Co-generation of electricity by the seebeck effect within a fuel cell
OwnerGerard Olivier, Sebastien Samuel +1inventors
InventorsGerard Olivier, Sebastien Samuel, Robert Yu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fuel cell that includes at least two elementary cells for exothermic combustive reaction, including a heat source and an internal channel, formed between the cells for the circulation of a cooling fluid, which forms a cooling source. The cell includes a number of thermoelectric modules, each made of a couple of two conducting material elements of differing nature, a first end of each couple being in thermal contact with the heat source or the cooling source, the second end of each of the elements of the couple being in contact with the other source and electrically connected to an adjacent module.
Claims10
1-9. (canceled)
A fuel-cell stack comprising:
- at least two elementary cells disposed in facing relationship, for an exothermic combustion reaction constituting a heat source;
- an internal duct formed between the cells for circulation of a cooling fluid constituting a cold sink;
- and
- a plurality of thermoelectric modules, each comprising a pair of elements of two conductive materials of dissimilar nature, a first end of each pair being in thermal contact with the heat source or the cold sink, a second end of each of the elements of the pair being in contact with the other source or sink, and being electrically connected to a neighboring module.
A method for partial recuperation of thermal energy originating from a fuel-cell stack, in an interior of which there circulates, between two elementary cells of the fuel-cell stack constituting the heat source, a cooling fluid constituting the cold sink, wherein the cooling fluid is placed in thermal contact with a plurality of thermoelectric modules and the electrical energy generated by Seebeck effect is recuperated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.