Methods for continuous direct carbon fuel cell operation with a circulating electrolyte slurry

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9564650-B2
Application number	US-201213565376-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 2, 2012
Priority date	Aug 2, 2011
Publication date	Feb 7, 2017
Grant date	Feb 7, 2017

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods and systems related to fuel cells, and in particular, to direct carbon fuel cells. The methods and systems relate to cleaning and removal of components utilized and produced during operation of the fuel cell, regeneration of components utilized during operation of the fuel cell, and generating power using the fuel cell.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of cleaning a direct carbon fuel cell chamber, the method comprising:
introducing a carbon and an electrolyte into a mixing tank to generate a carbon-electrolyte slurry;
introducing the carbon-electrolyte slurry at a first flow rate into the direct carbon fuel cell chamber through a first siphon loop when the carbon-electrolyte slurry reaches a predetermined level in the mixing tank; and
removing an at least partially expended carbon-electrolyte slurry from the direct carbon fuel cell chamber at a second flow rate through a second siphon loop when the at least partially expended carbon-electrolyte slurry reaches a predetermined level in the direct carbon fuel cell chamber, wherein the first flow rate is slower than the second flow rate.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising controlling the first flow rate by allowing a fluid level in the first siphon loop to reach a predetermined level at a height greater than the predetermined level in the mixing tank.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising controlling the first flow rate by providing a first cross-sectional area at a predetermined value to the first siphon loop.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising using gravity to introduce the carbon-electrolyte slurry into the direct carbon fuel cell chamber.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising controlling the second flow rate by allowing a fluid level in the second siphon loop to reach a predetermined level at a height greater than the predetermined level in the direct carbon fuel cell chamber.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising controlling the second flow rate by providing a second cross-sectional area at a predetermined value to the second siphon loop.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising controlling the first and second flow rates by providing the first siphon loop with a first cross-sectional area and the second siphon loop with a second cross-sectional area, the first cross-sectional area at a value that is smaller than the second cross-sectional area.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising introducing the at least partially expended carbon-electrolyte slurry from the second siphon loop into a cleaning system to produce recycled electrolyte.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising using gravity to introduce the at least partially expended carbon-electrolyte slurry into the cleaning system.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising introducing at least a portion of the recycled electrolyte into the mixing tank.

Assignees

• Harjes Daniel I
• Dineen Jr D Andrew
• Guo Liang
• Calo Joseph M
• Bloomfield Valerie J
• Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc
• Univ Brown

Inventors

• Harjes Daniel I
• Dineen Jr D Andrew
• Guo Liang
• Calo Joseph M
• Bloomfield Valerie J

Classifications

• H01M8/04388

  of anode reactants at the inlet or inside the fuel cell · CPC title

• H01M8/1233 Primary

  with one of the reactants being liquid, solid or liquid-charged · CPC title

• H01M8/04619

  of fuel cell stacks · CPC title

• H01M8/225

  Fuel cells in which the fuel is based on materials comprising particulate active material in the form of a suspension, a dispersion, a fluidised bed or a paste · CPC title

• H01M8/04276

  Arrangements for managing the electrolyte stream, e.g. heat exchange · CPC title