Method for making fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016351933-A1
Application number	US-201514970055-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 15, 2015
Priority date	May 28, 2015
Publication date	Dec 1, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method for making fuel cell system. The fuel cell system includes a fuel cell module curved to form a chamber. The fuel cell module includes a container having a number of through holes and a membrane electrode assembly located on the container and cover the number of through holes. The membrane electrode assembly includes a proton exchange membrane having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, a cathode electrode located on the first surface and an anode electrode located on the second surface. A fuel cell module is at least partially immerged in the fuel and the oxidizing gas is supplied in to the chamber of the fuel cell module.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for making fuel cell system, the method comprising:
providing a fuel cell module, wherein the fuel cell module comprises:
a container, wherein the container comprises a housing and a nozzle, and the housing defines a plurality of through holes; the housing defines a chamber and an opening; the nozzle has a first end connected to the opening and a second end opposite to the first end; and
a membrane electrode assembly located on the container and cover the plurality of through holes, wherein the membrane electrode assembly comprises a proton exchange membrane having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, a cathode electrode located on the first surface and an anode electrode located on the second surface;
at least partially immerging the fuel cell module in a fuel; and
supplying an oxidizing gas into the chamber of the fuel cell module.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the container further comprises a baffle located in both the nozzle and the chamber.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the housing defines a first opening and a second opening; and the container comprises a first nozzle in connected to the first opening and a second nozzle in connected to the second opening.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the container further comprises a baffle located in the chamber to divide the chamber in to a first space connected to the first nozzle and a second space connected to the second nozzle.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the supplying oxidizing gas into the chamber comprises inputting the oxidizing gas from the first nozzle and outputting the oxidizing gas from the second nozzle.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a ratio between a first maximum diameter of the chamber and a second maximum diameter of the nozzle is in a range from about 1.5:1 to about 100:1.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the container comprises rigid materials selected from the group consisting of metal, ceramic, glass, quartz, diamond and plastic.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a shape of the housing is spherical, hemispherical, cylindrical or bellows shape.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the container comprises an outside surface and an inside surface opposite to the outside surface; and the membrane electrode assembly is located on the inside surface.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the container comprises an outside surface and an inside surface opposite to the outside surface; and the membrane electrode assembly is located on the outside surface.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the container is made of conductive material and used as a first current collector; and the fuel cell module further comprises a second current collector so that the membrane electrode assembly is located between the first current collector and the second current collector.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the container is made of insulative material; further comprises a first current collector located between the container and the membrane electrode assembly and a second current collector, and the membrane electrode assembly is located between the first current collector and the second current collector.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the cathode electrode and the anode electrode comprises a gas diffusion layer and catalyst dispersed on the gas diffusion layer.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a depth h of the fuel cell module in the fuel satisfies a condition: h<P/(ρ 1 −ρ 2 )g, where, P represents a maximum pressure the fuel cell module is capable of bearing, ρ 1 represents the density of the fuel, ρ 2 represents the density of the oxidizing gas, and g is a constant 9.8 N/kg.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fuel is selected from the group consisting of bioethanol, methane gas and glucose solution.

16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fuel is made by placing rotten materials in a poor filed with water and decomposing the rotten materials.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the rotten materials is selected from the group consisting of rotten fruit, rotten food and rotten vegetables.

18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the oxidizing gas is selected from the group consisting of pure oxygen or air containing oxygen.

19 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the supplying oxidizing gas into the chamber comprises supplying the oxidizing gas by a blower and extracting reacted oxidizing gas by a pump.

20 . A method for making fuel cell system, the method comprising:
providing a fuel cell module, wherein the fuel cell module comprises:
a container, wherein the container defines a plurality of through holes; and
a membrane electrode assembly located on the container and cover the plurality of through holes so that the fuel cell module define a chamber, wherein the membrane electrode assembly comprises a proton exchange membrane having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, a cathode electrode located on the first surface and an anode electrode located on the second surface;
at least partially immerging the fuel cell module in a fuel; and supplying an oxidizing gas into the chamber of the fuel cell module.

Assignees

• Hon Hai Prec Ind Co Ltd
• Univ Tsinghua

Inventors

• Zhang Li-Na
• Gao Xin-Yu
• Yang qi-yao
• Jiang Kai-Li
• Liu Chang-Hong
• Fan Shou-Shan

Classifications

• H01M8/16

  Biochemical fuel cells, i.e. cells in which microorganisms function as catalysts · CPC title

• H01M8/1006 Primary

  Corrugated, curved or wave-shaped MEA · CPC title

• H01M4/8807

  Gas diffusion layers · CPC title

• H01M8/1007

  with both reactants being gaseous or vaporised (H01M8/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M8/0247

  characterised by the form (characterised by a channel configuration H01M8/0258) · CPC title