Patent ID: 7758988
Filing Date: 2010-07-20
Classification: B01D,C01B,H01M,Y02C,Y02E,Y02P

Abstract:
1. An electrical current generating system comprising: a fuel cell including an anode channel including an anode gas inlet for receiving a supply of hydrogen gas, a cathode channel including a cathode gas inlet and a cathode gas outlet, and an electrolyte in communication with the anode and cathode channel for facilitating ion exchange between the anode and cathode channel; and an oxygen gas delivery system coupled to the cathode gas inlet for delivering a gaseous stream enriched in oxygen gas to the cathode channel, the oxygen gas delivery system including a rotary pressure swing adsorption system for enriching oxygen in a gaseous feed, wherein the pressure swing adsorption system includes a first feed gas inlet for receiving air feed as a first gas feed, and a gas outlet coupled to the cathode gas inlet and the pressure swing adsorption system comprises a rotary module including a stator and a rotor rotatable relative to the stator, the rotor including a plurality of flow paths for receiving adsorbent material therein for preferentially adsorbing a first gas component in response to increasing pressure in the flow paths relative to a second gas component, and compression machinery coupled to the rotary module for facilitating gas flow through the flow paths for separating the first gas component from the second gas component, wherein the stator includes a first stator valve surface, a second stator valve surface, a plurality of first function compartments opening into the first stator valve surface, and a plurality of second function compartments opening into the second stator valve surface, and the rotor includes a first rotor valve surface in communication with the second stator valve surface, and a plurality of apertures provided in the rotor valve surfaces and in communication with respective ends of the flow paths and the function compartments; the oxygen gas delivery system includes a gas inlet for receiving a first portion of cathode gas exhausted from the cathode channel and a gas outlet for delivering the gaseous stream enrich in oxygen gas to the cathode channel; the gas separation system includes a second feed gas inlet; and the current generating system includes a first gas recirculation means coupled to the cathode gas outlet for recirculating a first portion of cathode exhaust gas exhausted from the cathode channel to the cathode gas inlet and a second gas recirculating means coupled to the cathode gas outlet for recirculating a second portion of the cathode exhaust gas to the second feed gas inlet.