Abstract: A fuel cell stack antifreeze system that purges a plurality of fuel cell stacks connected in parallel includes a compressor that supplies pressurized cathode gas to each of the plurality of fuel cell stacks. A controller deactivates a first group of one or more of the plurality of fuel cell stacks and maintains operation of a second group of one or more of the plurality of fuel cell stacks. The second group powers the compressor and the compressor purges excess fluid from the first group using the pressurized cathode gas.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a prismatic battery having an electrode assembly mounted in a prismatic battery case, wherein an electrolyte injection hole formed in a base plate mounted to an open upper end of the battery case is constructed such that an inside upper end of the electrolyte injection hole is formed in a downward taper (incline) structure, and a metal ball is forcibly inserted into the electrolyte injection hole such that the metal ball is plastically deformed to seal the electrolyte injection hole. The prismatic battery according to the present invention provides high coupling force between the metal ball and the electrolyte injection hole due to the plastic deformation and forced insertion of the metal ball and high sealability of the electrolyte injection hole. Also, the formation of a groove at the upper end of the forcibly inserted metal ball and the generation of cracks at the interface between the metal ball and the inside surface of the electrolyte injection hole are effectively prevented.

Abstract: A fuel pack with a space for storing a fuel is provided which includes a case, wherein the case includes a feed port for exhausting the fuel to outside of the fuel pack, and at least a portion of the case is formed of a biodegradable material.

Abstract: An electrical connection structure, and a secondary battery pack using the same are disclosed. The structure comprises an electrical connection member which includes an insulating body for insulating a PCM from a battery cell, and cathode and anode leads mounted on the insulating body in a state of being electrically insulated from each other. One or both of the cathode and anode leads are welded to associated electrode terminals of the battery cell. The cathode and anode leads are connected in a contact state to associated electrode taps of the PCM when engaging the PCM to the battery cell. The connection structure allows only the electrode leads to be welded to the battery cell, and allows the electrode terminals to be connected to the electrode taps through contact without an additional welding operation, thereby remarkably reducing the number of assembling steps, lowering manufacturing costs and preventing malfunction.

Abstract: A membrane electrode assembly for a fuel cell includes an electrolyte membrane having ionic conductivity and a pair of gas diffusion electrodes having gas diffusivity and electric conductivity. Each of the pair of gas diffusion electrodes is bonded to one side or the other of the electrolyte membrane in a thickness direction. A bonding force for bonding at least one part of an outer circumferential area of the gas diffusion electrodes to the electrolyte membrane is set to at an inferior level to that of the bonding force for bonding a central area of the gas diffusion electrodes to the electrolyte membrane, so that an area of the electrolyte membrane facing the at least one part of the outer circumferential area of the gas diffusion electrodes can be protected from damage.

Abstract: A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery wherein a material capable of occluding/discharging lithium is used as a negative electrode material and a lithium-transition metal composite oxide which contains Ni and Mn as the transition metal and has a layered structure is used as a positive electrode material is characterized in that a lithium-transition metal composite oxide having a BET specific surface area less than 3 m2/g and a pH of 11.0 or less when 5 g of the lithium-transition metal composite oxide is immersed in 50 ml of purified water is used as the positive electrode active material.

Abstract: A process for producing electricity in a fuel cell which comprises: a) pre-reforming a higher carbon (C2+) hydro-carbon fuel in a pre-reformer under conditions effective to achieve substantially complete conversion of higher carbon (C2+) hydro-carbons to produce a pre-reformed fuel stream; b) subjecting the pre-reformed fuel stream to methanation under conditions effective to produce a fuel stream having an increased concentration of methane relative to the pre-reformed fuel stream; and c) supplying the fuel stream and an oxidant to a high temperature fuel cell in which methane is reformed and electricity is produced by reacting the fuel stream at an anode of the fuel cell and reacting the oxidant at a cathode of the fuel cell.

Abstract: A jelly-roll type electrode assembly, a lithium secondary battery having the same, and a method for manufacturing the same are provided. The electrode assembly comprises a deformation prevention core which simplifies the manufacture of a lithium secondary battery and prevents deformation of the electrode assembly. The electrode assembly comprises positive and negative electrode plates and a separator wound around a deformation prevention core. A positive electrode active material is coated on the positive electrode plate and a negative electrode active material is coated on the negative electrode plate. The separator insulates the positive electrode plate from the negative electrode plate. The deformation prevention core is located near the center of the electrode assembly.

Abstract: An alloy material containing an intermetallic compound of metal that is alloyed with Li and metal that is not alloyed with Li, capable of repeatedly absorbing and desorbing Li, is formed on a collector made of a material that is not alloyed with Li, as a plurality of convex portions partitioned with gaps disposed thereamong, and an area the convex portions occupy on the collector is assumed to be 60 to 95% of the area of the collector. Because of this, an electrode containing an intermetallic compound capable of repeatedly absorbing and desorbing Li can be provided, which can configure a non-aqueous secondary battery having a higher charging/discharging efficiency, a larger discharging capacity, and more excellent high rate characteristics and cycle characteristics.

Abstract: A fuel cell unit incorporates a pair of plates; one plate an anode, the other a cathode. Respective anode and cathode plates are physically bonded together to form such pairs; wherein pluralities of the pairs are secured together to form commercially available fuel cells utilized to generate electric power. Seals employed between respective pairs of plates are in the nature of resilient beads arranged about selected areas of the plates to confine paths for fluids adapted to flow within said selected areas. A combination sealing and bonding method for manufacturing such fuel cell units involves the injection of a rapidly curable liquid silicone into aligned mold gating apertures of the respective pairs of the plates, whereby liquid silicone flows through and between the plates to a) seal between respective anode and cathode plates pairs and to b) form an insulation layer on the backside of the anode.

Abstract: A fuel cell system and related method are disclosed having a system controller 37 that executes enthalpy calculation based on status signals, related to anode off-gas and cathode off-gas, detected by a temperature detector 29, a pressure detector 30 and a humidity detector 31 for thereby predicting a combustion temperature of a combustor 7 during purging. In the presence of a predicted combustion temperature exceeding an upper limit, cathode off-gas is increased in volume to limit a combustion temperature of the combustor 7 to a value below the upper limit value.

Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery including: an electrode group in which a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate are spirally wound with a separator interposed therebetween; and a non-aqueous electrolyte, wherein the positive electrode plate has at least one exposed portion of the positive electrode current collector, the negative electrode plate has at least one exposed portion of the negative electrode current collector, and a metal that dissolves into the non-aqueous electrolyte when the battery voltage exceeds a predetermined level is provided on a surface of the exposed portion of positive electrode current collector facing the exposed portion of negative electrode current collector. This battery is extremely safe because it prevents overcharge and internal short-circuit at an area where the positive and negative electrode active materials and the non-aqueous electrolyte exist together.

Abstract: A flat connecting plate designed for solid oxide fuel cell to improve the uniformity of fluid flow rate comprising a series of parallel ribs and grooves formed by the spaces between the ribs, the lengths of the ribs vary in accordance with the variation of the edge at proximity of fluid inlets, the widths of the grooves reduced in sequence from edges to center of the connecting plate, a series of diamond blocks placed at proximity of fluid outlet symmetrical to the center line of the connecting plate, and/or a series of fluid guide plates formed in parallel at the middle of two fluid inlets.

Abstract: The present invention provides for a construction for a bipolar plate for a fuel cell stack that enables the bipolar plate to be a more compliant member in the fuel cell stack. The bipolar plate can be configured to provide varying levels of compliance, as demanded by the design of the fuel cell stack. The bipolar plate can be more compliant than the diffusion media members and the active elements used to form the individual fuel cells. The compliant nature of the individual bipolar plates enables localized dimensional changes that occur within the fuel cell stack to be compensated by a localized deformation of the portions of the bipolar plate within that region. The bipolar plate has an internal coolant flow field where some opposing pairs of lands are spaced apart with a gap therebetween while other opposing pairs of lands are in contact with one another.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a solid oxide fuel cell comprises, in one embodiment according to the invention: forming a plastic mass comprising a mixture of an electrolyte substance and an electrochemically active substance; extruding the plastic mass through a die to form an extruded tube; and sintering the extruded tube to form a tubular anode capable of supporting the solid oxide fuel cell. The process may further comprise, after sintering the extruded tube, layering an electrolyte onto the tubular anode; and, after layering the electrolyte, layering a cathode onto the electrolyte. In a further related embodiment, the process further comprises co-extruding more than one anode layer to form the tubular anode. Each of the anode layers may comprise a ratio of electrochemically active substance to electrolyte substance, with such ratios being higher for layers that are layered further from a surface of the anode that contacts a fuel gas than for layers that are layered closer to the fuel gas.

Abstract: An electric storage battery and method of manufacture thereof. Active material (78) is removed from both sides of the outer end (88) of the negative electrode (70) in a jellyroll (84) to allow room for adhesive tape (96) to secure the jellyroll.

Abstract: A fuel cell device is disclosed that is capable of being made compact when being transported and in storage. The fuel cell device includes a fuel cell unit including a number of fuel cells arranged sequentially in a case. The case includes a holder frame for holding the fuel cells, a first hemi-case, and a second hemi-case. The width of the case is adjustable in the direction in which the fuel cells are arranged in a line. When the fuel cell device is being transported or in storage, the first hemi-case and the second hemi-case are pushed to approach each other, making the size of the case small. When the fuel cell device is used to generate electrical power, the first hemi-case and the second hemi-case are pulled apart from each other and, accordingly, the fuel cells are separated from each other by a springy plate.

Abstract: An output characteristic of a fuel cell is estimated by detecting an output current of the fuel cell and a voltage between terminals of the fuel cell, and then estimating the output characteristic of the fuel cell on the basis of the detected output current and the detected voltage between the terminals, and a basic output characteristic of the fuel cell.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present invention an electrolyte sheet includes a body of varied thickness, the electrolyte sheet having a textured surface with multiple protruding features. The protruding features form an undercut angle with respect to the normal of the electrolyte sheet, the undercut angle being more than 0 degrees and less than 15 degrees.

Abstract: In a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, at least one of the anode side separator plate and cathode side separator plate is formed with a main surface having a convex shape protruding toward a gas diffusion layer, and a peripheral edge portion surrounding the main surface. An average thickness of the main surface is made to be thicker than an average thickness of the peripheral edge portion. And a difference ?t between the thickest part of the main surface and an average thickness of the peripheral edge portion is made to be 5-30 ?m.