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: 20130230792
    Abstract: A method of coating an interconnect for a solid oxide fuel cell includes providing an interconnect including Cr and Fe, and coating an air side of the interconnect with a manganese cobalt oxide spinel coating using a plasma spray process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2012
    Publication date: September 5, 2013
    Applicant: Bloom Energy Corporation
    Inventors: James Wilson, Manoj Pillai, Tad Armstrong
  • Publication number: 20120028162
    Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) includes a cathode electrode, an anode electrode, and a solid oxide electrolyte located between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode. The cathode electrode is a porous ceramic layer infiltrated with a cathode catalyst material, and the anode electrode is a porous ceramic layer infiltrated with an anode catalyst material, and the electrolyte is a ceramic layer having a lower porosity than the anode and the cathode electrodes. A ceramic reinforcing region may be located adjacent to the riser opening in the electrolyte.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2011
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Applicant: Bloom Energy Corporation
    Inventors: Matthias Gottmann, Dien Nguyen, Emad El Batawi, Tad Armstrong, Gonghou Wang, Darren Hickey, Stephen Couse
  • Publication number: 20120024461
    Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) includes a cathode electrode, an anode electrode, and a solid oxide electrolyte located between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode. The cathode electrode is a porous ceramic layer infiltrated with a cathode catalyst material, and the anode electrode is a porous ceramic layer infiltrated with an anode catalyst material, and the electrolyte is a ceramic layer having a lower porosity than the anode and the cathode electrodes. A ceramic reinforcing region may be located adjacent to the riser opening in the electrolyte.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2011
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Applicant: Bloom Energy Corporation
    Inventors: Matthias Gottmann, Dien Nguyen, Emad El Batawi, Tad Armstrong, Gonghou Wang, Darren Hickey, Stephen Couse
  • Publication number: 20110183233
    Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) includes a cathode electrode, a solid oxide electrolyte, and an anode electrode. The electrolyte and/or electrode composition includes zirconia stabilized with (i) scandia, (ii) ceria, and (iii) at least one of yttria and ytterbia. The composition does not experience a degradation of ionic conductivity of greater than 15% after 4000 hrs at a temperature of 850° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2011
    Publication date: July 28, 2011
    Applicant: Bloom Energy Corporation
    Inventors: Tad Armstrong, Emad El Batawi, Martin Janousek, Manoj Pillai
  • Patent number: 7968245
    Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) includes a cathode electrode, a solid oxide electrolyte, and an anode electrode. The anode electrode includes a first portion made of a first anode material and a second portion made of a second anode material. The first anode material is a higher performance, lower oxidation resistant material than the second anode material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Bloom Energy Corporation
    Inventors: Matthias Gottmann, Tad Armstrong
  • Publication number: 20110039183
    Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) includes a cathode electrode, a solid oxide electrolyte, and an anode electrode having a first portion and a second portion, such that the first portion is located between the electrolyte and the second portion. The anode electrode comprises a cermet comprising a nickel containing phase and a ceramic phase. The first portion of the anode electrode contains a lower porosity and a lower ratio of the nickel containing phase to the ceramic phase than the second portion of the anode electrode. The nickel containing phase in the second portion of the anode electrode comprises nickel and at least one other metal which has a lower electrocatalytic activity than nickel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2010
    Publication date: February 17, 2011
    Applicant: Bloom Energy Corporation
    Inventors: Tad Armstrong, Emad El Batawi, Eric Petersen
  • Publication number: 20100239937
    Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack includes a plurality of SOFCs, and a plurality of interconnects, each interconnect containing a conductive perovskite layer on an air side of the interconnect. The stack in internally manifolded for fuel and the conductive perovskite layer on each interconnect is not exposed in the fuel inlet riser. The SOFC electrolyte has a smaller roughness in regions adjacent to the fuel inlet and fuel outlet openings in the electrolyte than under the cathode or anode electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2010
    Publication date: September 23, 2010
    Inventors: Martin Janousek, Tad Armstrong, Dien Nguyen, Ananda H. Kumar
  • Publication number: 20100209802
    Abstract: A plurality of fuel cell stack components, such as interconnects, seals and bypass conductors are provided. The components may be used in solid oxide fuel cell stacks or other types of fuel cell stacks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2007
    Publication date: August 19, 2010
    Inventors: Tad Armstrong, Emad El Batawi, Deepak Bose, Stephen Couse, Matthias Gottmann, Vlad Kalika, Patrick Munoz, Martin Perry
  • Publication number: 20100159344
    Abstract: A fuel cell stack includes a plurality of fuel cells, a plurality of interconnects, and a plurality of seal members, wherein the plurality of seal members comprises one or more first seal members and one or more additional seal members, where the one or more first seal members form a protective barrier between the reducing environment contained with the fuel cell stack and the remaining seal members.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2009
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Inventors: Matthias Gottmann, Stephen Couse, Tad Armstrong, Emad El Batawi, Martin Janousek, Ananda H. Kumar
  • Publication number: 20100129693
    Abstract: A method of making a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) includes providing a solid oxide electrolyte and depositing at least one electrode on the electrolyte by PVD, such as sputtering. A method of making an interconnect for a fuel cell stack includes providing an electrically conductive interconnect, and depositing a layer on the interconnect by PVD, such as depositing a LSM barrier layer by sputtering. The SOFC and the interconnect may be located in the same fuel cell stack.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2009
    Publication date: May 27, 2010
    Inventors: Dien Nguyen, Tad Armstrong, Emad El Bataw, Avinash Verma, Ravi Oswal, K.R. Sridhar, Ujwal Deshpande
  • Publication number: 20100119917
    Abstract: A seal composition includes a first alkaline earth metal oxide, a second alkaline earth metal oxide which is different from the first alkaline earth metal oxide, aluminum oxide, and silica in an amount such that molar percent of silica in the composition is at least five molar percent greater than two times a combined molar percent of the first alkaline earth metal oxide and the second alkaline earth metal oxide. The composition is substantially free of boron oxide and phosphorus oxide. The seal composition forms a glass ceramic seal which includes silica containing glass cores located in a crystalline matrix comprising barium aluminosilicate, and calcium aluminosilicate crystals located in the glass cores.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2008
    Publication date: May 13, 2010
    Inventors: Ananda H. Kumar, Dien Nguyen, Martin Janousek, Tad Armstrong
  • Publication number: 20090136821
    Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) includes a cathode electrode, an anode electrode, and a solid oxide electrolyte located between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode. The cathode electrode is a porous ceramic layer infiltrated with a cathode catalyst material, and the anode electrode is a porous ceramic layer infiltrated with an anode catalyst material, and the electrolyte is a ceramic layer having a lower porosity than the anode and the cathode electrodes. A ceramic reinforcing region may be located adjacent to the riser opening in the electrolyte.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2008
    Publication date: May 28, 2009
    Inventors: Matthias Gottmann, Dien Nguyen, Emad El Batawi, Tad Armstrong, Gonghou Wang, Darren Hickey, Stephen Couse
  • Publication number: 20080261099
    Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) includes a cathode electrode, a solid oxide electrolyte, and an anode electrode. The electrolyte includes yttria stabilized zirconia and scandia stabilized zirconia, such as scandia ceria stabilized zirconia.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2008
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Inventors: Dien Nguyen, Ravi Oswal, Tad Armstrong, Emad El Batawi
  • Publication number: 20080076006
    Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) includes a cathode electrode, a solid oxide electrolyte, and an anode electrode. The anode electrode includes a first portion made of a first anode material and a second portion made of a second anode material. The first anode material is a higher performance, lower oxidation resistant material than the second anode material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2006
    Publication date: March 27, 2008
    Inventors: Matthias Gottmann, Tad Armstrong