Direct antifreeze cooled fuel cell power plant

A direct antifreeze cooled fuel cell power plant that generates electrical energy from reducing fluid and process oxidant reactant streams, the power plant comprising:

• a. at least one fuel cell means for producing electrical energy from the reducing fluid and process oxidant streams including an electrolyte secured between an anode catalyst and a cathode catalyst;
• b. a thermal management system means for controlling temperature within the power plant including a porous water transport plate secured in fluid communication with the cathode catalyst;
• c. a direct antifreeze solution passing through the thermal management system for cooling the fuel cell means, wherein the direct antifreeze solution is an organic antifreeze solution that does not wet the cathode catalyst and that is non-volatile at cell operating temperatures;
• and,
• d. a direct mass and heat transfer device means secured in fluid communication with both an oxidant inlet that directs the process oxidant stream into the fuel cell means and also with a plant exhaust passage that directs a plant exhaust stream out of the fuel cell means for directly transferring mass and heat exiting the plant from the plant exhaust stream into the plant within the process oxidant stream, the direct mass and heat transfer device including a mass transfer medium means for sorbing a polar fluid substance consisting of polar molecules within the plant exhaust stream and for desorbing the polar substance into the process oxidant stream, the mass transfer medium means being supported by a separator housing in mass transfer relationship between the oxidant and exhaust streams.

A direct antifreeze cooled fuel cell power plant that generates electrical energy from reducing fluid and process oxidant reactant streams, the power plant comprising:

• a. at least one fuel cell means for producing electrical energy from the reducing fluid and process oxidant streams including an electrolyte secured between an anode catalyst and a cathode catalyst;
• b. a thermal management system means for controlling temperature within the power plant including a porous water transport plate secured in fluid communication with the cathode catalyst;
• c. a direct antifreeze solution passing through the thermal management system for cooling the fuel cell means, wherein the direct antifreeze solution is an organic antifreeze solution that does not wet the cathode catalyst and that is non-volatile at cell operating temperatures, and;
• d. a water treatment system means for treating the direct antifreeze solution, including a demineralizer secured in fluid communication with the thermal management system through a demineralizer feed line and return line secured to the thermal management system for passing the direct antifreeze solution through the demineralizer.

A direct antifreeze cooled fuel cell power plant that generates electrical energy from reducing fluid and process oxidant reactant streams, the power plant comprising:

• a. at least one fuel cell means for producing electrical energy from the reducing fluid and process oxidant streams including an electrolyte secured between an anode catalyst and a cathode catalyst;
• b. a thermal management system means for controlling temperature within the power plant including a porous water transport plate secured in fluid communication with the cathode catalyst;
• c. a direct antifreeze solution passing through the thermal management system for cooling the fuel cell means, wherein the direct antifreeze solution is an organic antifreeze solution that does not wet the cathode catalyst and that is non-volatile at cell operating temperatures, and;
• d. a steam injection system means secured in fluid communication with the thermal management system for controlling a concentration of direct antifreeze in the direct antifreeze solution and for enhancing humidity of the reactant streams, including a boiler that receives the direct antifreeze solution through a boiler feed line from the thermal management system and boils the direct antifreeze solution, a steam separator that receives steam and liquid water from the boiler and separates the steam from the liquid water, and a liquid return line that returns the liquid from the steam separator to the thermal management system.