Patent ID: 7611789
Filing Date: 2009-11-03
Classification: B64C,B64D,H01M,Y02E,Y02P,Y02T

Abstract:
1. A closed loop power plant for use in freezing ambient conditions, comprising: a fuel cell stack configured to react a gaseous fuel with a gaseous oxidizer to produce a liquid product and electrical power; a fuel storage tank configured to store dried gaseous fuel for subsequent reaction in the fuel cell stack; an oxidizer storage tank configured to store dried gaseous oxidizer for subsequent reaction in the fuel cell stack; a product storage container for storing the liquid product; an electrolyzer stack configured to separate the liquid product into a humid fuel including the gaseous fuel and product humidity, and a humid oxidizer including the gaseous oxidizer and product humidity; a heat exchanger configured to remove the product humidity from the humid fuel and the humid oxidizer to produce dried gaseous fuel and dried gaseous oxidizer; and a thermal enclosure that encloses the fuel cell stack, the electrolyzer stack and the product storage container, wherein the fuel storage tank and the oxidizer storage tank are not thermally enclosed.