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US 12,603,315 B2Granted
Hydrogen pumping proton exchange membrane electrochemical cell with carbon monoxide tolerant anode and method of making thereof
AssigneeBloom Energy Corporation
InventorsVijay Radhakrishnan, Srikanth Ranganathan, M.K. Premkumar
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Abstract
A carbon monoxide (CO) tolerant membrane electrode assembly (MEA) includes an ionically-conductive proton exchange membrane, an anode contacting a first side of the membrane and including a hydrophobic bonding agent, an ionomer bonding agent, first catalyst particles, second catalyst particles, and an anode gas diffusion layer (GDL), a cathode contacting a second side of the membrane and including a cathode GDL. The first catalyst particles are configured to preferentially catalyze oxidation of CO, and the second catalyst particles are configured to preferentially catalyze generation of hydrogen ions.
Claims13
A solid oxide fuel cell system, comprising:
- an electrochemical pump separator comprising a carbon monoxide (CO) tolerant membrane electrode assembly (MEA) comprising:
- an ionically-conductive proton exchange membrane;
- an anode contacting a first side of the membrane and comprising an anode gas diffusion layer (GDL), a hydrophobic bonding agent, an ionomer bonding agent, first catalyst particles, and second catalyst particles, wherein the anode comprises a first anode layer comprising the first catalyst particles and the hydrophobic bonding agent, and a second anode layer comprising the second catalyst particles and the ionomer bonding agent, wherein the second anode layer is located between the first anode layer and the membrane, and wherein the first and second catalyst particles comprise a Pt—Ru alloy having a Pt:Ru ratio ranging from about 90:10 to about 10:90;
- and
- a cathode contacting a second side of the membrane and comprising third catalyst particles and a cathode GDL;
- wherein:
- the first catalyst particles are configured to preferentially catalyze oxidation of CO;
- and
- the second catalyst particles are configured to preferentially catalyze generation of hydrogen ions;
- a solid oxide fuel cell stack;
- a fuel inlet conduit configured to provide a fuel to a fuel inlet of the solid oxide fuel cell stack;
- an air inlet conduit operatively connected to the air inlet of the solid oxide fuel cell stack and configured to provide air to the air inlet of the solid oxide fuel cell stack;
- a fuel exhaust conduit that operatively connects a fuel exhaust outlet of the solid oxide fuel cell stack to an anode inlet of the electrochemical pump separator;
- an air preheater heat exchanger containing conduits coated with a water gas shift catalyst which is configured to convert at least a portion of water in the fuel exhaust into hydrogen, wherein the air preheater heat exchanger is operatively connected to the air inlet conduit and the fuel exhaust conduit, and configured to preheat the air in the air inlet conduit using heat extracted from the fuel exhaust in the fuel exhaust conduit;
- and
- a product conduit which operatively connects a cathode outlet of the electrochemical pump separator to the fuel inlet conduit.
13 more elements
A solid oxide fuel cell system, comprising:
- an electrochemical pump separator comprising a carbon monoxide (CO) tolerant membrane electrode assembly (MEA) comprising:
- an ionically-conductive proton exchange membrane;
- an anode contacting a first side of the membrane and comprising an anode gas diffusion layer (GDL), a hydrophobic bonding agent, an ionomer bonding agent, first catalyst particles, and second catalyst particles, wherein the anode comprises a first anode layer comprising the first catalyst particles and the hydrophobic bonding agent, and a second anode layer comprising the second catalyst particles and the ionomer bonding agent, wherein the second anode layer is located between the first anode layer and the membrane, wherein the first catalyst particles comprise a first Pt—Ru alloy;
- and the second catalyst particles comprise a second Pt—Ru alloy having a higher Pt:Ru ratio than the first Pt—Ru alloy;
- and
- a cathode contacting a second side of the membrane and comprising third catalyst particles and a cathode GDL;
- wherein:
- the first catalyst particles are configured to preferentially catalyze oxidation of CO;
- and
- the second catalyst particles are configured to preferentially catalyze generation of hydrogen ions;
- a solid oxide fuel cell stack;
- a fuel inlet conduit configured to provide a fuel to a fuel inlet of the solid oxide fuel cell stack;
- an air inlet conduit operatively connected to the air inlet of the solid oxide fuel cell stack and configured to provide air to the air inlet of the solid oxide fuel cell stack;
- a fuel exhaust conduit that operatively connects a fuel exhaust outlet of the solid oxide fuel cell stack to an anode inlet of the electrochemical pump separator;
- an air preheater heat exchanger containing conduits coated with a water gas shift catalyst which is configured to convert at least a portion of water in the fuel exhaust into hydrogen, wherein the air preheater heat exchanger is operatively connected to the air inlet conduit and the fuel exhaust conduit, and configured to preheat the air in the air inlet conduit using heat extracted from the fuel exhaust in the fuel exhaust conduit;
- and
- a product conduit which operatively connects a cathode outlet of the electrochemical pump separator to the fuel inlet conduit.
14 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.