High temperature fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020243888-A1
Application number	US-201916453575-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 26, 2019
Priority date	Jun 26, 2018
Publication date	Jul 30, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A fuel cell stack comprising one or more high temperature membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) and a bipolar plate comprising a liquid cooling chamber and gas flow channels; then use thereof, and the preparation thereof. The invention also encompasses an electrical generating system.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A fuel cell stack comprising:
a. one or more high temperature membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs); and b. a bipolar plate comprising one or more liquid cooling chambers and one or more gas flow channels.

2 . The fuel stack of claim 1 , wherein said membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) comprises one or more proton conducting membranes sandwiched between two metal-catalyzed porous gas-fed electrodes.

3 . The fuel stack according to claim 3 , wherein said membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) comprises one or more proton conducting membranes sandwiched between two platinum-catalyzed porous gas-fed electrodes.

4 . The fuel stack according to claim 1 , further comprising one or more cooling plates.

5 . An electricity generating system comprising a compact unit and a fuel stack according to claim 1 .

6 . A composite proton-conducting membrane comprising an inorganic polymer and an organic polymer.

7 . The composite membrane of claim 6 , wherein said membrane operates from below water freezing (sub 0° C.) in a low power “startup” or “crawl mode” to as high as 220° C. during high temperature excursion for up to about an hour.

8 . The composite membrane of claim 6 , where said inorganic polymer comprises ceramic forms of pyrophosphate anion.

9 . The composite membrane of claim 6 , where said organic polymer comprises polyphenylene with one or more amine phosphate moieties.

10 . A bipolar plate comprising a liquid cooling chamber and gas flow channels.

11 . The bipolar plate of claim 10 , wherein the plate is arranged as shown in FIG. 1 .

12 . The bipolar plate according to claim 10 , wherein said bipolar plate comprises one or more corrosion resistant metals.

13 . The bipolar plate according to claim 10 , wherein said plate is corrosion resistant.

14 . A compact unit comprising a hydrocarbon auto-thermal reformer (ATR), a water-gas shift (WGS) reactor, and at least two heat recuperators.

15 . A compact unit according to FIG. 4 or FIG. 7 .

16 . The unit according to claim 14 , wherein said hydrocarbon auto-thermal reformer (ATR) is located at the front of the unit.

17 . The unit according to claim 14 , wherein the heat recuperator comprises one or more stainless steel tubes or coils.

18 . An electrochemical hydrogen compressor (HC) comprising a proton-conducting polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM).

19 . The electrochemical hydrogen compressor of claim 18 , wherein the membrane comprises a cell comprising an inorganic polymer and an organic polymer.

Assignees

• Univ Arizona

Inventors

• Gervasio Dominic Francis
• Li Peiwen
• Xu Xinhai
• Zhang Shuyang
• Wang Xiaoxin

Classifications

• H01M8/1041

  Polymer electrolyte composites, mixtures or blends · CPC title

• H01M8/04111

  using a compressor turbine assembly · CPC title

• H01M2300/0082

  Organic polymers · CPC title

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M2300/002

  Inorganic electrolyte · CPC title