Patents by Inventor Tad Armstrong

Tad Armstrong 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: 20240379983
    Abstract: An electrochemical cell includes an electrolyte layer, an anode electrode disposed over a first surface of the electrolyte layer, a ceramic anode support laterally surrounding the anode electrode and embedded in the anode electrode, such that a recess configured to receive a seal is located above a periphery of the ceramic anode support, and a cathode disposed over a second surface of the electrolyte layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2024
    Publication date: November 14, 2024
    Inventors: Travis SCHMAUSS, Keji PAN, Emad EL BATAWI, Tad ARMSTRONG, Adam BYRD
  • Patent number: 12136754
    Abstract: A solid oxide electrolyzer electrolyte composition includes a scandia and ceria stabilized zirconia, containing 5 to 12 mol % scandia, 1 to 7 mol % ceria, and 80 to 94 mol % zirconia, or a yttria and ceria stabilized zirconia containing 3 to 10 mol % yttria, 1 to 6 mol % ceria, and 84 to 96 mol % zirconia.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tad Armstrong
  • Patent number: 12132234
    Abstract: A fuel cell interconnect includes fuel ribs disposed on a first side of the interconnect and a least partially defining fuel channels, and air ribs disposed on an opposing second side of the interconnect and at least partially defining air channels. The fuel channels include central fuel channels disposed in a central fuel field and peripheral fuel channels disposed in peripheral fuel fields disposed on opposing sides of the central fuel field. The air channels include central air channels disposed in a central air field and peripheral air channels disposed in peripheral air fields disposed on opposing sides of the central air field. At least one of the central fuel channels or the central air channels has at least one of a different cross-sectional area or length than at least one of the respective peripheral fuel channels or the respective peripheral air channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael Gasda, Cheng-Yu Lin, Ling-Hsiang Chen, Harald Herchen, Ian Russell, Tad Armstrong
  • Publication number: 20240356045
    Abstract: An interconnect for an electrochemical cell stack, the interconnect including an interconnect substrate having an air side and an opposing fuel side, and a protective layer coated on at least the air side of the interconnect, the protective layer including a transition metal oxide including copper (Cu) and at least one of iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2024
    Publication date: October 24, 2024
    Inventors: Tad ARMSTRONG, Zigui LU, Guoliang XIAO, Keji PAN, Nicholas Ryan GEISENDORFER, Thuy Thanh MUHL
  • Publication number: 20240347739
    Abstract: A method of forming a protective layer on an interconnect for an electrochemical cell stack includes coating at least one side of the interconnect with a metal oxide powder to form a protective layer, sintering the coated interconnect in an inert atmosphere to at least partially reduce the protective layer, and oxidizing the sintered interconnect in an oxidizing atmosphere to oxidize and densify the protective layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2024
    Publication date: October 17, 2024
    Inventors: Zigui LU, Guoliang XIAO, Tad ARMSTRONG, Keji PAN, Adam BYRD
  • Publication number: 20240332560
    Abstract: An electrochemical cell stack includes electrochemical cells that each contain a fuel electrode, an air electrode and an electrolyte disposed therebetween, interconnects disposed between the electrochemical cells, and an interconnect end plate disposed over the fuel electrode of an outermost one of the electrochemical cells. The interconnect end plate includes a fuel side, an opposing air side, fuel ribs disposed on the fuel side and at least partially defining fuel channels, air ribs disposed on the air side and at least partially defining dummy air channels, fuel holes extending from the fuel side to the air side, and recessed ring seal regions disposed on the air side surrounding the fuel holes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2024
    Publication date: October 3, 2024
    Inventors: Michael REISERT, Richard A. VILLA, Cheng-Yu LIN, Khuzema KHAIRULLAH, Tad ARMSTRONG, Harald HERCHEN, Christopher LEE
  • Publication number: 20240093376
    Abstract: A method of forming a protective coating on an interconnect for an electrochemical device stack includes providing a powder on the interconnect and laser sintering the powder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Inventors: Adam BYRD, Zigui LU, Guoliang XIAO, Tad ARMSTRONG, Harald HERCHEN, Travis SCHMAUSS, Keji PAN
  • Patent number: 11870121
    Abstract: A fuel cell column includes a stack of alternating fuel cells and interconnects, where the interconnects separate adjacent fuel cells in the stack and contain fuel and air channels which are configured to provide respective fuel and air to the fuel cells. a manifold plate containing a bottom inlet hole and a bottom outlet hole located in a bottom surface of the manifold plate, top outlet holes and top inlet holes formed in opposing sides of a top surface of the manifold plate, outlet channels fluidly connecting the top outlet holes to the bottom inlet hole, and inlet channels fluidly connecting the top inlet holes to the bottom outlet hole, and a mitigation structure configured to reduce stress applied to the stack due to at least one of a shape mismatch or coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch between the stack and the manifold plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael Gasda, Robert Hintz, Karanpal Bhangu, Siddharth Patel, Harald Herchen, Victor Silva, Thuy Thanh Muhl, Tyler Dawson, David Edmonston, Tad Armstrong
  • Patent number: 11786970
    Abstract: Methods for fabricating an interconnect for a fuel cell stack that include providing a protective layer over at least one surface of an interconnect formed by powder pressing pre-alloyed particles containing two or more metal elements and annealing the interconnect and the protective layer at elevated temperature to bond the protective layer to the at least one surface of the interconnect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tad Armstrong
  • Patent number: 11742495
    Abstract: A solid oxide electrochemical cell includes a solid oxide electrolyte, an anode located on a first side of the solid oxide electrolyte, and a cathode located on a second side of the solid oxide electrolyte. The cathode includes lanthanum nickel ferrite.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tad Armstrong
  • Publication number: 20230268519
    Abstract: A method of making an interconnect for a fuel cell stack includes compressing an interconnect powder to form an interconnect, the interconnect power containing Cr, Fe and at least one transition metal selected from Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, or V pre-alloyed with at least one of the Cr and the Fe, and sintering the interconnect.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2023
    Publication date: August 24, 2023
    Inventors: Vijay RADHAKRISHNAN, Tad ARMSTRONG, Mosur K. PREMKUMAR
  • Publication number: 20230223555
    Abstract: Techniques for fabricating a solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) including sintering an electrolyte, printing a fuel-side electrode disposed on a fuel side of the electrolyte, printing an air-side electrode disposed on an air side of the electrolyte, first sintering a combination of the electrolyte, fuel-side electrode, and air-side electrode, printing a barrier layer an air side of the electrolyte, printing a functional layer on the barrier layer, printing a collector layer on the functional layer, and second sintering a combination of the electrolyte, fuel-side electrode, air-side electrode, barrier layer, functional layer, and collector layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2023
    Publication date: July 13, 2023
    Inventors: Tad ARMSTRONG, Justin RAILSBACK
  • Patent number: 11664521
    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: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tad Armstrong, Harald Herchen, David Weingaertner, Rajan Surve, Matthias Gottmann, Prasad Pmsvvsv, Ranganathan Gurunathan, Arne Ballantine, Michael Gasda, Tyler Dawson, Chockkalingam Karuppaiah
  • Publication number: 20230155143
    Abstract: A fuel cell interconnect includes fuel ribs disposed on a first side of the interconnect and a least partially defining fuel channels, and air ribs disposed on an opposing second side of the interconnect and at least partially defining air channels. The fuel channels include central fuel channels disposed in a central fuel field and peripheral fuel channels disposed in peripheral fuel fields disposed on opposing sides of the central fuel field. The air channels include central air channels disposed in a central air field and peripheral air channels disposed in peripheral air fields disposed on opposing sides of the central air field. At least one of the central fuel channels or the central air channels has at least one of a different cross-sectional area or length than at least one of the respective peripheral fuel channels or the respective peripheral air channels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2022
    Publication date: May 18, 2023
    Inventors: Michael GASDA, Cheng-Yu LIN, Ling-Hsiang CHEN, Harald HERCHEN, Ian RUSSELL, Tad ARMSTRONG
  • Publication number: 20230155157
    Abstract: A fuel cell column includes a stack of alternating fuel cells and interconnects, where the interconnects separate adjacent fuel cells in the stack and contain fuel and air channels which are configured to provide respective fuel and air to the fuel cells. a manifold plate containing a bottom inlet hole and a bottom outlet hole located in a bottom surface of the manifold plate, top outlet holes and top inlet holes formed in opposing sides of a top surface of the manifold plate, outlet channels fluidly connecting the top outlet holes to the bottom inlet hole, and inlet channels fluidly connecting the top inlet holes to the bottom outlet hole, and a mitigation structure configured to reduce stress applied to the stack due to at least one of a shape mismatch or coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch between the stack and the manifold plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2022
    Publication date: May 18, 2023
    Inventors: Michael GASDA, Robert HINTZ, Karanpal BHANGU, Siddharth PATEL, Harald HERCHEN, Victor SILVA, Thuy Thanh MUHL, Tyler DAWSON, David EDMONSTON, Tad ARMSTRONG
  • Publication number: 20230141938
    Abstract: A solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) includes a solid oxide electrolyte, a fuel-side electrode disposed on a fuel side of the electrolyte, and an air-side electrode disposed on an air side of the electrolyte. The air-side electrode includes a barrier layer disposed on the air side of the electrolyte and including a first doped ceria material, and a functional layer disposed on the barrier layer and including an electrically conductive material and a second doped ceria material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2021
    Publication date: May 11, 2023
    Inventors: Tad ARMSTRONG, Justin RAILSBACK
  • Publication number: 20230144742
    Abstract: A solid oxide electrochemical cell includes a solid oxide electrolyte, an anode located on a first side of the solid oxide electrolyte, and a cathode located on a second side of the solid oxide electrolyte. The cathode includes lanthanum nickel ferrite.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2022
    Publication date: May 11, 2023
    Inventor: Tad ARMSTRONG
  • Publication number: 20220344676
    Abstract: Methods for fabricating an interconnect for a fuel cell stack that include providing a protective layer over at least one surface of an interconnect formed by powder pressing pre-alloyed particles containing two or more metal elements and annealing the interconnect and the protective layer at elevated temperature to bond the protective layer to the at least one surface of the interconnect.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2022
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Inventor: Tad Armstrong
  • Patent number: 11456464
    Abstract: A method of making an interconnect for a solid oxide fuel cell stack includes contacting an interconnect powder located in a die cavity with iron, the interconnect powder including a chromium and iron, compressing the interconnect powder to form an interconnect having ribs and fuel channels on a first side of the interconnect, such that the iron is disposed on tips of the ribs; and sintering the interconnect, such that the iron forms an contact layer on the tips of the ribs having a higher iron concentration than a remainder of the interconnect. A glass containing cathode contact layer having a glass transition temperature of 900° C. or less may be located over the rib tips on the oxidant side of the interconnect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sanchit Khurana, Tad Armstrong, Harald Herchen, Emily Wong, Cheng-Yu Lin
  • Patent number: 11417894
    Abstract: Methods for fabricating an interconnect for a fuel cell stack that include providing a protective layer over at least one surface of an interconnect formed by powder pressing pre-alloyed particles containing two or more metal elements and annealing the interconnect and the protective layer at elevated temperature to bond the protective layer to the at least one surface of the interconnect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tad Armstrong