Liquid feed fuel cell with orientation-independent fuel delivery capability
OwnerHongsun Kim, Ruiming Zhang +3inventors
InventorsHongsun Kim, Ruiming Zhang, Hee Kim, Zakia Khan, Sharon Blair
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Abstract
A direct organic liquid feed unit fuel cell comprises an anode current collector, a cathode current collector, a membrane electrode assembly, and a fuel delivery layer for diluting a concentrated fuel stream and delivering the fuel stream to the anode at a uniform concentration across the planar extent of the anode, independently of the orientation of the fuel cell.
Claims41
A liquid feed fuel cell comprising:
- (a) an anode comprising carbon and having an anode electrocatalyst associated therewith;
- (b) a cathode having a cathode electrocatalyst associated therewith;
- (c) a proton exchange membrane interposed between the anode and the cathode, wherein a fluid fuel stream is directed to and oxidized at the anode;
- and
- (d) an electrically conductive fuel delivery layer having a fuel stream side and an anode side interposed between the fluid fuel stream and the anode, said fuel delivery layer comprising hydrophilic porous graphite impregnated with a fuel-permeable polymer.
A liquid feed fuel cell comprising:
- (a) an anode comprising carbon and having an anode electrocatalyst associated therewith;
- (b) a cathode having a cathode electrocatalyst associated therewith;
- (c) a proton exchange membrane interposed between said anode and said cathode, wherein a fluid fuel stream is directed to and oxidized at said anode;
- (d) an electrically conductive fuel distribution layer interposed between said fluid fuel stream and said anode;
- and
- (e) an electrically conductive fuel delivery layer interposed between said fuel distribution layer and said anode, said fuel delivery layer comprising hydrophilic porous graphite impregnated with a fuel-permeable polymer.
A liquid feed fuel cell comprising:
- (a) an anode comprising carbon and having an anode electrocatalyst associated therewith;
- (b) a cathode having a cathode electrocatalyst associated therewith;
- (c) a proton exchange membrane interposed between said anode and said cathode, wherein a fluid fuel stream is directed to and oxidized at said anode;
- (d) an electrically conductive fuel delivery layer interposed between said fluid fuel stream and said anode, said fuel delivery layer comprising hydrophilic porous graphite impregnated with a fuel-permeable polymer;
- and
- (e) a gas diffusion layer interposed between said fuel delivery layer and said anode, said gas diffusion layer comprising hydrophilic porous graphite with a porosity greater than about 50% and pores between about 30-100 microns in diameter.
A system for distributing and diluting a concentrated liquid fuel solution across an electrode having a planar conformation, the system comprising:
- (a) a fuel distribution layer overlaying and fluidly connected to said electrode, said fluid distribution layer distributing said fuel solution uniformly across said fuel distribution layer planar extent;
- and
- (b) a fuel delivery layer overlaying and fluidly connected to said electrode, said fuel delivery layer decreasing fuel concentration by a predetermined dilution factor such that diffusion of fuel toward said electrode occurs independently of system spatial orientation.
A method for delivering fuel to an anode of a liquid feed fuel cell at a constant concentration across said anode independently of fuel cell spatial orientation, the method comprising:
- (a) delivering dosed amounts of concentrated fuel to an inlet of said fuel cell at predetermined times;
- (b) distributing said fuel so that fuel concentration is constant across said anode planar extent by passing said fuel through a fuel distribution layer;
- and
- (c) diluting said fuel by a predetermined dilution factor by passing said fuel through a fuel delivery layer that contains water and effects diffusion of said fuel independently of fuel cell spatial orientation.
A fuel delivery layer for a liquid feed fuel cell comprising an anode, a cathode, and a proton exchange membrane disposed between the anode and the cathode, said fuel delivery layer comprising hydrophilic porous graphite with an open porosity greater than about 25% and pore size between about 1-2 microns.
A liquid feed fuel cell comprising:
- (a) an anode comprising carbon and having an anode electrocatalyst associated therewith;
- (b) a cathode having a cathode electrocatalyst associated therewith;
- (c) a proton exchange membrane interposed between said anode and said cathode, wherein a fluid fuel stream is directable to and oxidizable at said anode;
- (d) an electrically conductive fuel delivery layer interposed between said fuel stream and said anode, said fuel delivery layer comprising hydrophilic fine-pore graphite impregnated with a fuel-permeable polymer;
- (e) a cathode current collector plate formed of electrically conductive material, said plate electrically connected to said cathode;
- (f) an anode current collector plate formed of electrically conductive material, said plate having a fuel inlet port and a waste outlet port formed therein, said anode current collector plate electrically connected to said anode;
- (g) a compressible gasket;
- and
- (h) a rigid insulating gasket;
- wherein at least one of said cathode current collector plate and said anode current collector plate has securing portions extending outwardly therefrom, and said anode current collector plate, said insulating gasket, said fuel delivery layer, said anode, said proton exchange membrane, said cathode, said compressible gasket and said rigid insulating gasket are assembled in a stack with said cathode current collector plate, and wherein said fuel cell is consolidated by compressing said securing portions against said insulating gasket and the other of said at least one of said cathode current collector plate and said anode collector plate such that said fuel cell is uniformly compressed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.