Fuel cell water management via reduced anode reactant pressure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9276273-B2
Application number	US-201113642309-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2011
Priority date	Apr 26, 2010
Publication date	Mar 1, 2016
Grant date	Mar 1, 2016

Abstract

A method is provided for operation of a fuel cell with improved water management by maintaining reduced anode pressure relative to cathode pressure, relative to atmospheric pressure, or both. Typically, the fuel cell comprises a membrane electrode assembly comprising nanostructured thin film cathode catalyst.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of operating a fuel cell comprising a membrane electrode assembly having an anode supplied with a gaseous anode reactant at an anode pressure and a cathode supplied with a gaseous cathode reactant at a cathode pressure, wherein the anode pressure is below atmospheric pressure.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the anode pressure is less than the cathode pressure by at least 50 kPa.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the anode pressure is less than the cathode pressure by at least 150 kPa.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the anode pressure is less than the cathode pressure by at least 200 kPa.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the difference between anode pressure and cathode pressure is maintained for at least 10 minutes of continuous service.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the anode pressure is lower than a maximum pressure which is 90 kPa or less.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the anode pressure is at least 10 kPa.

8. The method according to claim 6 wherein the anode pressure is maintained below the maximum pressure for at least 10 minutes of continuous service.

9. The method according to claim 6 wherein the anode pressure is maintained below the maximum pressure for <1 minute of continuous service.

10. The method according to claim 6 wherein the fuel cell comprises an anode flow field with a reactant pressure drop of <90 kPa wherein the anode pressure is maintained below the maximum pressure.

11. The method according to claim 6 wherein the fuel cell comprises an anode flow field with a reactant pressure drop of <50 kPa wherein the anode pressure is maintained below the maximum pressure.

12. The method according to claim 6 wherein the fuel cell comprises an anode flow field with a reactant pressure drop of <25 kPa wherein the anode pressure is maintained below the maximum pressure.

13. The method according to claim 6 wherein the fuel cell comprises an anode flow field with a reactant pressure drop of <10 kPa wherein the anode pressure is maintained below the maximum pressure.

14. The method according to claim 1 wherein the fuel cell comprises a membrane electrode assembly comprising nanostructured film cathode catalyst.

15. The method according to claim 1 wherein the fuel cell comprises a membrane electrode assembly comprising an anode gas diffusion layer and a cathode gas diffusion layer where a microporous layer of the anode GDL is thinner than a microporous layer of the cathode GDL.

16. The method according to claim 1 wherein the fuel cell system comprises a anode reactant recirculation system capable of maintaining anode reactant pressure less than atmospheric pressure.

Assignees

• Steinbach Andrew J L
• Debe Mark K
• Haug Andrew T
• 3M Innovative Properties Co

Inventors

• Steinbach Andrew J L
• Debe Mark K
• Haug Andrew T

Classifications

• H01M8/04156

  with product water removal · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04783

  Pressure differences, e.g. between anode and cathode · CPC title

• H01M8/0247 Primary

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

• H01M8/04223

  during start-up or shut-down; Depolarisation or activation, e.g. purging; Means for short-circuiting defective fuel cells · CPC title