Carbon-air fuel cell
AssigneeScientific Application & Research Associates, Inc.
InventorPhilip V. Pesavento
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A carbon-air fuel cell defined by an enclosed heat insulating container, a cathode supported in the container and arranged to form an air space about the inside thereof, an anode basket positioned inside the cathode, spaced-apart from the container, and containing therein a charge of carbon, a charge of molten electrolyte, in the form of a hydroxide that is selected from the group consisting of Aluminum, Calcium, Cesium, Potassium, Sodium, Rubidium, Strontium and mixtures thereof, filling the space between the cathode and the charge carbon; and, a bubbler for passing an oxygen-containing stream of gas through the cathode into the molten electrolyte where the oxygen ionizes and diffuses through to the anode basket into contact with the carbon to produce an electrical charge at the anode basket.
Claims15
A carbon-air fuel cell comprising:
- a) a heat insulating container;
- b) a cathode supported in said container and arranged to form an air space about the inside thereof;
- c) an anode basket positioned inside said cathode, spaced-apart from said container, and containing therein a charge of carbon;
- d) a charge of molten electrolyte, in the form of a hydroxide that is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, calcium, cesium, potassium, sodium, rubidium, strontium and mixtures thereof, at least partially filling said space between said cathode and said carbon charge;
- e) means for passing an oxygen-containing stream of gas through to said cathode, where it will ionize and pass into said molten electrolyte and then to said anode basket and into contact with said carbon, to produce an electrical charge at said anode basket and CO2;
- and,
- f) means external said container for drawing off the electricity from said anode basket and said cathode and separate means for drawing off the unused water vapor and CO2 produced inside said container.
A carbon-air fuel cell comprising:
- a) a heat insulating container, including a side wall, a sealed bottom cover and a top closed there over;
- b) an air cathode supported in said container and arranged to form an air space about said inside surface of said container side wall;
- c) an anode basket positioned inside said air cathode, spaced apart from said container, and containing therein a shaped charge of carbon;
- d) a charge of molten electrolyte, in the form of a hydroxide that is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, calcium, cesium, potassium, sodium, rubidium, strontium and mixtures thereof, at least partially filling said space between said air cathode and said carbon and confined to a matrix selected from the group consisting of alumina, magnesia and mixtures thereof;
- e) means for passing a wet oxygen-containing stream of gas through said cathode into said charge of molten electrolyte for ionization of said oxygen and then passing said oxygen ions through said anode basket into contact with said carbon to produce CO2 and an electrical charge at said anode basket;
- (f) means external said container for drawing off the electricity produced inside said container;
- and,
- (g) means for drawing off the CO2 and unused water vapor generated inside said container.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.