PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15887701
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-02
Publication Date: 2019-08
Patent Classification: ["429", "429000"]

Abstract:
Systems and methods for transitioning a fuel cell system between operating modes. The fuel cell system may be a SOFC system comprising Ni-containing anodes. The transitions may be from a shutdown mode to a hot standby mode, from a hot standby mode to a power ready hot standby mode, from a power ready hot standby mode to an operating mode, from an operating mode to a power ready hot standby mode, from a power ready hot standby mode to a hot standby mode, from a hot standby mode to a shutdown mode, and from an operating mode to a shutdown mode.

Claim (Index 1):
A method of transitioning between operating modes of a fuel cell system, the fuel cell system comprising:\n a fuel cell stack comprising:\n a plurality of solid oxide fuel cells, each solid oxide fuel cell comprising an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte; \n an anode loop comprising:\n an in-block fueling flowpath comprising a fuel supply manifold, a fuel exhaust manifold, and one or more fueling channels in fluid communication with said fuel supply manifold and said fuel exhaust manifold, wherein each anode is exposed to a fuel flowing in one or more of said fueling channels; \n an anode ejector having a fuel supply input, a fuel recycle input, and a combined fuel output; \n a fuel recycle conduit in fluid communication with said anode ejector fuel recycle input and said in-block fueling flowpath fuel exhaust manifold; and \n a combined fuel supply conduit in fluid communication with said anode ejector combined fuel output and said in-block fueling flowpath fuel supply manifold; \n a fuel supply conduit in fluid communication with said anode ejector fuel supply input; a source of SOFC fuel in fluid communication with said fuel supply conduit; a source of transition fuel in fluid communication with said fuel supply conduit; a cathode loop comprising:\n an in-block oxidizing flowpath comprising an oxidant supply manifold, an oxidant exhaust manifold, and one or more oxidizing channels in fluid communication with said oxidant supply manifold and said oxidant exhaust manifold, wherein each cathode is exposed to an oxidant flowing in one or more oxidizing channels; \n a cathode ejector having an oxidant supply input, an oxidant recycle input, and a combined oxidant output; \n an oxidant recycle conduit in fluid communication with said cathode ejector oxidant recycle input and said in-block oxidizing flowpath oxidant exhaust manifold; \n a combined oxidant supply conduit in fluid communication with said cathode ejector combined oxidant output and said in-block oxidizing flowpath oxidant supply manifold; and \n a heat source positioned to heat an oxidant flowing in the cathode loop; \n an oxidant supply conduit in fluid communication with said cathode ejector oxidant supply input; and \n an oxidant source in fluid communication with said oxidant supply conduit; a method of transitioning the fuel cell system from a power-ready hot standby mode wherein:\n oxidant is flowing through the cathode loop at a hot standby temperature; \n no SOFC fuel is flowing into the anode loop; \n transition fuel is flowing from the source into the anode loop at a mass flow rate sufficient to prevent oxidation of the anode; \n RCB is applied to the fuel cell stack; and \n anode fuel utilization is in the range of about 35% to about 65%; \n to a shutdown mode wherein:\n oxidant is flowing through the cathode loop at ambient temperature; \n no SOFC fuel is flowing into the anode loop; \n no transition fuel is flowing into the anode loop; and \n no RCB is applied to the fuel cell stack; \n said method of transitioning comprising:\n maintaining flow of oxidant through the cathode loop; \n controlling a cool down of the fuel cell stack by controlling the mass flow rate or temperature of the oxidant flowing through the cathode loop; \n maintaining flow of transition fuel into the anode loop at a mass flow rate sufficient to prevent anode oxidation; \n maintaining the application of RCB to the fuel cell stack; \n when the temperature of the fuel cell stack lowers to a predetermined temperature between the hot standby temperature and ambient temperature, ceasing the flow of transition fuel into the anode loop; \n when the temperature of the fuel cell stack is at or below the predetermined temperature, ceasing application of RCB to the fuel cell stack; and \n maintaining control of the cool down of the fuel cell stack by controlling the mass flow rate or temperature of the oxidant flowing through the cathode loop until the temperature of the fuel cell stack is at ambient temperature.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 71.0
- Percentile: 88.0
- Lexical Diversity: 3.54839
- Patent Class: 429.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['15811290', '15333560', '15801112', '10993902', '15341376']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.8795093471551946
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5037295936858263
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.8419313718082578
- Mean Citation Score: 264.966286
- Max Citation Score: 298.2686
- Similarity Product: 229.98351705801483

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 0
- Claim Label 112: 0
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test