21results about "Fuel cell applications" patented technology

Safety system (6) for a vehicle (1), the vehicle comprising at least a battery pack (5) and at least a tank (4) for storing a pressurized gas, the safety system (6) comprising at least one valve means (7) configured to assume at least a first position in which to deny the fluid communication between the tank (4) and the environment and a second position in which allow the fluid communication between the tank (4) and the environment, the valve means (7) being controlled to move between the first and second positions during a critical condition related to thermal runaway of the battery pack (5).

A method for operating a power system in the present disclosure includes the step of planning an output of a fuel cell system in such a way as to make up a difference between power demand and an output of a solar power generation system. In the step, if a charge level of a storage battery system is higher than or equal to an upper limit value smaller than 100%, first correction, in which the plan is corrected in such a way as to reduce the output of the fuel cell system, is performed and / or if the charge level of the storage battery system is lower than or equal to a lower limit value larger than 0%, second correction, in which the plan is corrected in such a way as to increase the output of the fuel cell system, is performed.

Electrochemical cell systems (51) and electrochemical cell processes are described as applicable to power generation or electrolysis modes with systems that have a containment vessel interior space multiple electrochemical cell stack, stack inlet plenum (43) that can accommodate thermal expansion and contraction in an economical way and that can provide a substantially equivalent environment for each stack inlet as well as can include, if desired, either or all of a vessel external compression stack mount possibly configured as a cathode outlet manifold (111) configured as a stack mount, a fully accommodative thermal expansion-contraction electrochemical cell stack mount possibly configured with external springs (91), and even the possibility of an axial flow adjuster such as a gradation plate (99) for better operation.

A power generation system includes a housing, a lid defining an opening in the housing, and a chamber inside the housing configured to receive a cartridge comprising a powdered fuel mixture. The system also includes a fluid reservoir that stores a fluid configured to react with the powdered fuel mixture to produce hydrogen gas. A processor is configured to control ingress of the fluid from the fluid reservoir to the powdered fuel mixture in the cartridge and control egress of the gas from the cartridge to the gas storage compartment. The system also includes a generator configured to generate electricity from the gas in the gas storage compartment.

Provided are an electrochemical element and the like that have both durability and high performance as well as excellent reliability. The electrochemical element includes a metal support, and an electrode layer formed on / over the metal support. The metal support is made of any one of a Fe-Cr based alloy that contains Ti in an amount of 0.15 mass% or more and 1.0 mass% or less, a Fe-Cr based alloy that contains Zr in an amount of 0.15 mass% or more and 1.0 mass% or less, and a Fe-Cr based alloy that contains Ti and Zr, a total content of Ti and Zr being 0.15 mass% or more and 1.0 mass% or less.

A combustion system is provided. The combustion system includes a topping cycle that generates an exhaust gas flow and a bottoming cycle. The combustion system further includes a fuel cell having an anode side, a cathode side, and an electrolyte. The cathode side receives the exhaust gas flow from the topping cycle via a cathode inlet line. The cathode side removes a first portion of pollutants from the exhaust gas. The combustion system further includes a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) that receives the exhaust gas from the cathode side via a cathode outlet line. The HRSG generates a steam flow for use in the bottoming cycle. A carbon capture system is fluidly coupled to the HRSG via the HRSG outlet line. The carbon capture system removes a second portion of pollutants from the exhaust gas.

A fuel cell module (FCM) includes a fuel cell stack (FCS), and a controller (Cnt) configured to start power generation of the fuel cell stack (FCS) when a charging rate of a power storage device (B) directly connected between the fuel cell stack (FCS) and a load (Lo) becomes a lower limit value or less, and configured to stop power generation of the fuel cell stack (FCS) when the charging rate of the power storage device (B) becomes an upper limit value or more. The fuel cell stack (FCS) is connected to the power storage device (B) not through a power conversion circuit, and the controller (Cnt) changes at least one of the lower limit value and the upper limit value based on a deterioration degree of the fuel cell stack (FCS).

The invention relates to a control method for starting up a fuel cell system after a standstill, comprising the steps of supplying the anode supply gas to the anode supply section (12) and at least intermittently blocking and / or throttling the cathode supply gas to the cathode supply section (14). According to the invention, the at least intermittent blocking and / or throttling of the cathode supply gas is carried out or continued until an open-circuit voltage (Uoc) returns to or falls below a permissible threshold voltage (Uth); and a switch device (20) of an electrical connection between a fuel cell unit (10) and a DC voltage converter (30) is only closed after the open-circuit voltage (Uoc) returns to or falls below the permissible threshold voltage (Uth).

A fuel cell module (FCM) includes a fuel cell stack (FCS), and a controller (Cnt) configured to start power generation of the fuel cell stack (FCS) when a charging rate of a power storage device (B) directly connected between the fuel cell stack (FCS) and a load (Lo) becomes a lower limit value or less, and configured to stop power generation of the fuel cell stack (FCS) when the charging rate of the power storage device (B) becomes an upper limit value or more. The fuel cell stack (FCS) is connected to the power storage device (B) not through a power conversion circuit, and the controller (Cnt) changes at least one of the lower limit value and the upper limit value based on a deterioration degree of the fuel cell stack (FCS).

Provided are a low-cost electrochemical device and the like that have both durability and high performance as well as excellent reliability. The electrochemical device includes at least one metal material, and the metal material is made of a Fe-Cr alloy that contains Ti in an amount of more than 0.10 mass% and 1.0 mass% or less.

A power generation system includes a housing, a lid defining an opening in the housing, and a chamber inside the housing configured to receive a cartridge comprising a powdered fuel mixture. The system also includes a fluid reservoir that stores a fluid configured to react with the powdered fuel mixture to produce hydrogen gas. A processor is configured to control ingress of the fluid from the fluid reservoir to the powdered fuel mixture in the cartridge and control egress of the gas from the cartridge to the gas storage compartment. The system also includes a generator configured to generate electricity from the gas in the gas storage compartment.

A combustion system is provided. The combustion system includes a topping cycle. The combustion system further includes a fuel cell including an anode side, a cathode side, and an electrolyte. The anode side receives fuel via an anode inlet line and produces an anode output product containing a first portion of hydrogen. The cathode side receives an oxidant from the cathode inlet line. The combustion system further includes a separation system having a water gas shift reactor that produces a second portion of hydrogen from the anode output product. The topping cycle is fluidly coupled to the separation system such that the topping cycle receives the hydrogen produced from the anode output product.

A recirculation device for recirculating recirculation gas drawn from a fuel cell comprises a turbine section (26) and a compressor section (34) driven by the turbine section (26), wherein the turbine section (26) has a turbine inlet (40) to be connected to a process gas storage (22) for supplying process gas to the turbine section (26), the compressor section (34) has a compressor inlet (46) to be connected to a fuel cell outlet (50) of a fuel cell (12) for supplying recirculation gas to the compressor section (34), and the compressor section (34) has a compressor outlet (60) to be connected to a fuel cell inlet (52) of the fuel cell (12) for supplying fuel cell gas to the fuel cell (12).

A waste reduction system that utilizes organic solids suspended in a waste stream to produce carboxylic acids, which can then be employed as an input to a microbial fuel cell or other biological processes to further enhance biogas production, is provided. The organic waste stream influent undergoes a multistage fermentation process in which fermentative microorganism metabolize the organic waste materials and produce one or more carboxylic acids, especially short chain fatty acids. The carboxylic acids serve as a food source for bacteria within an anode compartment of an MFC that generates useable electricity therefrom.

An electrochemical cell comprising: a non-conductive structural frame for supporting components of the electrochemical cell; and a tensioning element; wherein the structural frame comprises an engagement means adapted to engage the tensioning element, and wherein the engagement means comprises at least two bosses on the structural frame, each boss being adapted to engage a respective aperture on the tensioning element.

To provide a method of operating a fuel cell system.SOLUTION: The method of operating a fuel cell system comprises: providing fuel and air to a stack (102) of fuel cells located in a hotbox (100); operating the stack to generate anode exhaust and cathode exhaust; in a startup mode, providing a first amount of the anode exhaust and the cathode exhaust to an anode tail gas oxidizer (130) located in the hotbox to oxidize the anode exhaust and to generate heat to be provided to the stack; and, in a steady-state mode, stopping providing the anode exhaust to the anode tail gas oxidizer (130) or providing the anode tail gas oxidizer (130) with a second amount of the anode exhaust which is less than the first amount, and providing the anode exhaust and the cathode exhaust to an outside of the hotbox (100).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

The invention discloses an electric energy hydrogen production and hydrogen energy power generation combined device which comprises a base, two movable wheels are installed on each of the left portion and the right portion of the lower end of the base, a driving device is installed between the two movable wheels on the right portion, and a wind power generation device and a battery box are installed on the left portion of the upper end of the base. A solar power supply device is mounted at the left part of the upper end of the battery box body, a heat dissipation device is mounted in the middle of the front end of the battery box body, a box plate is mounted at the right end of the battery box body, an electric energy hydrogen production device is mounted in the middle of the upper end of the base, and a separation hydrogen extraction device is mounted at the right part of the upper end of the base. According to the combined device for hydrogen production through electric energy and power generation through hydrogen energy, hydrogen production through water electrolysis and hydrogen fuel cells can be combined for use through the electric energy hydrogen production device and the separation hydrogen extraction device, and certain electric quantity for hydrogen production through water electrolysis can be provided through the wind power generation device and the solar power supply device; the consumption of electric energy is reduced; and the utilization efficiency of energy is improved.

The fuel cell device of the present application includes: a stack; a reformer; a burner; a water supply tank; a burner blower; a main air supply flow path; a vortex tube; a three-way valve that selectively supplies air sent from the burner blower to the main air supply flow path or the vortex tube; a four-way valve that switches a first switching flow path and a second switching flow path to discharge heated air and cooled air discharged from the vortex tube; a first heat exchanger that heat-exchanges cooling water discharged from the water supply tank and air discharged from the first switching flow path; a cooling water flow path that supplies the cooling water that has passed through the first heat exchanger to the stack; a first air supply flow path that supplies the air that has passed through the first heat exchanger to the burner; a second heat exchanger that heat-exchanges reforming gas discharged from the reformer and air discharged from the second switching flow path; a reforming gas flow path that supplies the reforming gas that has passed through the second heat exchanger to the stack; and a second air supply flow path that supplies the air that has passed through the second heat exchanger to the burner.

To optimize the range of electric energy that can be charged and discharged by a power storage device in a fuel cell system.SOLUTION: A fuel cell system 10 includes an acceleration buffer in which a buffer 7 is set within the charge / discharge limit range of a power storage device 244, the buffer being the amount of power that the power storage device 244 can discharge to an air pump 112 when the air pump 112 is accelerated, and a control device 26 calculates the AP steady-state power consumption of the air pump 112 and sets the acceleration buffer on the basis of the calculated AP steady-state power consumption and the rated power of the air pump 112.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

To provide a charging unit for a flow-type metal-air battery with high durability since it is possible to detach negative electrode active material particles from a negative electrode without consuming a large amount of power, and since physical contact with a scraper or the like is not required.SOLUTION: A charging unit for a flow-type metal-air battery includes a first layer in which a first flow channel is formed, a positive electrode facing the first flow channel, a second layer in which a second flow channel is formed, a negative electrode facing the second flow channel, a separator separating the first flow channel and the second flow channel from each other, a positive electrode liquid flowing through the first flow channel, a negative electrode liquid flowing through the second flow channel, and a control unit that changes the flow rate of the negative electrode liquid in the second flow channel, or a current control unit that changes the current value of a current flowing between the positive electrode and the negative electrode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

An electrochemical cell comprising a non electrically-conductive structural frame for supporting components of the electrochemical cell and a tensioning element, wherein the structural frame comprises engagement means adapted to engage the tensioning element, wherein the engagement means comprises at least two bosses on the structural frame, each boss adapted to engage with a corresponding aperture on the tensioning element.