Patents by Inventor David Weingaertner

David Weingaertner 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).

  • Publication number: 20220372636
    Abstract: An electrolyzer system includes a steam generator configured to generate steam, a stack of solid oxide electrolyzer cells configured to generate a hydrogen stream using the steam received from the steam generator, and a water preheater configured to preheat water provided to the steam generator using heat extracted from oxygen exhaust output from the stack.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2022
    Publication date: November 24, 2022
    Inventors: David WEINGAERTNER, Andy TA, Navaneethakrishnan GOVINDARASU, Siddharth PATEL, Kim NGUYEN, Nandan JOSHI, Shannon BELL
  • Publication number: 20220349076
    Abstract: A method of operating a solid oxide electrolyzer system includes providing a water inlet stream to at least one solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC), generating a wet hydrogen product stream from the at least one SOEC, providing the wet hydrogen product stream to at least one hydrogen pump, generating a compressed hydrogen product and an unpumped effluent in the at least one hydrogen pump, and recycling at least a portion of the unpumped effluent upstream of the at least one hydrogen pump.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2022
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Inventors: David WEINGAERTNER, Martin PERRY, Michael GASDA
  • Publication number: 20220336837
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2022
    Publication date: October 20, 2022
    Inventors: David WEINGAERTNER, Matthias GOTTMANN, Jayakumar KRISHNADASS, Chockkalingam KARUPPAIAH, Arne BALLANTINE, Swaminathan VENKATARAMAN, Martin PERRY, John FISHER, Greg YOUNG
  • Publication number: 20220328851
    Abstract: A fuel cell system and method for using a peak shaving gas, the system including: a fuel inlet configured to receive fuel from a fuel source; a catalytic partial oxidation (CPOx) reactor configured to at least partially oxidize the fuel during startup of the system; a blower configured to provide air to the CPOx reactor; a gas analyzer configured to determine a composition of fuel provided to the CPOx reactor from the fuel inlet; an oxidation catalyst configured to reduce an O2 content of fuel received from the CPOx reactor; a reforming catalyst configured to partially reform fuel received from the oxidation catalyst; and a stack of fuel cells configured to generate electricity using fuel received from the reforming catalyst.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2022
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Inventors: John Fisher, Jayakumar Krishnadass, David Weingaertner, Laxmikant Girwalkar, Shraddesh Malviya
  • Patent number: 11398634
    Abstract: A fuel cell system and method for using a peak shaving gas, the system including: a fuel inlet configured to receive fuel from a fuel source; a catalytic partial oxidation (CPOx) reactor configured to at least partially oxidize the fuel during startup of the system; a blower configured to provide air to the CPOx reactor; a gas analyzer configured to determine a composition of fuel provided to the CPOx reactor from the fuel inlet; an oxidation catalyst configured to reduce an O2 content of fuel received from the CPOx reactor; a reforming catalyst configured to partially reform fuel received from the oxidation catalyst; and a stack of fuel cells configured to generate electricity using fuel received from the reforming catalyst.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: John Fisher, Jayakumar Krishnadass, David Weingaertner, Laxmikant Girwalkar, Shraddesh Malviya
  • Patent number: 11322767
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: David Weingaertner, Matthias Gottmann, Jayakumar Krishnadass, Chockkalingam Karuppaiah, Arne Ballantine, Swaminathan Venkataraman, Martin Perry, John Fisher, Greg Young
  • Patent number: 11309553
    Abstract: A fuel cell system including power modules including fuel cells, and an exhaust flue connected to the power modules. The exhaust flue includes an outer duct configured to receive relatively cool cabinet exhaust from the power modules, and an inner duct disposed inside of the outer duct and configured to receive relatively hot reaction exhaust from the power modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Arne Ballantine, Jessica Mahler, Swaminathan Venkataraman, Martin Perry, David Weingaertner, Samuel Juday, Christian Daco
  • Publication number: 20220059856
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2021
    Publication date: February 24, 2022
    Inventors: David Weingaertner, Ivan Hartana, David Edmonston, Michael Petrucha, Martin Perry
  • Patent number: 11196068
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: David Weingaertner, Ivan Hartana, David Edmonston, Michael Petrucha, Martin Perry
  • Publication number: 20210257645
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2021
    Publication date: August 19, 2021
    Inventors: Tad ARMSTRONG, Harald HERCHEN, David WEINGAERTNER, Rajan SURVE, Matthias GOTTMANN, Prasad PMSVVSV, Ranganathan GURUNATHAN, Arne BALLANTINE, Michael GASDA, Tyler DAWSON, Chockkalingam KARUPPAIAH
  • Patent number: 11081704
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes fuel cells disposed in a stack and separated by interconnects, a cathode recuperator configured to heat air provided to the stack using reaction exhaust provided from the stack, a steam generator configured to receive the reaction exhaust from the cathode recuperator and generate steam using the reaction exhaust, a hot box housing the stack, cathode recuperator, and steam generator, and a Cr filter including a porous metal and configured to remove Cr vapor species from the reaction exhaust.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Adil Ashary, Martin Perry, David Weingaertner, Richard Dole, Ivan Hartana, Emad El Batawi
  • Patent number: 11063283
    Abstract: A fuel cell system and method of operating, the system including a fuel cell stack configured to generate electricity and anode exhaust, a mixer configured to mix fuel received from a fuel source with steam and the anode exhaust, a low-temperature pre-reformer configured to at least partially reform fuel received from the mixer at a temperature of less than about 420° C., and an anode recuperator configured to heat fuel received from the low-temperature pre-reformer using the anode exhaust and to provide the fuel to the fuel cell stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventor: David Weingaertner
  • Patent number: 11043688
    Abstract: A power module system includes a plurality of vertically stacked power modules. The plurality of vertically stacked power modules include at least two vertical stacks. A shared exhaust plenum is located between the at least two vertical stacks of power modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Arne Ballantine, Jessica Mahler, Ross Parker, Gilbert Richards, Barry Sharpe, Sean Dunn, Santi Lara, John O'Toole, David Trevisan, Carl Cottuli, David Weingaertner, Daniel Baynes
  • Patent number: 10957921
    Abstract: One method of operating a fuel cell system including splitting a cathode exhaust from one or more fuel cell stacks in the system into a majority cathode exhaust stream comprising more than 50% of the cathode exhaust and a first cathode exhaust bypass stream, providing the majority cathode exhaust stream to an inlet of an anode tail gas oxidizer (ATO) containing a catalyst and providing the first cathode bypass stream downstream of the catalyst such that it bypasses the catalyst. Another method includes providing an air inlet stream to the SOFC system via a main air inlet, providing the air inlet stream from the main air inlet to a cathode recuperator, and providing a cooling medium to a heat exchanger to cool the cathode recuperator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: David Weingaertner, Michael Petrucha, David Edmonston, Yashas Keshav, Nilanjana Basu, Martin Perry
  • Publication number: 20210020967
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2020
    Publication date: January 21, 2021
    Inventors: David EDMONSTON, David WEINGAERTNER, Michael PETRUCHA, Ivan HARTANA
  • Patent number: 10847824
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a hot box, a stack of fuel cells disposed in the hot box, and a desulfurization subsystem. The desulfurization subsystem may include a sulfur adsorption reactor containing a metal oxide, such as ZnO, configured to adsorb sulfur species from fuel, a first fuel conduit configured to provide fuel to the reactor, and a second fuel conduit configured to receive fuel from the reactor. The desulfurization subsystem may be configured to heat the reactor to an operating temperature ranging from about 200° C. to about 450° C., using heat generated in the hot box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: David Weingaertner, Emad El Batawi
  • Patent number: 10840535
    Abstract: A modular fuel cell system includes a base, at least four power modules arranged in a row on the base, and a fuel processing module and power conditioning module arranged on at least one end of the row on the base. Each power module includes a separate cabinet which contains at least one fuel cell stack located in a hot box. The power modules are electrically and fluidly connected to the at least one fuel processing and power conditioning modules through the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Bloom Energy Corporation
    Inventors: Gilbert Richards, David Trevisan, Michael Lee, Jessica Mahler, Ross Parker, Alex Clarabut, Chad Pearson, Arne Ballantine, David Weingaertner, Jason Hixson, Fred Mitlitsky
  • Publication number: 20200328445
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2020
    Publication date: October 15, 2020
    Inventors: David WEINGAERTNER, Matthias GOTTMANN, Jayakumar KRISHNADASS, Chockkalingam KARUPPAIAH, Arne BALLANTINE, Swaminathan VENKATARAMAMAN, Martin PERRY, John FISHER, Greg YOUNG
  • Patent number: 10797327
    Abstract: Various hot box fuel cell system components are provided, such as heat exchangers, steam generator and other components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Martin Perry, David Weingaertner, Nilanjana Basu, Michael Petrucha, William David Lyle, Navaneetha Krishnan, Matthias Gottmann
  • Publication number: 20200243885
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2020
    Publication date: July 30, 2020
    Inventors: David WEINGAERTNER, Ivan HARTANA, David EDMONSTON, Michael PETRUCHA, Martin PERRY