Abstract: A system comprising a cylindrical housing containing a sorbent cartridge selective of one or more gases in a gaseous mixture. End caps on opposite ends of the housing seal to the ends of the cartridge and direct the flow of gas mixture through a portion of the cartridge. The first end cap has entrance and exit ports for the gas mixture and for a purging gas for cartridge regeneration. The second end cap includes a compartment to receive and return the gas mixture to the first cap exit port. The purging gas follows a similar pathway via the remaining portion of the cartridge. The cartridge is rotatable within the housing; thus, the exhausted portion of the medium may be rotated into position for regeneration while a regenerated portion of the medium is rotated into position for re-use, thus providing continuous adsorption from the gas mixture.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 21, 2007
Date of Patent:
July 5, 2011
Assignee:
Delphi Technologies, Inc.
Inventors:
Gary L. Ballard, David J. Ranelli, Diane M. England, Malcolm James Grieve, Yee Ho Chia, Galen B. Fisher
Abstract: A hybrid fuel cell system comprising a solid-oxide fuel cell system, a proton exchange membrane fuel cell system, a hydrocarbon reformer and a hydrogen separator. A large PEM provides output power, such as motive power for a vehicle, using hydrogen storage that may be resupplied from a separate hydrogen refilling station or from the onboard reformer. The SOFC is preferably small and provides heat and exhaust water that, when recycled into the reformer, allow the reformer to operate endothermically without requiring atmospheric air, thus excluding nitrogen from the reformate stream. Alternatively, the reformer and SOFC are stationary at a base station and the PEM is aboard the vehicle. The SOFC and reformer have sufficient capacity to recharge hydrogen storage in the vehicle in a relatively short period of time, such as overnight.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 21, 2010
Date of Patent:
June 28, 2011
Assignee:
Delphi Technologies, Inc.
Inventors:
Malcolm James Grieve, Kaushik Rajashekara
Abstract: A hydrogen permeable membrane is disclosed. The membrane is prepared by forming a mixture of metal oxide powder and ceramic oxide powder and a pore former into an article. The article is dried at elevated temperatures and then sintered in a reducing atmosphere to provide a dense hydrogen permeable portion near the surface of the sintered mixture. The dense hydrogen permeable portion has a higher initial concentration of metal than the remainder of the sintered mixture and is present in the range of from about 20 to about 80 percent by volume of the dense hydrogen permeable portion.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 30, 2009
Date of Patent:
June 14, 2011
Assignee:
UChicago Argonne, LLC
Inventors:
Sun-Ju Song, Tae H. Lee, Ling Chen, Stephen E. Dorris, Uthamalingam Balachandran
Abstract: A solid oxide regenerative fuel cell includes a ceramic electrolyte, a first electrode which is adapted to be positively biased when the fuel cell operates in a fuel cell mode and in an electrolysis mode, and a second electrode which is adapted to be negatively biased when the fuel cell operates in the fuel cell mode and in the electrolysis mode. The second electrode comprises less than 1 mg/cm2 of noble metal.
Abstract: Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) assemblies and hydrogen-producing fuel processing assemblies and/or fuel cell systems including the same. The PSA assemblies include, or are utilized with, combustion fuel stream supply systems that are adapted to regulate the flow of a byproduct stream from the PSA assembly for delivery to a heating assembly for use as a combustible fuel stream, such as to maintain at least a hydrogen-producing region of the fuel processing system at a hydrogen-producing temperature or range of temperatures. In some embodiments, the combustion fuel stream supply system is configured to ensure that the supply of combustible fuel from the PSA assembly to the heating assembly contains at least a sufficient fuel value, such as to maintain at least the hydrogen-producing region at or within a predetermined hydrogen-producing temperature or range of temperatures.
Type:
Application
Filed:
November 8, 2010
Publication date:
March 3, 2011
Applicant:
IDATECH, LLC
Inventors:
Patton M. Adams, Travis A. Bizjak, James A. Givens
Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell power generation system's entire output is made up of three streams: water, sequestered carbon dioxide provided into a storage tank, and carbon dioxide depleted air. Thus, the system generates electricity from a hydrocarbon fuel, while outputting substantially no pollutants into the atmosphere and cleaning the air by removing carbon dioxide from the air exhaust stream. Thus, the system outputs cleaner air than it takes in without releasing pollutants into the atmosphere, while generating electricity from a readily available hydrocarbon fuel, such as natural gas.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 30, 2007
Date of Patent:
February 8, 2011
Assignee:
Bloom Energy Corporation
Inventors:
James F. McElroy, Arne Watson Ballantine
Abstract: A method of manufacturing a hydrogen separation membrane comprises the steps of forming an intermediate layer suitable for controlling oxidation of a hydrogen permeable metal layer on the surface of the hydrogen permeable metal layer on the surface of the hydrogen permeable metal used as a substrate; and attaching a catalytic metal in a granular form on the surface of the intermediate layer. This method can be used to manufacture a hydrogen separation membrane in which the quantity of catalytic metal used is controlled.
Abstract: A method of operating a fuel cell system includes providing a fuel inlet stream into a fuel cell stack, operating the fuel cell stack to generate electricity and a hydrogen containing fuel exhaust stream, separating at least a portion of hydrogen contained in the fuel exhaust stream using a cascaded electrochemical hydrogen pump, such as a high temperature, low hydration ion exchange membrane cell stack having at least two membrane cells arranged in process fluid flow series, and providing the hydrogen separated from the fuel exhaust stream into the fuel inlet stream.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 30, 2007
Date of Patent:
November 16, 2010
Assignee:
Bloom Energy Corporation
Inventors:
Arne Watson Ballantine, James F. McElroy