Fuel cell anode flow field design configurations for achieving increased fuel utilization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020099066-A1
Application number	US-201916696310-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 26, 2019
Priority date	May 31, 2017
Publication date	Mar 26, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

An anode of a fuel cell has an anoe current collector defining an inlet configured to receive fuel gas and an outlet configured to output the fuel gas, a barrier that divides an active area of the anode current collector into a first area and a second area, and a flow passage configured to allow a flow of fuel gas from the inlet through the first area and the second area to the outlet. An obstacle is located in the flow passage in an inactive area of the anode current collector and is configured to change a flow direction of the fuel gas in the flow passage from the first area to the second area to achieve intra-cell mixing of the fuel gas.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An anode for a fuel cell, the anode comprising:
an anode current collector defining:
an inlet configured to receive fuel gas;
an outlet configured to output the fuel gas;
a barrier that divides an active area of the anode current collector into a first area and a second area; and
a flow passage configured to allow a flow of fuel gas from the inlet through the first area and the second area to the outlet; and
an obstacle located in the flow passage in an inactive area of the anode current collector and configured to change a flow direction of the fuel gas in the flow passage from the first area to the second area to achieve intra-cell mixing of the fuel gas.

2 . The anode of claim 1 , wherein the flow direction in the first area is in a first direction and the flow direction in the second area is in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction.

3 . The anode of claim 1 , wherein the barrier comprises ceramic paste or metal.

4 . The anode of claim 1 , wherein the barrier comprises a hermetic seal.

5 . The anode of claim 1 , wherein:
the inlet and the outlet are separately provided at a first end of the anode current collector such that the fuel gas enters and exits the anode current collector at the first end; and the obstacle comprises a wall at the second end of the anode current collector opposite to the first end of the anode current collector.

6 . The anode of claim 5 , wherein the obstacle is located in only the inactive area of the anode current collector.

7 . The anode of claim 1 , wherein the obstacle comprises at least one baffle configured to create an undulating flow path within the flow passage.

8 . The anode of claim 7 , wherein the obstacle comprises a plurality of baffles, each of the baffles having a same size and shape.

9 . The anode of claim 7 , wherein:
the obstacle comprises a plurality of baffles; and at least one of the baffles has a different size or shape than another baffle.

10 . The anode of claim 7 , wherein the obstacle comprises a plurality of equidistant baffles.

11 . The anode of claim 7 , wherein:
the obstacle comprises a plurality of baffles; and a spacing between a first pair of adjacent baffles is different from a spacing between a second pair of adjacent baffles.

12 . The anode of claim 1 , wherein:
the anode current collector comprises a plurality of rows of corrugations separated by channels; and the anode further comprises catalyst pellets disposed within at least some of the corrugations.

13 . The anode of claim 12 , wherein the obstacle comprises at least one baffle interwoven with the corrugations.

14 . The anode of claim 12 , wherein the obstacle comprises at least one baffle comprising a ceramic paste or metal strip disposed in at least one of the channels.

15 . The anode of claim 12 , the obstacle comprises at least one baffle flap formed from a bent portion of the anode current collector and disposed in at least one of the channels.

16 . A fuel cell comprising:
an anode; a cathode; and an ion-conducting electrolyte sandwiched between the anode and the cathode; wherein the anode comprises:
an anode current collector defining:
an inlet configured to receive fuel gas;
an outlet configured to output the fuel gas;
a barrier that divides an active area of the anode current collector into a first area and a second area; and
a flow passage configured to allow a flow of fuel gas from the inlet through the first area and the second area to the outlet; and

an obstacle located in the flow passage in an inactive area of the anode current collector and configured to change a flow direction of the fuel gas in the flow passage from the first area to the second area to achieve intra-cell mixing of the fuel gas.

17 . The fuel cell of claim 16 , wherein the fuel cell is a molten carbonate fuel cell.

18 . A method of supplying fuel gas to a fuel cell, the method comprising:
supplying the fuel gas to an inlet defined by an anode current collector; flowing the fuel gas through a flow passage defined by a barrier in the anode current collector, wherein the barrier divides an active area of the anode current collector into a first area and a second area; changing a flow direction of the fuel gas within the anode current collector from the first area to the second area via an obstacle provided in an inactive area of the anode current collector to achieve intra-cell mixing of the fuel gas; and outputting the fuel gas from an outlet defined by the anode current collector.

19 . The method of claim 19 , wherein:
the obstacle comprises a wall at a second end of the anode current collector opposite to a first end at which the inlet is located; and changing the flow direction of the fuel gas comprises redirecting the fuel gas from flowing in a first direction from the first end to the second end, to flowing in a second direction from the second end to the first end.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein:
the obstacle comprises at least one baffle; and changing the flow direction of the fuel gas comprises creating an undulating flow path within the flow passage.

Assignees

• Fuelcell Energy Inc

Inventors

• Ghezel-Ayagh Hossein

Classifications

• H01M2008/147

  Fuel cells with molten carbonates · CPC title

• H01M2300/0051

  Carbonates · CPC title

• H01M8/0206

  Metals or alloys · CPC title

• H01M8/0215

  Glass; Ceramic materials · CPC title

• H01M8/145

  comprising carbonates · CPC title