to respective first and second DC electrical power busses, a first uninterruptable power module electrically connected to the first DC electrical power bus and configured to be connected to an alternating current (AC) load, a second uninterruptable power module electrically connected to the second DC electrical power bus and configured to be connected to the AC load, a first bi-directional AC/DC inverter having a DC end and an AC end, where the first DC electrical power bus is connected to the DC end of the first bi-directional AC/DC inverter, a second bi-directional AC/DC inverter having DC and AC ends, where the second DC electrical power bus is connected to the DC end of the second bi-directional AC/DC inverter, and an AC electrical power bus electrically connected to the first and second bi-directional AC/DC inverters at their AC ends.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack, a fuel inlet conduit configured to provide a fuel to a fuel inlet of the fuel cell stack, an electrochemical pump separator containing an electrolyte, a cathode, and a carbon monoxide tolerant anode, a fuel exhaust conduit that operatively connects a fuel exhaust outlet of the fuel cell stack to an anode inlet of the electrochemical pump separator, and a product conduit which operatively connects a cathode outlet of the electrochemical pump separator to the fuel inlet conduit.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack, an anode tail gas oxidizer (ATO), an ATO injector configured to mix a first portion of an anode exhaust from the fuel cell stack with a cathode exhaust from the fuel cell stack and to provide a mixture of the first portion of the anode exhaust and the cathode exhaust into the ATO, an anode exhaust conduit which is configured to provide the first portion of the anode exhaust into the ATO injector, and cathode exhaust conduit which is configured to provide at least a portion of the cathode exhaust from the fuel cell stack into the ATO injector. The ATO injector includes injector tubes or injection apertures.

Abstract: A fuel cell system performance recovery method includes applying a DC current load pulse waveform to one or more of the fuel cells for a recovery period sufficient to desorb a contaminant from the one or more fuel cells.

Abstract: A method of forming a fuel cell system component includes dispensing an ink onto a substrate to form an ink layer, the ink containing a fuel cell system component powder, an aqueous carrier, and an emulsion comprising a water-insoluble binder and a water soluble co-solvent, and solidifying the ink layer to form the fuel cell system component.

Abstract: Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) may be used to measure the internal components of a battery or interfaces between connections inside a battery in order to determine a state of one or more subcomponents of the battery. In various embodiments, EIS testing of the battery may be conducted using various test waveforms, such as test waveforms with different voltages, currents, and/or frequencies, to identify and/or predict battery subcomponent and/or interface failures. In various embodiments, EIS testing of the battery may be used to determine when battery conditions are suitable for charging.

Abstract: A method of making an interconnect for a solid oxide fuel cell stack includes contacting an interconnect powder located in a die cavity with iron, the interconnect powder including a chromium and iron, compressing the interconnect powder to form an interconnect having ribs and fuel channels on a first side of the interconnect, such that the iron is disposed on tips of the ribs; and sintering the interconnect, such that the iron forms an contact layer on the tips of the ribs having a higher iron concentration than a remainder of the interconnect. A glass containing cathode contact layer having a glass transition temperature of 900° C. or less may be located over the rib tips on the oxidant side of the interconnect.

Abstract: An integrated power generation and exhaust processing system includes a fuel cell system configured to generate power and to separate CO2 included in exhaust output from the fuel cell system, and an exhaust processing system configured to at least one of sequester or densify CO2 separated from the exhaust output from the fuel cell system.