Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US7666539?oq=6%2C219%2C045
Timestamp: 2018-05-25 21:12:21
Document Index: 437554197

Matched Legal Cases: ['§119', 'Application No. 60', '§120', '§119', 'Application No. 60', 'Application No. 60', 'Application No. 60', 'Application No. 200480024524', 'Application No. 200480024524', 'Application No. 200480024523', 'Application No. 013', 'Application No. 200480024524', 'Application No. 200480024524']

US7666539B2 - Heat efficient portable fuel cell systems - Google Patents
Heat efficient portable fuel cell systems Download PDF
US7666539B2
US7666539B2 US11314810 US31481005A US7666539B2 US 7666539 B2 US7666539 B2 US 7666539B2 US 11314810 US11314810 US 11314810 US 31481005 A US31481005 A US 31481005A US 7666539 B2 US7666539 B2 US 7666539B2
US11314810
US20060127719A1 (en )
Jennifer E. Brantley
Michael C. DeRenzi
William Di Scipio
This application a) claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to: i) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/638,421 filed on Dec. 21, 2004 entitled “Micro Fuel Cell Architecture”;
and b) claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/877,771, filed Jun. 25, 2004 and entitled, “EFFICIENT MICRO FUEL CELL SYSTEMS AND METHODS”, which claimed priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) from i) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/482,996 filed on Jun. 27, 2003, ii) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/483,416 and filed on Jun. 27, 2003, and iii) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/482,981 and filed on Jun. 27, 2003; each of the above mentioned patent applications is incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.
In the embodiment shown, the heated oxygen and air is then transmitted from the fuel cell via line 33 to a regenerator 36 (also referred to herein as a ‘dewar’) of fuel processor 15, where the air is additionally heated (by the heater, while in the dewar) before entering heater 30. This double pre-heating increases efficiency of the fuel cell system 10 by a) reducing heat lost to reactants in heater 30 (such as fresh oxygen that would otherwise be near room temperature when combusted in the heater), and b) cooling the fuel cell during energy production. In this embodiment, a model BTC compressor as provided by Hargraves, NC is suitable to pressurize oxygen and air for fuel cell system 10.
In one embodiment, a reformer includes a multi-pass arrangement that has multiple reformer chambers 103. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, reformer 32 includes three multi-pass chambers that process methanol in series. Reformer 32 then includes the volume of all three chambers 103 a-c. Each chamber traverses the length of monolithic structure 100, and opens to each other in series such that chambers 103 a-c form one contiguous path for gaseous flow. More specifically, heated and gaseous methanol from boiler 34 a) enters reformer chamber 103 a at an inlet end of monolithic structure 100 and flows to the other end of structure 100 and over catalyst 102 in chamber 103 a, b) then flows into second reformer chamber 103 b at the second end of monolithic structure 100 and flows over catalyst 102 in chamber 103 b from one end of monolithic structure 100 to the other, and c) flows into reformer chamber 103 c at one end of monolithic structure 100 and flows to the other end over catalyst 102 in chamber 103 c.
Reformer 32 includes a catalyst 102 that facilitates the production of hydrogen. Catalyst 102 reacts with methanol and produces hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide. In one embodiment, catalyst 102 comprises pellets packed to form a porous bed or otherwise suitably filled into the volume of reformer chambers 103. Pellet diameters ranging from about 50 microns to about 1.5 millimeters are suitable for many applications. Pellet diameters ranging from about 500 microns to about 1 millimeter are suitable for use with reformer 32. One suitable catalyst 102 may include CuZn coated onto alumina pellets when methanol is used as a hydrocarbon fuel 17. Other materials suitable for catalyst 102 include platinum, palladium, a platinum/palladium mix, nickel, and other precious metal catalysts for example. Catalyst 102 pellets are commercially available from a number of vendors known to those of skill in the art. Catalyst 102 may also comprise catalyst materials listed above coated onto a metal sponge or metal foam. A wash coat of the desired metal catalyst material onto the walls of reformer chamber 103 may also be used with reformer 32.
Heater 30 typically operates at an elevated temperature. In one embodiment, fuel processor 15 comprises a dewar 150 to improve thermal management for fuel processor 15. Dewar 150 at least partially thermally isolates components internal to housing 152—such, as heater 30—and contains heat within fuel processor 15. Dewar 150 is shaped and sized to form two sets of air chambers/channels: a first air chamber 156 between the outside of monolithic structure 100 and the inside of dewar 150; and a second air chamber 158 between the outside of dewar 150 and the inside of housing 152. The chambers 156 and 158 include spaces for airflow and regenerative cooling. More specifically, dewar 150 is configured such that air passing through dewar chambers 156 and 158 receives heat generated in heater 30. Air is routed through one or both channels 156 and 158 to improve thermal heat management for fuel processor 15 by: a) allowing incoming air to be pre-heated before entering heater 30, and b) dissipating waste heat generated by burner 32 into the incoming air before the heat reaches the outside of housing 152. Dewar 150 offers thus two functions for fuel processor 15: a) it permits active cooling of components of fuel processor 15 before the heat reaches an outer portion of the fuel processor, and b) it pre-heats the air going to heater 30 to improve thermal efficiency.
Fuel cell 20 includes two cathode manifolds: an inlet cathode manifold or inlet oxygen manifold 88, and an outlet cathode manifold or outlet water/vapor manifold 90: Inlet oxygen manifold 88 is disposed on top end plate 64 a, couples with an inlet conduit (conduit 31, which draws air from the ambient room) to receive ambient air, and opens to an oxygen manifold 106 (FIG. 3C) that is configured to deliver inlet oxygen and ambient air to a channel field 72 on each bi-polar plate 44 in stack 60. Outlet water/vapor manifold 90 receives outlet gases from a cathode exhaust manifold 108 (FIG. 3C) that is configured to collect water (typically as a vapor) from the cathode channel fields 72 on each bi-polar plate 44.
The heating medium may also rely on catalytic interaction to generate heat. Fuel cell 20 then comprises a thermal catalyst that facilitates production of heat in the fuel cell in the presence of the heating medium. As one of skill in the art will appreciate, the particular catalyst and heating medium used may vary (e.g. with the fuel cell system and its inlet fuel and operating temperatures) but will generally correspond to each other. Suitable catalysts for methanol, such as platinum or palladium coated onto alumina pellets, are described above with respect to catalyst 104 in heater 30. Other suitable methanol catalysts 192 include a platinum/palladium mix, iron, ruthenium, and combinations thereof. Each of these will react with methanol and other hydrocarbon fuels to generate heat. For catalytic heat generation in fuel cell 20, the plumbing transports the heating medium to facilitate gaseous interaction with the catalyst.
Recuperator 902 a attaches to a wall 904 disposed between fuel cell 20 and fuel processor 15 that faces fuel cell 20. Line 29 carries the fuel from storage device 16 (FIG. 1B) and enters recuperator 902 a at hole 912. The fuel then travels through recuperator 902 a to a high-surface area portion 906 of line 29 in recuperator 902 a. Portion 906 wraps around line 35 and provides a large surface area for thermal interaction with the walls of line 35. As shown in FIGS. 1B or 9, line 35 transports the burner exhaust from fuel processor 15 to fuel cell 20. Heat in the burner exhaust thus: a) convects from the burner exhaust to the walls of line 35, conducts through the walls of recuperator 902 a to the walls of high-surface area portion 906, and c) convects from the walls of high-surface area portion 906 into the fuel in line 29. The heated fuel then continues through line 29 to hole 910 for further transport to an inlet of the fuel processor.
If the operating temperature of recuperator 902 a is less than an adjacent fuel cell or fuel processor, then the recuperator may sinks heat from the warmer structures and reduce efficiency. FIG. 10B shows a recuperator 902 b that is physically separated from the fuel processor 15, which reduces heat transfer and loss from the fuel processor 15 to the recuperator 902 b. Situating recuperator 902 b in a space that is not between fuel cell 20 and fuel processor 15 also permits a larger recuperator 902 b.
The larger recuperator 902 b also permits longer flow paths for the burner exhaust and inlet fuel, which provides more time for heat transfer. Burner exhaust, shown by dotted line 920 in FIG. 10B, starts at an exit of the burner in fuel processor 15 and linearly runs the length of recuperator 902, twice, before routing back to port 922, which opens to the thermal catalyst used to heat the fuel cell. The inlet fuel path, shown by dotted line 924, starts at a fuel inlet and linearly runs the length of recuperator 902, twice, before provision into the burner inlet (internal and not shown) of fuel processor 15. In this case, gas in burner exhaust 920 runs counterflow to fuel in fuel path 924.
Spacing structure 1006 includes a porous cross section with air gaps 1007. The gaps 1007 may be configured as channels (e.g., normal to the page) that permit airflow therethrough. In one embodiment, a fan moves air through the gaps 1007 to facilitate heat dissipation away from surface 1015.
Arrangement 1000 thus includes a number of insulation layers and layer types that can be varied according to design. For example, the cross section above and below the heat-generating component 1001 provides two examples of insulation arrangement 1000 between component 1001 and outer surface 1015. In another embodiment, gaps 1007 may be disposed solely between insulation 1008 and package wall, between insulation 1008 and component 1001, etc. In one embodiment, layers and layer types in insulation arrangement 1000 are selected and configured such that the outside surface 1015 of a fuel cell package maintains a desired temperature. Standards imposed on consumer-electronics devices may mandate surface temperature of electronics devices such as a tethered fuel cell package to be less than some predetermined level, and insulation arrangement 1000 may be designed to regularly meet this level. Some consumer-electronics device standards require a surface temperature less than 50° C. In another specific embodiment, an insulation layer 1008 is disposed around component 1001 in addition to a layer of insulation 1008 around the fuel cell system package 1015. This dual insulation set further maintains heat in the heat generating components of the fuel cell system.
1. A fuel cell system for producing electrical energy, the fuel cell system comprising:
a fuel cell stack, having a top plate and a bottom plate, configured to produce electrical energy using hydrogen output by the fuel processor, and
a heat transfer apparatus that includes a portion arranged external to the fuel cell stack and is in conductive thermal communication with an internal portion of the fuel cell stack, wherein heat is conducted laterally from the heat transfer apparatus through the fuel cell stack such that the heat moves in a direction that is perpendicular to an axis running through the top and bottom plate;
a thermal catalyst, disposed outside the fuel cell, operable to produce heat when a heating medium interacts with the thermal catalyst; and
plumbing configured to transport the heating medium from the burner to the thermal catalyst.
3. The fuel cell system of claim 1 wherein the heating medium includes exhaust from the burner and the plumbing is configured to transport the burner exhaust from the burner to the thermal catalyst.
4. The fuel cell system of claim 3 wherein the plumbing includes a valve that directs the burner exhaust a) to the thermal catalyst or b) to a line that transports the burner exhaust away from the thermal catalyst.
5. The fuel cell system of claim 4 wherein the line transports the burner exhaust outside a housing wall for a portable package that contains the fuel cell system.
6. The fuel cell system of claim 5 wherein the line transports the burner exhaust to an emissions catalyst that is configured to remove the fuel from the burner exhaust before the burner exhaust exits a housing for the fuel cell system.
7. The fuel cell system of claim 3 wherein the burner exhaust includes methanol or hydrogen.
8. The fuel cell system of claim 1 wherein the heating medium includes exhaust from the reformer and the plumbing is configured to transport the reformer exhaust from the reformer to the thermal catalyst.
9. The fuel cell system of claim 8 wherein the plumbing includes a valve that directs the reformer exhaust between the thermal catalyst and an anode inlet for the fuel cell.
10. The fuel cell system of claim 1 wherein an outlet of the plumbing is less than about 2 centimeters from thermal catalyst nearest to the outlet.
11. The fuel cell system of claim 1 further comprising a heat transfer pipe configured to conductively transfer heat from the thermal catalyst to the fuel cell stack.
12. The fuel cell system of claim 11 wherein the heat transfer pipe is configured to conductively transfer heat from the thermal catalyst to an internal portion of the fuel cell stack.
13. The fuel cell system of claim 1 further comprising:
14. A fuel cell system for producing electrical energy, the fuel cell system comprising:
a heat transfer apparatus that includes a portion arranged external to the fuel cell stack and is in conductive thermal communication with an internal portion of the fuel cell stack, and
a thermal catalyst, disposed outside the fuel cell, operable to produce heat when a heating medium interacts with the thermal catalyst;
plumbing configured to transport the heating medium to the thermal catalyst; and
a pump connected to the fuel processor and configured to pump rich fuel to the fuel processor when fuel cell is operating at a temperature below a threshold temperature and to pump lean fuel to the fuel processor when the fuel cell is operating at a temperature above a threshold temperature.
15. The fuel cell system of claim 14 wherein the plumbing is configured to release the heating medium within the walls of the containment system.
16. The fuel cell system of claim 14 wherein an outlet of the plumbing is less than about 1 centimeter from the thermal catalyst nearest to the outlet.
17. The fuel cell system of claim 16 wherein an outlet of the plumbing is less than about 2 millimeters from the thermal catalyst nearest to the outlet.
18. The fuel cell system of claim 14 wherein the heating medium includes exhaust from the burner and the plumbing is configured to transport the burner exhaust from the burner to the thermal catalyst.
19. The fuel cell system of claim 18 wherein the burner exhaust includes unused methanol.
US11314810 2003-06-27 2005-12-20 Heat efficient portable fuel cell systems Active 2027-09-30 US7666539B2 (en)
US48299603 true 2003-06-27 2003-06-27
US48341603 true 2003-06-27 2003-06-27
US48298103 true 2003-06-27 2003-06-27
US10877771 US7763368B2 (en) 2003-06-27 2004-06-25 Efficient micro fuel cell systems and methods
US63842104 true 2004-12-21 2004-12-21
US11314810 US7666539B2 (en) 2003-06-27 2005-12-20 Heat efficient portable fuel cell systems
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US11834209 Continuation-In-Part US8318368B2 (en) 2003-06-27 2007-08-06 Portable systems for engine block
US20060127719A1 true US20060127719A1 (en) 2006-06-15
US7666539B2 true US7666539B2 (en) 2010-02-23
ID=36584315
US11314810 Active 2027-09-30 US7666539B2 (en) 2003-06-27 2005-12-20 Heat efficient portable fuel cell systems
US11830274 Active 2027-02-09 US7943263B2 (en) 2003-06-27 2007-07-30 Heat efficient portable fuel cell systems
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