Fuel cell with hydrogen internal recirculation
AssigneeNuvera Fuel Cells Europe S.R.L.
InventorDaniele Facchi
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Abstract
A unit consisting of a fuel cell, provided with a first ion-exchange membrane, and an electrolysis cell, equipped with a second ion-exchange membrane, capable of operating as an electrochemical hydrogen pump in which the electrolysis cell sucks in the discharge gas of the fuel cell anodic compartment which contains hydrogen as the main component, ionizes the hydrogen on a suitable anodic catalyst, sends the so formed protons across the second ion-exchange membrane to a suitable cathodic catalyst where the protons are reconverted to hydrogen which is mixed to the fuel cell hydrogen feed.
Claims14
A unit comprising a membrane fuel cell comprising a fuel cell anodic compartment and a fuel cell cathodic compartment, wherein said membrane fuel cell is connected in electrical series to a hydrogen-transfer electrochemical cell subdivided by an ion-exchange membrane into one hydrogen-transfer cell anodic compartment and one hydrogen-transfer cell cathodic compartment,
- wherein said hydrogen-transfer cell anodic compartment is fluidly connected to an exhaust output of said fuel cell anodic compartment, and
- said fuel cell anodic compartment is fluidly connected to an output of said hydrogen-transfer cell cathodic compartment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.