Fuel cell operated welder
AssigneeLincoln Global, Inc.
InventorGeorge D. Blankenship
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electric arc welder powered by a plurality of liquid organic fuel cells. The fuel cells use a methanol/water mixture as the organic feed. The fuel cells produce carbon dioxide as a reactive product which is used an a shielding gas during the arc welding process. The fuel cells are stacked together to produce the desired arc voltage and current between an electrode and the workpiece. The arc welder includes a welding current to control the current wave shape through the electrode and to control or increase the voltage through the electrode.
Claims48
An electric arc welding apparatus for forming a welding bead on a workpiece comprising an electric energy source, a welding circuit, an electrode and a shielding gas source, said electric energy source including a plurality of fuel cells that provide sufficient voltage and current to said welding circuit to cause an electric arc to form between said electrode and said workpiece, said fuel cell including an anode, a cathode, at least one solid polymer proton conductor membrane positioned between the anode and cathode, an organic liquid feed, and a mechanism to pass the organic feed past said anode, said shielding gas at least partially from a gas reaction product of said fuel cell.
A method of electric arc welding to form a weld bead on a workpiece, said method comprising:
- a) providing a metal electrode;
- b) providing an electric energy source which produces a current, said electric energy source including a fuel cell, said fuel cell forms a gas product which can at least partially be used as a shielding gas;
- c) providing a welding circuit;
- d) supplying said current to said welding circuit to form an arc between said electrode and said workpiece;
- and,
- e) at least partially directing said gas product to said workpiece during the formation of said weld bead.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.