Abstract: The multi-section cathode air heat exchanger (102) includes at least a first heat exchanger section (104), and a fixed contact oxidation catalyzed section (126) secured adjacent each other in a stack association. Cool cathode inlet air flows through cool air channels (110) of the at least first (104) and oxidation catalyzed sections (126). Hot anode exhaust flows through hot air channels (124) of the oxidation catalyzed section (126) and is combusted therein. The combusted anode exhaust then flows through hot air channels (112) of the first section (104) of the cathode air heat exchanger (102). The cool and hot air channels (110, 112) are secured in direct heat exchange relationship with each other so that temperatures of the heat exchanger (102) do not exceed 800° C. to minimize requirements for using expensive, high-temperature alloys.

Abstract: An exemplary fuel cell device includes a cell stack assembly having a plurality of fuel cells. A vapor barrier tape is wrapped around at least a portion of an exterior of the cell stack assembly. An exemplary method of managing moisture within a fuel cell stack assembly includes covering at least a portion of an exterior of the cell stack assembly with a vapor barrier tape to thereby maintain moisture within the cell stack assembly.

Abstract: A method of generating electrical power includes flowing hydrogen across an anode, splitting the hydrogen into protons and electrons using a catalyst attached to the anode, directing the electrons to a circuit to produce electrical power, flowing oxygen across a cathode, splitting the oxygen molecules into oxygen atoms using a cathode catalyst, passing the protons through an electrolyte to the cathode, and combining the protons with oxygen to form water. The cathode catalyst includes a plurality of nanoparticles having terraces formed of platinum, and corner regions and edge regions formed of a second metal.

Abstract: An example fuel cell repeater includes a separator plate and a frame establishing at least a portion of a flow path that is operative to communicate fuel to or from at least one fuel cell held by the frame relative to the separator plate. The flow path has a perimeter and any fuel within the perimeter flow across the at least one fuel cell in a first direction. The separator plate, the frame, or both establish at least one conduit positioned outside the flow path perimeter. The conduit is outside of the flow path perimeter and is configured to direct flow in a second, different direction. The conduit is fluidly coupled with the flow path.

Abstract: A proton exchange material includes perfluorinated carbon backbone chains and side chains extending off of the perfluorinated carbon backbone chains. The perfluorinated side chains include cross-link chains that have multiple sulfonimide groups, —SO2—NH—SO2—.

Abstract: A fuel pressure regulator unit is mounted on a manifold. The fuel pressure regulator unit includes a housing providing a fuel inlet passage, a regulated fuel outlet passage, a sense pressure passage, a recycle passage and a mixed fuel passage. A pressure regulator is provided in the housing and is arranged fluidly between the fuel inlet passage and the regulated fuel outlet passage. The sense passage fluidly interconnects the mixed fuel passage and the pressure regulator. The pressure regulator is configured to regulate the flow of fuel from the fuel inlet passage to regulated fuel passage in response to a pressure from the sense pressure passage. An ejector is arranged within the housing and fluidly between the regulated fuel outlet passage and the mixed fuel passage. An ejector is configured to receive recycled fuel from the recycle passage.

Abstract: An example fuel cell arrangement includes a fuel cell stack configured to receive a supply fluid and to provide an exhaust fluid that has more thermal energy than the supply fluid. The arrangement also includes an ejector and a heat exchanger. The ejector is configured to direct at least some of the exhaust fluid into the supply fluid. The heat exchanger is configured to increase thermal energy in the supply fluid using at least some of the exhaust fluid that was not directed into the supply fluid.

Abstract: An exemplary fuel cell assembly includes a cell stack having a plurality of cells. The cell stack has an outermost plate at each of two opposite ends of the cell stack. An end plate is adjacent the outermost plate at each of the opposite ends. A plurality of anti-rotation members at each of the opposite ends prevent relative movement between the outermost plates and the end plates. The anti-rotation members at each end are at least partially received into the end plate at the corresponding end. The anti-rotation members at each end are only partially received into the outermost plate at the corresponding end without extending through the outermost plate.

Abstract: The plant (10) includes a molten metal anode (44) passing through a fuel cell (12) anode inlet (46) having a first interrupted flow generator (104), then into an anode flow field (42) of the fuel cell (12), and leaving the anode flow field (42) through an anode outlet (48) having a second interrupted flow generator (113). The molten anode (44) then flows into a reduction reactor (50) where the oxidized anode (44) is reduced by a reducing fuel (61). The molten anode (44) is then cycled back into the first interrupted flow generator (104) and anode flow field (42). Interrupting flow of the molten anode (44) prevents electrical continuity between the anode inlet (46) and the anode outlet (48) through the molten anode (44) within the anode flow field (42). This facilitates stacking the planar fuel cells in series within a fuel cell stack to build voltage.

Abstract: An example fuel cell stack component includes a metallic layer applied to the component and an oxide layer applied to the metallic layer. The oxide layer includes a chemical component that is not in the metallic layer.

Abstract: A fuel cell includes a membrane electrode assembly comprised of a membrane sandwiched between anode and cathode catalyst structures. An anode separator plate and a cathode separator plate are arranged adjacent to the membrane electrode assembly opposite from one another. The anode and cathode separator plates include opposing sides in which one of the opposing sides of the anode and cathode respectively have fuel and oxidant flow fields in communication with the membrane. The anode separator plate is a structure having a first water permeability and is configured to permit passage of water between its opposing sides and with its flow field, and the cathode separator plate comprises a structure having a second water permeability less than the first water permeability of the anode separator plate. In one example, the anode is provided by a porous separator plate, and the cathode is provided by a non-porous, or solid, plate.

Abstract: The performance of a fuel cell power plant that decays, in an electric vehicle which makes frequent starts, is recovered by partially shutting down (65-67) the power plant. Recovery is enabled by a recovery enable flag (25) upon conditions such as vehicle using (22) low or no power (16), vehicle speed at or near zero (22), electric storage SOC above a threshold (23), and no recovery (19) during the last half-hour (or other duration). The recovery restart resets a timer (79) to ensure (19) that recovery is not attempted too often. The power plant then remains in a recovery stand-by mode (72) until a recovery restart flag (35) is set to 1 (74). The restart causes start-up of the fuel cell power plant (50, 52, 55), reaching an operational mode (57).

Abstract: An example fuel cell component includes an energizeable coating on at least a portion of a surface of the fuel cell component. A controller is configured to energize the energizeable coating to break a bond between any ice and the surface of the fuel cell component.

Abstract: An example fuel cell stack (10, 40) includes a cathode plate (60) having oxidant flow passages (62) and coolant flow passages (64), and a porous anode plate (42) adjacent the coolant flow passages (64). The porous anode plate (42) includes fuel flow passages (46) and a network of pores (44) that fluidly connect the fuel flow passages (46) and the coolant flow passages (64). A membrane electrode arrangement (50) adjacent the fuel flow passages (46) generates electricity in a fuel cell reaction. A hydrophilic gas diffusion layer (48) between the membrane electrode arrangement (50) and the porous anode plate (42) distributes water from the coolant flow passages (64) to maintain or establish a wet seal (70) within the network of pores (44) that limits fuel transport through the network of pores (44) from the fuel flow passages (46) to the coolant flow passages (64).

Abstract: A membrane electrode assembly includes a membrane, an anode catalyst layer and a cathode catalyst layer. The anode catalyst layer is on a first side of the membrane and the cathode catalyst layer is on a second side of the membrane, wherein the second side of the membrane is opposite the first side of the membrane along a first axis. The cathode catalyst layer includes agglomerates formed of a catalyst support supporting catalyst particles, an agglomerate ionomer and an inter-agglomerate ionomer. The agglomerate ionomer surrounds the agglomerates and the inter-agglomerate ionomer is in regions between the agglomerates surrounded by the agglomerate ionomer. The agglomerate ionomer is different than the inter-agglomerate. Methods to produce the catalyst layer are also provided.

Abstract: An example method of controlling fluid distribution within a fuel cell includes adjusting a flow of a reactant moving within a fuel cell to increase water within a portion of the fuel cell. Another example method of controlling fluid distribution within a fuel cell includes adjusting a flow of fuel entering a fuel cell, a velocity of air entering the fuel cell, or both, so that a first amount of water exiting the fuel cell in a fuel stream is about the same as a second amount of water exiting the fuel cell in an airstream.

Abstract: A fuel cell power plant (10) includes a power supply (58) that directs a direct current to catalysts (24), (26) of a fuel cell (22) after terminating flow of electricity to a primary load (52), and after flow of an oxidant adjacent the cathode catalyst (26) is terminated, and while a reformate fuel is directed adjacent the anode catalyst (24). Pure hydrogen fuel generated thereby at the cathode catalyst (26) is directed into a hydrogen storage tank (62). Upon start-up of the power plant (10), the stored hydrogen gas is directed from the tank (62) to flow adjacent the anode catalyst (24) while a reformer (12) is being warmed up for operation, to provide virtually instantaneous start-up of the plant (10). Optionally, the stored hydrogen may be used occasionally during operation with the reformate fuel to meet an increased demand for electricity.

Abstract: A method of assembly of a fuel cell plate includes forming channels in a body to provide a flow field. A porous media is inserted into the flow field. The fuel cell plate is a non-porous body including a side having the flow field providing a fluid flow path. The porous media is provided in the fluid flow path.

Abstract: A seal is provided for use in a solid oxide fuel cell, wherein the seal is formed of alternating adjacent layers of a fiber tow material and a foil material. A solid oxide fuel cell stack is also disclosed and is formed of repeating cell units, each cell unit having a plurality of fuel cell stack components defining opposed component surfaces, and the seal as described above positioned between the opposed component surfaces. A process is also provided for manufacturing a composite seal for a solid oxide fuel cell, and the process including the steps of: (a) feeding a quantity of spooled fiber tow material through an inert bonding agent to form a coated fiber tow material; (b) winding the coated fiber tow material about a mandrel to form a wound layer of fiber tow material; (c) feeding a quantity of spooled foil material about the wound layer of fiber tow material to form a wound layer of foil material; and (d) repeating steps (a) through (c) until forming a composite seal having desired thickness and width.

Abstract: A method of heat treating a substrate for a fuel cell includes stacking substrates to form a group. A dimension is determined for a plate corresponding to a resulting mass that is less than a predetermined mass. The plate is arranged above the group to apply a weight of the plate to the group. The resulting masses for spacer plates and intermediate lifting plates, for example, are minimized to reduce the pressure differential between the bottom and top substrates in the heat treat assembly. In another disclosed method, a dimension for a plate, such as a top plate, is determined that corresponds to a resulting mass that is greater than a predetermined mass. The plate is arranged above the group to apply a weight of the plate to the group. The top plate resulting mass is selected to minimize a variation in the average pressure of the substrates throughout the heat treat assembly.