Patents by Inventor Thomas Vailionis

Thomas Vailionis 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).

  • Method and manufacturing assembly for sintering fuel cell electrodes and impregnating porous electrodes with electrolyte powders by induction heating for mass production
    Patent number: 9642192
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an electrode for a fuel cell, the method comprising forming a powder bed from a predetermined powder, sintering the powder bed at a first predetermined temperature to form a substrate, and in some embodiments subsequently distributing an electrolyte powder on a surface of the substrate, and impregnating the substrate with electrolyte by heating the substrate with the electrolyte powder thereon to a second predetermined temperature so as to melt and wick the electrolyte into the substrate, thereby forming the electrode for the fuel cell, wherein at least one of the sintering and impregnating is performed by applying induction heating to at least one of said powder bed and said substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: FUELCELL ENERGY, INC.
    Inventors: Thomas M. Lucas, Weizhong Zhu, Thomas Vailionis
  • METHOD AND MANUFACTURING ASSEMBLY FOR SINTERING FUEL CELL ELECTRODES AND IMPREGNATING POROUS ELECTRODES WITH ELECTROLYTE POWDERS BY INDUCTION HEATING FOR MASS PRODUCTION
    Publication number: 20130032973
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an electrode for a fuel cell, the method comprising forming a powder bed from a predetermined powder, sintering the powder bed at a first predetermined temperature to form a substrate, and in some embodiments subsequently distributing an electrolyte powder on a surface of the substrate, and impregnating the substrate with electrolyte by heating the substrate with the electrolyte powder thereon to a second predetermined temperature so as to melt and wick the electrolyte into the substrate, thereby forming the electrode for the fuel cell, wherein at least one of the sintering and impregnating is performed by applying induction heating to at least one of said powder bed and said substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2011
    Publication date: February 7, 2013
    Inventors: Thomas M. Lucas, Weizhong Zhu, Thomas Vailionis