Patents by Inventor Daniel Difiore

Daniel Difiore has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Online detection of stack crossover rate for adaptive hydrogen bleed strategy
    Patent number: 7544430
    Abstract: A system and method for determining when to provide an anode exhaust gas bleed from a fuel cell stack as the fuel cell stack ages. The method determines the amount of nitrogen flowing from a cathode side to an anode side of the fuel cell stack. The method also determines the amount of nitrogen flowing from the anode side to the cathode side by determining a standard deviation of voltage outputs of the fuel cells, and using the standard deviation as a model for determining the leak rate of nitrogen from the anode side to the cathode side. The method determines the concentration of nitrogen in the anode side based on the nitrogen flow between the cathode and anode side, and opens a bleed valve to bleed the anode exhaust gas if the concentration of nitrogen in the anode side goes above a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: Manish Sinha, Prasad Gade, Daniel Difiore
  • Online detection of stack crossover rate for adaptive hydrogen bleed strategy
    Publication number: 20080145720
    Abstract: A system and method for determining when to provide an anode exhaust gas bleed from a fuel cell stack as the fuel cell stack ages. The method determines the amount of nitrogen flowing from a cathode side to an anode side of the fuel cell stack. The method also determines the amount of nitrogen flowing from the anode side to the cathode side by determining a standard deviation of voltage outputs of the fuel cells, and using the standard deviation as a model for determining the leak rate of nitrogen from the anode side to the cathode side. The method determines the concentration of nitrogen in the anode side based on the nitrogen flow between the cathode and anode side, and opens a bleed valve to bleed the anode exhaust gas if the concentration of nitrogen in the anode side goes above a predetermined value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2006
    Publication date: June 19, 2008
    Applicant: GM Global Technology Operartions, Inc.
    Inventors: Manish Sinha, Prasad Gade, Daniel Difiore