Patents Assigned to UTC Fuel Cells, LLC
  • Patent number: 7135247
    Abstract: A plurality of cooler plates (9) are disposed between fuel cells (8) in a stack (7) and have protrusions (12, 13) which include coolant inlet and outlet channels (15). The protrusions are surrounded by an elastomeric sealant material (35, 36) which forms a seal with the manifold structures (27, 28) to form coolant inlet and outlet manifolds (17, 20). The sealant material prevents coolant from entering fuel cells along the edges thereof, thereby preventing the fuel cells from being poisoned by the coolant. The coolant inlet and outlet manifold structures (27, 28) also define reactant gas manifolds (18, 21).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2006
    Assignee: UTC Fuel Cells, LLC
    Inventors: Jeremy P. Meyers, Nileshkumar T. Dave, Jeffrey G. Lake, Mark W. Layaw
  • Patent number: 7128992
    Abstract: The outflow of coolers or water transport plates of a fuel cell stack (15) is fed to the inlet of a gas/liquid separator (12), the liquid output of which is connected through a primary pump (11a) to a liquid accumulator (21). A secondary pump (44) connected to the liquid output (20) of the liquid accumulator is fed to the principal inlet (31) of an eductor (32), the secondary inlet being connected to the gas output of the gas/liquid separator. The outlet (37) of the eductor is fed through a conduit (38) to a point below liquid level in the liquid accumulator. Thus, failure of the secondary pump (44) will not cause cavitation of the primary pump (11a) through the eductor so that coolant will continue to flow through the fuel cell stack. A demineralizer (26) is fed through a pressure reducing orifice (25) from the outlet of the secondary pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2006
    Assignee: UTC Fuel Cells, LLC
    Inventors: G. Michael Gron, Jr., Parthasarathy Seshadri, Matthew P. Wilson
  • Patent number: 7128768
    Abstract: A hydrogen-rich reformate gas generator (36), such as a mini-CPO, POX, ATR or other hydrogen generator provides warm, dry, hydrogen-rich reformate gas to a hydrogen desulfurizer (17) which provides desulfurized feedstock gas to a major reformer (14) (such as a CPO) which, after processing in a water-gas shift reactor (26) and preferential CO oxidizer (27) produces hydrogen-containing reformate in a line (31) for use, for instance, as fuel for a fuel cell power plant. The expensive prior art hydrogen blower (30) is thereby eliminated, thus reducing parasitic power losses in the power plant. The drier reformate provided by the small hydrogen generator to the hydrogen desulfurizer favors hydrogen sulfide adsorption on zinc oxide and helps to reduce sulfur to the parts per billion level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2006
    Assignee: UTC Fuel Cells, LLC
    Inventors: Ke Liu, Richard J. Bellows, John L. Preston, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7118820
    Abstract: An arrangement is provided in a fuel cell power plant (10) for dispensing (58 74, 60, 64) a liquid medium, such as water (66), into a process oxidant (air) stream (53) that flows through one gas channel (42) in an energy recovery device (ERD) (32). An exhaust gas stream (48) containing heat and moisture from the fuel cell (12) flows through another channel (44) in the ERD. An enthalpy exchange barrier (46) separates the one and the other gas channels, but allows mass and/or heat transfer therebetween. The water is injected into the air stream (53) in a controlled (70, 74) amount, and perhaps temperature (78), in response to sensed parameters (80, 84, 90) of the power plant, including the process air stream, to adjust one or more conditions in the power plant. Controlling ERD dryness, providing a defrost capability for the ERD, and/or preventing excessive water accumulation in the system are several of the conditions controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2006
    Assignee: UTC Fuel Cells, LLC
    Inventors: Benjamin Charles Nuttall, Bryan F. Dufner, Albert P. Grasso
  • Patent number: 7118819
    Abstract: A liquid-gas separator assembly is used in separating gas bubbles from a liquid coolant which liquid coolant is used in a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell power plant. The assembly includes a cylindrical housing containing a central tube which is surrounded by an annular chamber. The annular chamber is defined by the outer surface of the central tube and the inner surface of the cylindrical housing. An inlet line injects a stream of the coolant from the fuel cell stack area of the power plant into the bottom of the central tube in a tangential flow pattern so that the coolant and gas bubble mixture swirls upwardly through the central tube. The swirling flow pattern of the coolant and gas bubble mixture causes the gas bubbles to separate from the liquid coolant so that the gas in the mixture will migrate to the central portion of the swirl tube and the liquid component of the mixture will centrifugally migrate to the inner wall of the swirl tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2006
    Assignee: UTC Fuel Cells LLC
    Inventor: Albert P. Grasso
  • Patent number: 7112384
    Abstract: A multi-layer seal system for a manifold (10) of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell includes a silicone rubber filler layer (22) between endplates (9) to compensate for the uneven edges of cell elements, an elastomer gasket (15) disposed within a groove (24) in the contact surfaces of a manifold (10), and a rigid dielectric strip (40) coplanar with the contact surfaces (17) of the endplates (9) interposed between the silicone rubber filler layer (22) and the gasket (15). The rigid dielectric strip (40) may be either angled (40a) for a corner seal, or flat (40b).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2006
    Assignee: UTC Fuel Cells, LLC
    Inventors: Nileshkumar T. Dave, Ning Lin
  • Patent number: 7112386
    Abstract: A membrane electrode assembly includes an anode including a hydrogen oxidation catalyst; a cathode; a membrane disposed between the anode and the cathode; and a peroxide decomposition catalyst positioned in at least one position selected from the group consisting of the anode, the cathode, a layer between the anode and the membrane and a layer between the cathode and the membrane wherein the peroxide decomposition catalyst has selectivity when exposed to hydrogen peroxide toward reactions which form benign products from the hydrogen peroxide. The peroxide decomposition catalyst can also be positioned within the membrane. Also disclosed is a power-generating fuel cell system including such a membrane electrode assembly, and a process for operating such a fuel cell system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2006
    Assignee: UTC Fuel Cells, LLC
    Inventors: Ned E. Cipollini, David A. Condit, Jared B. Hertzberg, Thomas D. Jarvi, James A. Leistra, Michael L. Perry
  • Patent number: 7112379
    Abstract: A vehicle (150) includes a fuel cell stack (151) started below freezing, by connection (158) to the vehicle propulsion system (159) within a few seconds of starting the flow of fuel (179) and oxidant (173), or when open circuit voltage (155, 156) is detected. The fuel in excess of stochiometry requirement and the oxidant in excess of at least twice stochiometric requirement, are at atmospheric pressure and at 4 kPa (0.6 psi) or more above the pressure of any water in said water passages due to a water passage vacuum pump 205, and may be below freezing. Water transport plates (84, 86, 88, 89) have water passages connected to a water circulation loop (170) including a reservoir (164) having an auxiliary heater (161) connected (160) to the stack. Warming of cell stack materials and ice in the water transport plates, heat of fusion of melting ice, warming of melted water, and evaporative cooling of water melted in the water transport plates keep the stack cool until liquid coolant is circulated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2006
    Assignee: UTC Fuel Cells, LLC
    Inventor: Tommy Skiba
  • Patent number: 7108937
    Abstract: The reactant gas manifolds (12–15) of a PEM fuel cell are modified to provide insulated manifolds (14a) having inner and outer walls (30, 31) closed off by a peripheral wall (35) to provide a chamber (36) which may be filled with a vacuum, a low thermal conductivity gas, a VIP (59) or a GFP (63). Single walled manifolds (14d, 14e) may have VIPs or GFPs inside or outside thereof. An insulation panel (40) similarly has inner and outer walls (42, 43) closed with a peripheral wall (45) so as to form a chamber (46) that may contain a vacuum, a low thermal conductivity gas, a VIP or a GFP. The tie rods 9a may be recessed 50 into the pressure plate 11a of the fuel cell stack to allow a flush surface for the insulation panel 40.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2006
    Assignee: UTC Fuel Cells, LLC
    Inventor: Richard D. Breault
  • Patent number: 7108929
    Abstract: A fuel cell power plant includes a plurality of fuel cell stacks which are operatively associated with each other so that both the air stream and fuel stream for the stacks are shared by each of the stacks in the power plant. The air and fuel streams are fed into an initial stack stage in the power plant, and after the air and fuel streams pass through the initial stack stage, the fuel exhaust streams are then fed into one or more subsequent stack stages in the power plant. The fuel streams are passed from the initial fuel cell stack stage to the subsequent fuel cell stack stage by means of a common manifold on which each of the fuel cell stacks in the power plant is mounted. The air streams are routed to all of the fuel cell stacks via a channel in the common manifold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2006
    Assignee: UTC Fuel Cells, LLC
    Inventors: Jennifer M. Kurtz, Thomas A. Brindley
  • Patent number: 7100376
    Abstract: A fuel cell system having a fuel cell stack (9) employs a group of fuel cells between corresponding cooler plates (55). The system utilizes single phase coolant, the outflow of the coolant plates (55) being divided into a flow (78) just sufficient to provide adequate steam (68, 79) to a fuel reformer (58), the remainder of the coolant outlet flowing (76) directly to heat recovery and utilization apparatus (77), which may include fuel cell power plant accessories (85), such as chillers or boilers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2006
    Assignee: UTC Fuel Cells, LLC
    Inventors: Robert R. Fredley, Bhimashankar V. Nitta
  • Patent number: 7090940
    Abstract: A freeze tolerant fuel cell power plant (10) includes at least one fuel cell (12), a coolant loop (18) including a freeze tolerant accumulator (22) for storing and separating a water immiscible fluid and water coolant, a direct contact heat exchanger (56) for mixing the water immiscible fluid and the water coolant within a mixing region (72) of the heat exchanger (56), a coolant pump (21) for circulating the coolant through the coolant loop (18), a radiator loop (84) for circulating the water immiscible fluid through the heat exchanger (56), and a radiator (86) for removing heat from the coolant. The plant (10) utilizes the water immiscible fluid during steady-state operation to cool the fuel cell and during shut down of the plant to displace water from the fuel cell (12) to the freeze tolerant accumulator (22).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: UTC Fuel Cells, LLC
    Inventors: Jeremy A. Schrooten, Wayde R. Schmidt, Cynthia A. Rice, Michael L. Perry, H. Harvey Michels, Jesse M. Marzullo, Patrick L. Hagans
  • Patent number: 7087330
    Abstract: Fuel cells (16) include a proton exchange membrane (18) with cathode catalyst (24) and anode catalyst (20) on opposing surfaces thereof. An anode support plate (21) includes a hydrophilic substrate (22) and a cathode support plate (25) includes a hydrophilic substrate (26) and a contact bilayer (diffusion layer) (24). Water transport plates (12, 14) are adjacent corresponding support plates. Upon shut down of the fuel cell stack, the support plates (21, 25) fill to 60%–80% of their water capacity, thereby to provide water (from melting ice) upon a bootstrap start of the frozen cells. In one embodiment, the amount of water is controlled by the pressure differential between the coolant and the reactant gases; in another embodiment, the amount of water is controlled by having hydrophobic regions (93) substantially uniformly dispensed in a hydrophilic substrate (94) in either the support plates (22a) or the contact bilayer (27).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: UTC Fuel Cells, LLC
    Inventor: Ned E. Cipollini
  • Patent number: 7087329
    Abstract: A fuel cell stack (7) with output lines (8, 9) has a bank of supercapacitors (10) or batteries (10a) connected across the output lines, either directly or through a DC/DC converter (22). The fuel cell stack receives fuel either from a reformer (13) or a source (13a) of hydrogen. Power is supplied through a power conditioning system (15) to a load (16), all under the control of a controller (19). The supercapacitors or batteries receive additional charge from excess power when there is a sudden decrease in the load, and provide charge to the output power lines (8, 9) when there is a sudden increase in load demand. In one embodiment, the voltage of the supercapacitors or batteries always follow the voltage of the fuel cell stack, thereby providing or receiving commensurate charge. With the DC/DC converter, the supercapacitors or batteries may be operated at voltages which are a multiple or a fraction of fuel cell stack voltage, and may have voltages boosted or bucked to aid in response to transients.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: UTC Fuel Cells, LLC
    Inventors: David G. Converse, Steven J. Fredette
  • Patent number: 7081313
    Abstract: A plurality of fuel cell stacks (8, 8a, 9, 9a) have their cathode ends (11, 12) contiguous with either a common current collector (15a–15d) or respective current collectors (15a, 15b) which may be separated by electrical isolation (27a, 27b). The cathode-to-cathode relationship protects the cathode of each of the stacks from cold ambient environments, thereby permitting improved cold starts and mitigation of performance loss as a result of cold starts as well as freeze/thaw cycles. Heaters (30, 30a–30d) may be provided in current collectors, or in or between electrical isolation. Four stacks may share one current collector, or each may have its own current collector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2006
    Assignee: UTC Fuel Cells, LLC
    Inventors: Gennady Resnick, Jung S. Yi, Tadahiko Taniguchi, Akira Maekawa
  • Patent number: 7078118
    Abstract: A performance enhancing break-in method for a proton exchange membrane (“PEM”) fuel cell (12) includes cycling potentials of an anode electrode (14) and a cathode electrode (16) from a first potential to a second potential and back to the first potential, and repeating the cycling for each electrode (14, 16) for at least two electrode cycles. The potential cycling may be achieved in a first embodiment by applying a direct current from a programmable direct current power source (80) to the electrodes. Alternatively the potential cycling may be achieved by varying reactants to which the anode and cathode electrodes (14, 16) are exposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2006
    Assignee: UTC Fuel Cells, LLC
    Inventors: Jeremy A. Schrooten, Jesse M. Marzullo, Michael L. Perry
  • Patent number: 7067214
    Abstract: A PEM fuel cell assembly includes cooler plates (10) with internal coolant manifolds (25) isolated from the cell stack assembly by an isolation gap (28) to minimize the risk of contamination of the cells by antifreeze. The internal coolant manifolds are formed by seal assemblies (24), each disposed between inlet or outlet openings (14, 15) in projections (16) of each cooler plate extending outwardly from the fuel cell planform (20) to provide a gap (28), which may be used as an air turn manifold. Flanges (40) with through holes (41) may receive tie rods to assist assembly of a fuel cell stack with the cooler plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2006
    Assignee: UTC Fuel Cells, LLC
    Inventors: Nileshkumar T. Dave, Jeremy P. Meyers, David A. Niezelski
  • Patent number: 7067209
    Abstract: A fuel cell stack has an air inlet manifold (21), an air turnaround manifold (22) and an air exit manifold (23); a coolant inlet is adjacent said air exit manifold; a fuel inlet manifold (16) is connected through a turnaround manifold (17) to a fuel exit manifold (18) remote from said coolant inlet. Fuel recycle is taken from the fuel manifold where the temperature is warmer than it is near the coolant inlet; recycle air for humidifying and heating inlet air is taken from the air turnaround manifold (22), and may either be recycled air provided by a recycle pump (31), or it may utilize an enthalpy recovery device (38) to transfer heat and humidity from an outflow chamber (41) to an inflow chamber (39).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2006
    Assignee: UTC Fuel Cells, LLC
    Inventor: Richard D. Breault
  • Patent number: 7063907
    Abstract: The invention includes an anode fuel flow field (100) adjacent a fuel cell (12) electrolyte (18) that defines a fuel path (102) between a fuel inlet (108) and a fuel outlet (110) and includes a cooler plate (118) in heat exchange relationship with the anode fuel flow field (100) that defines a coolant path (120) between a coolant inlet (126) and a coolant outlet (128). The fuel path (102) has a width (132) that is about the same as a width (134) of the coolant path (120) where the fuel path (102) and the coolant path (120) are closest to each other, and the fuel path (102) substantially overlies the coolant path (120) to minimize evaporation of water from water management flow fields (20) (22) and/or the electrolyte (18) into the fuel within the fuel path (102).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2006
    Assignee: UTC Fuel Cells, LLC
    Inventor: Richard D. Breault
  • Patent number: RE39348
    Abstract: A water transport plate is provided with optimized physical characteristics to greatly improve fuel cell operation. In a preferred method of manufacturing, graphite powder, reinforcing fibers, cellulosic fibers, and a thermosetting resin are mixed with a liquid to form a slurry and showered onto a screen to form a planar sheet which is dried to form paper. The paper is cut into the desired size and is laid-up. The lay-up is laminated with pressure and heat, carbonized, and graphitized to form a water transport plate for later machining as desired. The finished water transport plate exhibits optimal physical characteristics for bubble pressure, water permeability, median pore size, porosity, thru-plane resistivity and compressive yield strength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2006
    Assignee: UTC Fuel Cells, LLC
    Inventor: Michael E. Gorman