Abstract: An apparatus includes a housing, a pullout drawer and at least one purification bed container. The housing is adapted to house at least one electrochemical cell, and the purification bed container(s) are mounted to the pullout drawer.

Abstract: An assembly includes an electrochemical cell stack and an outer insulation layer. The electrochemical cell stack includes a port to form a releasable connection with a stack handling mechanism. The outer insulation layer substantially covers the stack and an opening through the insulation layer exposes the port for connection with the stack handling mechanism.

Abstract: A technique includes lowering a temperature of a cathode exhaust flow from an electrochemical cell to produce a second flow and routing the second flow to a contaminant trap.

Abstract: A technique that is usable with a fuel cell stack includes flowing a fluid through the fuel cell stack to remove thermal energy from the stack. The technique includes flowing the fluid through an expander to produce electrical power.

Abstract: Fuel cell systems and methods are disclosed, where the systems include a burner configured to receive a first gas that is exhausted from a fuel cell and to combust the first gas to provide a second gas, and a heat exchanger in fluid communication with the burner, the heat exchanger being configured to receive the second gas from the burner and to transfer heat from the second gas to additional first gas that is exhausted from the fuel cell.

Abstract: We disclose a system that includes a fuel cell which during operation exhausts a fluid composition that includes an acid or a derivative of the acid, and an acid trap arranged to receive the fluid composition and configured to reduce a concentration of the acid or the derivative of the acid in the fluid composition.

Abstract: A technique that is usable with a fuel cell system includes shutting off a fuel flow to an anode chamber of a fuel cell stack of the system. The technique includes providing an oxidant flow to fuel passageways of the fuel cell system until fuel is significantly purged from the system.

Abstract: Fuel cell system reformers for converting an input fluid to a reformate for a fuel cell is disclosed, where the reformers include: (a) a first heat exchanger configured to heat input fluid from a first input fluid temperature Ti1 to a second input fluid temperature Ti2, and to cool reformate from a first reformate temperature Tr1 to a second reformate temperature Tr2; (b) a second heat exchanger configured to heat input fluid from a third input fluid temperature Ti3 to a fourth input fluid temperature Ti4, and to cool an intermediate fluid from a first fluid temperature Tf1 to a second fluid temperature Tf2; and (c) a reactor configured to receive intermediate fluid from the second heat exchanger, to form reformate from intermediate fluid, and to direct reformate to the first heat exchanger.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack that includes PEM fuel cells. Each fuel cell has an operating temperature of at least 120° C. The fuel cell stack has a cathode inlet to receive a flow of ambient air and a cathode outlet to provide a cathode exhaust flow. The fuel cell system includes a fuel processing reactor that has an inlet and an outlet. The inlet and outlet are in fluid communication with a catalyst that is suitable for converting a hydrocarbon into a gas that contains hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The outlet is in fluid communication with an anode chamber of the fuel cell, and the outlet of the fuel processing reactor is in fluid communication with the cathode outlet.

Abstract: A technique that is usable with a fuel cell stack includes providing a reactant flow to the fuel cell stack. The output current of the fuel cell stack is regulated to cause an output power from the fuel cell stack to be near a peak output power for the reactant flow being provided to the stack, and the reactant flow to the stack is controlled to regulate the output power from the fuel cell stack near a desired power level.