Fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018261863-A1
Application number	US-201615758324-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 9, 2016
Priority date	Sep 9, 2015
Publication date	Sep 13, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

There is disclose a fuel cell system including at least one fuel cell and a duct to supply oxidant to the cathode of the at least one fuel cell. The duct includes at least one sorbent getter adapted to extract volatile species from the oxidant. The sorbent getter includes at least one member of the group consisting of magnesium oxide, calcium oxide and manganese oxide. The sorbent getter provides the advantage of extracting volatile species from the oxidant stream.

First claim

1 . A solid oxide fuel cell system, the solid oxide fuel cell system comprising at least one fuel cell and a duct to supply oxidant to the cathode of the at least one fuel cell, the duct comprising at least one sorbent getter adapted to extract volatile species from the oxidant, the sorbent getter comprising at least one member of the group consisting of magnesium oxide, calcium oxide, manganese oxide and magnesia magnesium aluminate (MMA) MgO+MgAl 2 O 4 based material, and wherein the at least one sorbent getter is porous and wherein the pore size ranges from approximately 0.1 μm to approximately 100 μm.

2 . A solid oxide fuel cell system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pore size of the porous absorbent getters is in the range from approximately 1 μm to approximately 10 μm.

3 . A solid oxide fuel cell system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the MMA based material is configured to have a coefficient of thermal expansion, CTE, complementary to a CTE of the other components in the fuel cell.

4 . A solid oxide fuel cell system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the MMA-based material contains magnesium aluminate spinel with excess magnesia.

5 . A solid oxide fuel cell system as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the excess magnesia is located on an exposed surface of the sorbent getter.

6 . A solid oxide fuel cell system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one sorbent getter is formed as a substantially planar structure.

7 . A solid oxide fuel cell system as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the substantially planar structure has substantially uniform opposed surfaces substantially devoid of apertures.

8 . A solid oxide fuel cell system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the substantially planar structure is provided with a plurality of oxidant apertures.

9 . A solid oxide fuel cell system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the oxidant apertures have a diameter ranging from approximately 0.1 mm to approximately 6 mm.

10 . A solid oxide fuel cell system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the oxidant apertures have a diameter ranging from approximately 0.3 mm to approximately 3 mm.

11 . A solid oxide fuel cell system as claimed in any of claims claim 6 , wherein the substantially planar structures are arranged within the duct, in the direct flow path of the oxidant travelling through the duct, so that oxidant is forced to pass through the substantially planar structure.

12 . A solid oxide fuel cell system as claimed in any of claims claim 6 , further comprising a plurality of sorbent getters provided in pairs, the sorbent getters being arranged substantially parallel to one another and arranged in flow series.

13 . A solid oxide fuel cell system as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the pairs of sorbent getters are arranged so that the plurality of oxidant apertures of each sorbent getter are off-set relative to those of the adjacent sorbent getter.

14 . A solid oxide fuel cell system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein an oxidant aperture spacing is selected so that the flow over a surface of a second sorbent getter in a pair of sorbent getters, from a point of impingement on the second surface of the second sorbent getter to the oxidant apertures in the second sorbent getter is such that the flow does not form a full boundary layer.

15 . A solid oxide fuel cell system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one sorbent getter comprises internal channels.

16 . A solid oxide fuel cell system as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the pair of sorbent getters are positioned such that the distance between them is 1 mm to 100 mm.

17 . A solid oxide fuel cell system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one sorbent getter is positioned at an inlet duct.

18 . A solid oxide fuel cell system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one sorbent getter is positioned at an oxidant recycle loop.

19 . A solid oxide fuel cell system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one sorbent getter is positioned at an oxidant passage within a heat exchanger.

20 .- 22 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Lg Fuel Cell Systems Inc

Inventors

• Agnew Gerard D
• Dean Eric

Classifications

• H01M8/0232

  Metals or alloys · CPC title

• H01M8/0243

  in the form of mixtures · CPC title

• H01M8/04022

  Heating by combustion · CPC title

• H01M8/04097

  with recycling of the reactants (H01M8/04119, H01M8/04104 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01M2008/1293

  Fuel cells with solid oxide electrolytes · CPC title