Back to results
US 9,564,650 B2Granted
Methods for continuous direct carbon fuel cell operation with a circulating electrolyte slurry
AssigneesThe Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc., Brown University
InventorsDaniel I. Harjes, D. Andrew Dineen, Jr., Liang Guo, Joseph M. Calo, Valerie J. Bloomfield
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to methods and systems related to fuel cells, and in particular, to direct carbon fuel cells. The methods and systems relate to cleaning and removal of components utilized and produced during operation of the fuel cell, regeneration of components utilized during operation of the fuel cell, and generating power using the fuel cell.
Claims10
A method of cleaning a direct carbon fuel cell chamber, the method comprising:
- introducing a carbon and an electrolyte into a mixing tank to generate a carbon-electrolyte slurry;
- introducing the carbon-electrolyte slurry at a first flow rate into the direct carbon fuel cell chamber through a first siphon loop when the carbon-electrolyte slurry reaches a predetermined level in the mixing tank;
- and
- removing an at least partially expended carbon-electrolyte slurry from the direct carbon fuel cell chamber at a second flow rate through a second siphon loop when the at least partially expended carbon-electrolyte slurry reaches a predetermined level in the direct carbon fuel cell chamber, wherein the first flow rate is slower than the second flow rate.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.