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US 2004/0001989 A1Published application
Fuel reservoir for liquid fuel cells
OwnerMark R. Kinkelaar, Andrew M. Thompson +2inventors
InventorsMark R. Kinkelaar, Andrew M. Thompson, Kenneth P. Overk, Richard M. Good
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fuel reservoir for a liquid fuel cell particularly useful for portable electronic devices or for a reformer, includes (a) a container defining a volume for holding a liquid fuel; (b) a wicking structure positioned within the volume and into which at least one portion of the liquid fuel wicks and from which said liquid fuel subsequently may be metered, such as by pumping; (c) a retainer to hold the wicking structure in a desired orientation within the container; and (d) an outlet for the liquid fuel that is in communication with the wicking structure. A method of dispensing liquid fuel and a method of assembling a fuel cartridge are also disclosed.
Claims202
A liquid fuel reservoir for a liquid fuel cell comprising
- a container having walls defining a container volume capable of holding a liquid fuel, the container having an outlet through a wall of the container for discharging the liquid fuel to a location exterior of the container volume, and the container having at least one extremity remote from the outlet;
- and
- a wicking structure within the container volume and into which the liquid fuel can wick by capillary action and from which the liquid fuel may subsequently be discharged, the wicking structure
- (a) having a solid wicking structure volume which is no more than 50% of the container volume;
- (b) being in fluid communication with the outlet;
- and
- (c) extending proximate the at least one extremity to place the at least one extremity in fluid communication with the outlet, in any orientation of the container, and at substantially any stage of liquid fuel depletion, to permit liquid fuel located proximate the at least one extremity to be wicked to the outlet.
4 more elements
A liquid fuel reservoir for a liquid fuel cell comprising
- (a) a container having 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 walls:
- a first and second end walls and 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 lateral walls, wherein the first and second end walls are opposite to each other and each of the lateral walls is connected to the first and second end walls and to two adjacent lateral walls, wherein the container has a triangular, quadrilateral, pentagonal, hexagonal, heptagonal or octagonal cross section formed by the lateral walls, said walls defining a volume suitable for holding a liquid fuel for the liquid fuel cell;
- wherein the container has an outlet through one of the walls suitable for the exit of the liquid fuel to a location exterior to the container, the container having at least one corner of the volume within the container formed by a junction of one of the end walls and two contiguous lateral walls remote from the outlet;
- and
- (b) a wicking structure disposed within the volume of the container, wherein the wicking structure comprises a layer of a wicking structure material which can wick the liquid fuel and wherein the liquid fuel wicked into the wicking structure material can subsequently be discharged out of or released from the wicking structure material, and wherein the layer is disposed adjacent to at least all but one of the lateral walls of the container, and wherein an edge of the layer is proximate a portion of the first end wall and an opposite edge of the layer is proximate a portion of the second end wall, said wicking structure being in fluid communication with the outlet and extending proximate the at least one corner to place the at least one corner in fluid communication with the outlet, in any orientation of the container, and at substantially any stage of liquid fuel depletion, to permit liquid fuel located proximate the at least one corner to be wicked to the outlet.
2 more elements
A liquid fuel reservoir for a liquid fuel cell comprising
- (a) a container having 3 walls:
- a first and second end walls and a curved lateral wall, wherein the first and second end walls are opposite to each other and the curved lateral wall is connected to the first and second end walls, wherein the container has a circular, oval or elliptic cross section formed by the curved lateral wall, said walls defining a volume for holding a liquid fuel for the liquid fuel cell;
- wherein the container has an outlet through one of the walls for the exit of the liquid fuel to a location exterior to the container, the container having at least one extremity remote from the outlet, wherein said at least one extremity is at least one region of the volume within the container proximate the junction of one of the end walls and the curved lateral wall;
- and
- (b) a wicking structure disposed within the volume of the container, wherein the wicking structure comprises a layer of a wicking structure material which can wick the liquid fuel and wherein the liquid fuel wicked into the wicking structure material can subsequently be discharged out of or released from the wicking structure material, and wherein the layer is disposed adjacent to the curved lateral wall of the container, and wherein an edge of the layer is proximate a portion of the first end wall and an opposite edge of the layer is proximate a portion of the second end wall, said wicking structure being in fluid communication with the outlet and extending proximate the at least one extremity to place the at least one extremity in fluid communication with the outlet, in any orientation of the container, and at substantially any stage of liquid fuel depletion, to permit liquid fuel located proximate the at least one extremity to be wicked to the outlet.
2 more elements
A method of dispensing a liquid fuel from a container to a liquid fuel cell or reformer, said method comprising the following steps:
- (a) providing a container having walls defining a container volume and an outlet through one of the walls to a location exterior of the container volume, said container volume having extremities remote from the outlet and holding the liquid fuel;
- (b) providing a wicking structure within the volume, the wicking structure
- (i) having a solid volume of no more than 50% of the container volume;
- (ii) comprising a wicking structure material into which the liquid fuel can wick and from which the liquid fuel can be discharged;
- (iii) being in fluid communication with the outlet;
- and
- (iv) extending to proximate the extremities to place the extremities in fluid communication with the outlet in any orientation of the container, and at substantially any stage of liquid fuel depletion, to permit liquid fuel located at any extremity to be wicked to the outlet by capillary action;
- (c) wicking at least a portion of the liquid fuel into the wicking structure and through the wicking structure to a location proximate the outlet;
- and
- (d) delivering the liquid fuel from the wicking structure to a location exterior to the container through the outlet.
7 more elements
A method of assembling a fuel cartridge for a liquid fuel cell, comprising the following steps:
- (a) providing a container having a proximal end and a distal end and defining a volume for holding a liquid fuel for a liquid fuel cell;
- (b) providing a cap to seal the distal end of the container;
- (c) providing a wicking structure insertable within the volume and into which at least a portion of the liquid fuel wicks and from which said liquid fuel subsequently may be delivered or metered;
- (d) providing a retainer to hold the wicking structure in a desired orientation within the container volume;
- (e) mounting the wicking structure over at least a portion of the retainer;
- (f) attaching the retainer to the cap;
- and thereafter
- (g) slidably inserting the wicking structure and retainer into the volume of the container while installing the cap on the distal end of the container.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.