Hybrid redox fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11996597-B2
Application number	US-202217929625-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2022
Priority date	Sep 20, 2021
Publication date	May 28, 2024
Grant date	May 28, 2024

Abstract

A hybrid redox fuel cell system includes a hybrid redox fuel cell including an anode side through which a reductant is flowed and a cathode side through which liquid electrolyte is flowed, and a catalyst bed fluidly connected to the cathode side of the hybrid redox fuel cell, the catalyst bed including a substrate layer and a catalyst layer spiral wound into a jelly roll structure. Furthermore, the liquid electrolyte includes a metal ion at a higher oxidation state and the metal ion at a lower oxidation state, and power is generated at the hybrid redox fuel cell by way of reducing the metal ion from the higher oxidation state to the lower oxidation state at the cathode side while oxidizing the reductant at the anode side.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hybrid redox fuel cell system, comprising:
a hybrid redox fuel cell including an anode side through which a reductant is flowed and a cathode side through which a liquid electrolyte is flowed; and
a catalyst bed fluidly connected to the cathode side, the catalyst bed including a substrate layer spiral wound with a catalyst layer into a jelly roll structure,
a plurality of flow control devices, each of the plurality of flow control devices comprising one or more of a control valve, a flow meter and a pressure regulator, the plurality of flow control devices comprising:
a first flow control device located between a reductant supply line, the reductant supply line fluidly connecting a reductant source and the anode side, and a reductant discharge line; and
a second flow control device located between a first oxidant supply line, the first oxidant supply line fluidly connecting an outlet of the catalyst bed and the cathode side, and an oxidant discharge line, the oxidant discharge line fluidly connecting the cathode side and an inlet of the catalyst bed; wherein,
the liquid electrolyte includes a metal ion at a higher oxidation state and the metal ion at a lower oxidation state, and
power is generated at the hybrid redox fuel cell by way of reducing the metal ion at the higher oxidation state to the lower oxidation state at the cathode side while oxidizing the reductant at the anode side.

2. The hybrid redox fuel cell system of claim 1 , wherein the hybrid redox fuel cell includes a hydrogen-ferric/ferrous ion hybrid redox fuel cell, the reductant includes hydrogen gas, the metal ion at the lower oxidation state includes ferrous ion, and the metal ion at the higher oxidation state includes ferric ion.

3. The hybrid redox fuel cell system of claim 1 , wherein the catalyst bed further includes a spacing layer positioned adjacent to the substrate layer and spiral wound with the catalyst layer into the jelly roll structure, wherein the spacing layer separates the catalyst and substrate layers within the jelly roll structure.

4. The hybrid redox fuel cell system of claim 1 , further comprising a pump positioned between the hybrid redox fuel cell and the catalyst bed, wherein the pump directs the liquid electrolyte from the cathode side to the catalyst bed, and recirculates the liquid electrolyte from the catalyst bed back to the cathode side after the liquid electrolyte fluidly contacts the catalyst bed.

5. The hybrid redox fuel cell system of claim 4 , wherein the catalyst layer includes a chemolithotrophic microorganism.

6. The hybrid redox fuel cell system of claim 5 , wherein the catalyst layer includes the chemolithotrophic microorganism immobilized on biomass support particles.

7. The hybrid redox fuel cell system of claim 6 , further comprising a regeneration gas source, wherein carbon dioxide gas is directed from the regeneration gas source to a valve.

8. A method of operating a hybrid redox fuel cell system, the method comprising:
flowing a reductant through an anode side of a hybrid redox fuel cell of the hybrid redox fuel cell system, and flowing a liquid electrolyte through a cathode side of the hybrid redox fuel cell, wherein the liquid electrolyte includes a metal ion at a higher oxidation state and the metal ion at a lower oxidation state;
directing the liquid electrolyte from the cathode side to a catalyst bed, wherein the catalyst bed includes a substrate later and a catalyst layer;
spiral winding the substrate layer with the catalyst layer into a jelly roll structure to form the catalyst bed; and
reducing the metal ion at the higher oxidation state to the lower oxidation state at the cathode side while oxidizing the reductant at the anode side to generate power at the hybrid redox fuel cell.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein oxidizing the metal ion at the lower oxidation state to the higher oxidation state at the catalyst bed comprises fluidly contacting oxygen gas with the metal ion at the lower oxidation state at the catalyst bed.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising balancing a rate of reducing the metal ion at the higher oxidation state to the lower oxidation state at the cathode side with a rate of oxidizing the metal ion at the lower oxidation state to the higher oxidation state at the catalyst bed, wherein a total amount of the metal ion at the higher oxidation state at the cathode side and the catalyst bed is constant.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising directing the liquid electrolyte from the catalyst bed to the cathode side after oxidizing the metal ion at the lower oxidation state to the higher oxidation state, without directing the liquid electrolyte to the anode side.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising recycling a portion of the liquid electrolyte, upon exiting the catalyst bed, back to the catalyst bed prior to directing the portion of the liquid electrolyte to the cathode side.

13. The hybrid redox fuel cell system of claim 1 , further comprising a controller, wherein the controller is communicatively coupled to each of the plurality of flow control devices, and wherein the controller adjusts a flow rate in one or more of the plurality of flow control devices to balance a rate of reduction in the cathode side with a rate of oxidant regeneration in the catalyst bed responsive to current operating conditions as measured by sensors.

14. The hybrid redox fuel cell system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of catalyst beds connected in parallel.

15. The hybrid redox fuel cell system of claim 1 , further comprising a pair of pressure plates located at a first end of the anode side and a second end of the cathode side.

16. The hybrid redox fuel cell system of claim 13 , wherein the controller adjusts the second flow control device when a concentration of the metal ion at the higher oxidation state at the oxidant supply line reaches a threshold.

17. A hybrid redox fuel cell system, comprising:
a hybrid redox fuel cell including an anode side through which a reductant is flowed and a cathode side through which a liquid electrolyte is flowed;
a catalyst bed fluidly connected to the cathode side, the catalyst bed including a substrate layer spiral wound with a catalyst layer into a jelly roll structure, wherein,
the liquid electrolyte includes a metal ion at a higher oxidation state and the metal ion at a lower oxidation state, and
power is generated at the hybrid redox fuel cell by way of reducing the metal ion at the higher oxidation state to the lower oxidation state at the cathode side while oxidizing the reductant at the anode side; and

a controller including instructions stored in non-transitory memory therein, the instructions executable to:
balance a rate of reduction of the metal ion at the higher oxidation state in the cathode side with a rate of regeneration of the metal ion at the higher oxidation state in the catalyst bed, wherein balancing the rate of reduction with the rate of regeneration comprises:
determining, via sensors, if the rate of reduction and the rate of regeneration are imbalanced;
responsive to the rate of regeneration being less than the rate of reduction, increasing a flow rate of a recycle flow control device, wherein the recycle flow control device recycles an effluent from the catalyst bed to an inlet of the catalyst bed, and/or increasing a flow of a gas reactant from a regeneration gas source to the catalyst bed;

responsive to the rate of regeneration being greater than the rate of reduction, decreasing the flow rate of the recycle flow con

Assignees

• Ess Technology Inc

Inventors

• Song Yang
• Evans Craig

Classifications

• H01M8/188 Primary

  by recharging of redox couples containing fluids; Redox flow type batteries · CPC title

• H01M8/04194

  Concentration measuring cells · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M4/9041

  Metals or alloys (H01M4/92 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M8/04186

  of liquid-charged or electrolyte-charged reactants · CPC title