Patents by Inventor Jonathan Puhalski
Jonathan Puhalski 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).
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Publication number: 20110039178Abstract: A fuel cell power plant (10) includes a fuel cell (12) having a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) (16), disposed between an anode support plate (14) and a cathode support plate (18), the anode and/or cathode support plates include a hydrophilic substrate layer (80, 82) having a predetermined pore size. The pressure of the reactant gas streams (22, 24) is greater than the pressure of the coolant stream (26), such that a greater percentage of the pores within the hydrophilic substrate layer contain reactant gas rather than water. Any water that forms on the cathode side of the MEA will migrate through the cathode support plate and away from the MEA. Controlling the pressure also ensures that the coolant water will continually migrate from the coolant stream toward the anode side of the MEA, thereby preventing the membrane from becoming dry. Proper pore size and a pressure differential between coolant and reactants improves the electrical efficiency of the fuel cell.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 14, 2010Publication date: February 17, 2011Inventors: Timothy A. Bekkedahl, Lawrence J. Bregoli, Ned E. Cipollini, Timothy W. Patterson, Marianne Pemberton, Jonathan Puhalski, Carl A. Reiser, Richard D. Sawyer, Margaret M. Steinbugler, Jung S. Yi
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Publication number: 20070298290Abstract: A fuel cell power plant (10) includes a fuel cell (12) having a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) (16), disposed between an anode support plate (14) and a cathode support plate (18), the anode and/or cathode support plates include a hydrophilic substrate layer (80, 82) having a predetermined pore size. The pressure of the reactant gas streams (22, 24) is greater than the pressure of the coolant stream (26), such that a greater percentage of the pores within the hydrophilic substrate layer contain reactant gas rather than water. Any water that forms on the cathode side of the MEA will migrate through the cathode support plate and away from the MEA. Controlling the pressure also ensures that the coolant water will continually migrate from the coolant stream toward the anode side of the MEA, thereby preventing the membrane from becoming dry. Proper pore size and a pressure differential between coolant and reactants improves the electrical efficiency of the fuel cell.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 2, 2007Publication date: December 27, 2007Inventors: Timothy Bekkedahl, Lawrence Bregoli, Ned Cipollini, Timothy Patterson, Marianne Pemberton, Jonathan Puhalski, Carl Reiser, Richard Sawyer, Margaret Steinbugler, Jung Yi
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Patent number: 7258945Abstract: A fuel cell power plant includes a fuel cell having a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), disposed between an anode support plate and a cathode support plate, the anode and/or cathode support plates include a hydrophilic substrate layer having a predetermined pore size. The pressure of the reactant gas streams is greater than the pressure of the coolant stream, such that a greater percentage of the pores within the hydrophilic substrate layer contain reactant gas rather than water. Any water that forms on the cathode side of the MEA will migrate through the cathode support plate and away from the MEA. Controlling the pressure also ensures that the coolant water will continually migrate from the coolant stream toward the anode side of the MEA, thereby preventing the membrane from becoming dry. Proper pore size and a pressure differential between coolant and reactants improves the electrical efficiency of the fuel cell.Type: GrantFiled: November 26, 2003Date of Patent: August 21, 2007Assignee: UTC Power CorporationInventors: Timothy A. Bekkedahl, Lawrence J. Bregoli, Ned E. Cipollini, Timothy W. Patterson, Marianne Pemberton, Jonathan Puhalski, Carl A. Reiser, Richard D. Sawyer, Margaret M. Steinbugler, Jung S. Yi
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Patent number: 6780533Abstract: A fuel cell power plant includes a fuel cell having a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), which is disposed between anode and cathode support plates. Porous water transport plates or the support plates have interdigitated flow channels for the reactant gas streams to pass through and conventional flow channels for coolant streams to pass through. The pressure of the reactant gas streams is greater than the coolant stream which, within the porous water transport plates allows the coolant water to saturate the water transport plates thereby forcing the reactant gases into the anode and cathode support plates. This, in turn, increases the mass transfer of such gases into the support plates, thereby increasing the electrical performance of the fuel cell. Current densities of about 1.6 amps per square centimeter are achieved with air stochiometries of not over 2.50.Type: GrantFiled: December 8, 2000Date of Patent: August 24, 2004Assignee: UTC Fuel Cells, LLCInventors: Jung S. Yi, Jonathan Puhalski
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Publication number: 20040106034Abstract: A fuel cell power plant includes a fuel cell having a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), disposed between an anode support plate and a cathode support plate, the anode and/or cathode support plates include a hydrophilic substrate layer having a predetermined pore size. The pressure of the reactant gas streams is greater than the pressure of the coolant stream, such that a greater percentage of the pores within the hydrophilic substrate layer contain reactant gas rather than water. Any water that forms on the cathode side of the MEA will migrate through the cathode support plate and away from the MEA. Controlling the pressure also ensures that the coolant water will continually migrate from the coolant stream toward the anode side of the MEA, thereby preventing the membrane from becoming dry. Proper pore size and a pressure differential between coolant and reactants improves the electrical efficiency of the fuel cell.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 26, 2003Publication date: June 3, 2004Inventors: Timothy A. Bekkedahl, Lawrence J. Bregoli, Ned E. Cipollini, Timothy W. Patterson, Marianne Pemberton, Jonathan Puhalski, Carl A. Reiser, Richard D. Sawyer, Margaret M. Steinbugler, Jung S. Yi
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Patent number: 6586123Abstract: A fuel cell having a polymer electrolyte membrane (16) between anode (14) and cathode (18) reactant flow fields includes a variable blower (32), the power control signal (61) of which is provided by a controller (75) in response to a current signal (63) indicative of the current of the load (71) sensed by a current detector (68). The controller responds to a schedule of blower power as a function of load current density to provide a stochiometry, S, which is fixed at a stochiometry of A, plus or minus a range of stochiometries, D, below a certain current density, C, and varies with higher current densities as: S=[A+B(i−C)]±D, where B is he slope of stochiometry as a function of current density, and i is the actual current density.Type: GrantFiled: February 7, 2001Date of Patent: July 1, 2003Assignee: UTC Fuel Cells, LLCInventors: Jung S. Yi, Jonathan Puhalski
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Publication number: 20020071978Abstract: Fuel Cell Having a Hydrophilic Substrate Layer A fuel cell power plant includes a fuel cell having a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), disposed between an anode support plate and a cathode support plate, the anode and/or cathode support plates include a hydrophilic substrate layer having a predetermined pore size. The pressure of the reactant gas streams is greater than the pressure of the coolant stream, such that a greater percentage of the pores within the hydrophilic substrate layer contain reactant gas rather than water. Any water that forms on the cathode side of the MEA will migrate through the cathode support plate and away from the MEA. Controlling the pressure also ensures that the coolant water will continually migrate from the coolant stream toward the anode side of the MEA, thereby preventing the membrane from becoming dry. Proper pore size and a pressure differential between coolant and reactants improves the electrical efficiency of the fuel cell.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 28, 2001Publication date: June 13, 2002Inventors: Timothy A. Bekkedahl, Lawrence J. Bregoli, Ned E. Cipollini, Timothy W. Patterson, Marianne Pemberton, Jonathan Puhalski, Carl A. Reiser, Richard D. Sawyer, Margaret M. Steinbugler, Jung S. Yi
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Publication number: 20010004501Abstract: The present invention is a fuel cell power plant that includes a fuel cell having a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), which is disposed between an anode support plate and a cathode support plate, and porous water transport plates adjacent the anode and cathode support plates. The porous water transport plates have interdigitated flow channels for the reactant gas streams to pass therethrough and conventional flow channels for a coolant stream to pass therethrough. The fuel cell power plant also has means for creating a pressure differential between the reactant gas streams and the coolant stream such that the pressure of the reactant gas streams is greater than the coolant stream. Incorporating the interdigitated flow channels into the porous water transport plates and operating the fuel cell at a pressure differential allows the coolant water to saturate the water transport plates thereby forcing the reactant gases into the anode and cathode support plate.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 8, 2000Publication date: June 21, 2001Inventors: Jung S. Yi, Jonathan Puhalski