Oxygen regulated fuel cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022320554-A1
Application number	US-202217843433-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 17, 2022
Priority date	Sep 17, 2015
Publication date	Oct 6, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A device includes a container having a top plate containing an array of oxygen limiting pinholes and a chamber to hold a chemical hydride fuel, a fuel cell proton exchange membrane electrode assembly supported within the container between the top plate and the chamber, a first gas diffusion layer supported between the fuel cell proton exchange membrane electrode assembly and the top plate, and a second gas diffusion layer supported between the fuel cell proton exchange membrane electrode assembly and the chamber.

First claim

1 . A device comprising:
a container having a top plate containing an array of oxygen limiting pinholes and a chamber to hold a chemical hydride fuel; a fuel cell proton exchange membrane electrode assembly supported within the container between the top plate and the chamber; and a second gas diffusion layer supported between the fuel cell proton exchange membrane electrode assembly and the chamber.

2 . The device of claim 1 wherein the array of oxygen limiting pinholes are sized to limit oxygen supplied to a cathode of the fuel cell proton exchange membrane electrode assembly.

3 . The device of claim 2 wherein the oxygen limiting pinholes have a size corresponding to an average power of a selected load.

4 . The device of claim 3 wherein the oxygen limiting pinholes are coupled to ambient atmosphere to obtain exposure to oxygen and water vapor and wherein the oxygen limiting pinholes restrict water vapor recovered from ambient atmosphere such that oxygen is the primary regulator of electricity generated by the fuel cell proton exchange membrane.

5 . The device of claim 1 wherein the oxygen limiting pinholes are configured to regulate oxygen provided to a cathode of the fuel cell proton exchange membrane electrode assembly to control electricity generated without regulation of water vapor.

6 . The device of claim 1 and further comprising a perforated support plate supported by the container between the second diffusion layer and the bottom chamber.

7 . The device of claim 1 and further comprising a hydrogen pressure relief valve supported by the container in the chamber.

8 . The device of claim 1 wherein the chamber comprises a chemical hydride fuel separated from the fuel cell proton exchange membrane electrode assembly by a particulate filter.

9 . The device of claim 1 wherein the fuel cell proton exchange membrane electrode assembly comprises an anode layer adjacent the second gas diffusion layer and a cathode layer adjacent the first gas diffusion layer.

10 . The device of claim 1 wherein the fuel cell proton exchange membrane electrode assembly comprises a cathode layer adjacent the first gas diffusion layer such that the pin holes provide a limited supply of oxygen to the cathode layer through the first gas diffusion layer.

11 . A device comprising:
a container having a top plate containing an array of oxygen limiting pinholes and a chamber to hold a chemical hydride fuel; a pressure relief valve fluidly connected to the container; and a fuel cell membrane electrode assembly supported within the container between the top plate and the chamber positioned to receive oxygen from the pinholes and hydrogen from the chamber.

12 . The device of claim 11 wherein the array of oxygen limiting pinholes are sized to limit oxygen supplied to a cathode of the fuel cell membrane electrode assembly.

13 . The device of claim 12 wherein the oxygen limiting pinholes have a size corresponding to an average power of a selected load.

14 . The device of claim 13 wherein the oxygen limiting pinholes are coupled to ambient atmosphere to obtain exposure to oxygen and water vapor and wherein the oxygen limiting pinholes restrict water vapor recovered from ambient atmosphere such that oxygen is the primary regulator of electricity generated by the fuel cell membrane electrode assembly.

15 . The device of claim 11 wherein the oxygen limiting pinholes are configured to regulate oxygen provided to a cathode of the membrane electrode assembly to control electricity generated without regulation of water vapor.

16 . The device of claim 11 wherein the chamber comprises a chemical hydride fuel separated from the membrane electrode assembly by a particulate filter.

17 . The device of claim 11 wherein the membrane electrode assembly comprises a cathode layer adjacent the pin holes that provide a limited supply of oxygen to the cathode layer through the first gas diffusion layer.

18 . A method comprising:
exposing a cathode of a fuel cell membrane electrode assembly to a limited supply of oxygen via one or more pinholes in a power generator container; providing hydrogen to an anode of the fuel cell membrane electrode assembly from a chamber containing a chemical hydride; reacting the oxygen and hydrogen to produce electricity and water vapor; and providing water vapor to the chemical hydride to cause the chemical hydride to generate more hydrogen.

19 . The method of claim 18 wherein the one or more pinholes are dimensioned to provide an amount of oxygen to cause the fuel cell membrane electrode assembly to provide a selected average energy for consumption by a load.

20 . The method of claim 18 and further comprising relieving excess hydrogen pressure in the chamber via a relief valve.

Assignees

• Intelligent Energy Ltd

Inventors

• Eickhoff Steven J
• Klein Jeffrey Michael
• Wiebesick Jason

Classifications

• Y02B90/10

  Applications of fuel cells in buildings · CPC title

• H01M8/04089

  of gaseous reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/0687

  Reactant purification by the use of membranes or filters · CPC title

• H01M8/1007

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

• H01M8/1004

  characterised by membrane-electrode assemblies [MEA] (H01M8/12 takes precedence) · CPC title