Fuel cell reactant supply
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsDavid Champion, Philip A. Harding, Richard W. Seaver
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fuel cell system in accordance with a present invention includes a fuel supply apparatus that supplies at least one reactant in a pulse.
Claims58
A fuel cell system, comprising:
- an electrode;
- and
- a reactant system that supplies a first reactant pulse to the electrode, supplies a buffer gas pulse that displaces unconsumed reactant from the first reactant pulse from a substantial portion of the electrode, and supplies a second reactant pulse after the buffer gas pulse has displaced the unconsumed reactant from the first reactant pulse from the substantial portion of the electrode.
A fuel cell system, comprising:
- an electrode defining a surface, an inlet and an outlet;
- and
- a reactant system that supplies reactant pulses to the electrode surface in such a manner that the reactant in each reactant pulse will cover the electrode surface from the inlet to the outlet prior to substantially reacting with the electrode surface.
A fuel cell system, comprising:
- a fuel cell including an anode and a cathode;
- and
- a reactant system that supplies fuel pulses to the anode and oxidant pulses to the cathode.
A method of operating a fuel cell, comprising the steps of:
- supplying a first reactant pulse to an electrode;
- consuming at least a portion of the reactant supplied in the first reactant pulse;
- removing unconsumed reactant from a substantial portion of the electrode with a buffer gas prior to supplying a second reactant pulse to the electrode;
- and
- supplying the second reactant pulse to the electrode.
A method of operating a fuel cell including an electrode defining a surface, an inlet and an outlet, the method comprising the step of:
- supplying a reactant pulse to the electrode surface in such a manner that the reactant in the react pulse will cover the electrode surface from the inlet to the outlet prior to substantially reacting with the electrode surface.
A method of operating a fuel cell system including an anode and a cathode, the method comprising the steps of:
- supplying fuel pulses to the anode;
- and
- supplying oxidant pulses to the cathode.
A fuel cell system, comprising:
- an electrode;
- and
- reactant supply means for supplying a first reactant pulse to the electrode, a buffer gas pulse that displaces unconsumed reactant from the first reactant pulse from a substantial portion of the electrode, and second reactant pulse after the buffer gas pulse has displaced the unconsumed reactant from the first reactant pulse from the substantial portion of the electrode.
A fuel cell system, comprising:
- an electrode defining a surface, an inlet and an outlet;
- and
- reactant supply means for supplying reactant pulses to the electrode surface in such a manner that the reactant in each react pulse will cover the electrode surface from the inlet to the outlet prior to substantially reacting with the electrode surface.
A fuel cell system, comprising:
- a fuel cell including an anode and a cathode;
- and
- reactant supply means for supplying fuel pulses to the anode and oxidant pulses to the cathode.
A fuel cell system, comprising:
- an electrode;
- a reactant passage, defining an inlet and an outlet, associated with the electrode;
- and
- a reactant system that creates a pressure gradient across the reactant passage to draw reactant from the inlet to the outlet.
A method of operating a fuel cell, comprising the steps of:
- creating a pressure gradient across a reactant passage associated with an electrode;
- and
- drawing reactant through the reactant passage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.