Fuel cell with recovering unit and method for driving the same
First Claim
1. A fuel cell, comprising:
- an electricity generator configured to generate electricity based on an electrochemical reaction;
a fuel container configured to store a raw fuel;
a recovering unit configured to mix i) the raw fuel, ii) an unreacted fuel which has not participated in the electrochemical reaction, and iii) water produced from the electrochemical reaction so as to produce mixed fuel, and supply the mixed fuel to the electricity generator; and
an oxygen provider configured to supply oxygen to the electricity generator,wherein the recovering unit comprises;
a housing connected to and communicating fluid with the electricity generator and the fuel container;
a discharging pipe located inside the housing configured to discharge gas recovered from the electricity generator, and having a first end extending to the outside of the housing and a second end extending to the inside of the housing; and
a first valve located in the discharging pipe.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A fuel cell with a recovering unit and a method of driving the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, the fuel cell includes i) an electric generator to generate electricity based on electrochemical reaction, ii) a recovering unit to recover and mix the fuel, unreacted fuel, and gas and water produced by the electrochemical reaction, and supply the mixed fuel to the electric generator, wherein the recovering unit comprises a valve, configured to discharge gas, which is selectively opened and closed depending on the operation of the fuel cell. With this configuration, the gas or the fuel is not introduced into the electric generator, even though the recovering unit is inclined or turned over. Further, even though the fuel cell is not in use for a long time, the mixed fuel is prevented from evaporating through the discharging pipe.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A fuel cell, comprising:
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an electricity generator configured to generate electricity based on an electrochemical reaction; a fuel container configured to store a raw fuel; a recovering unit configured to mix i) the raw fuel, ii) an unreacted fuel which has not participated in the electrochemical reaction, and iii) water produced from the electrochemical reaction so as to produce mixed fuel, and supply the mixed fuel to the electricity generator; and an oxygen provider configured to supply oxygen to the electricity generator, wherein the recovering unit comprises; a housing connected to and communicating fluid with the electricity generator and the fuel container; a discharging pipe located inside the housing configured to discharge gas recovered from the electricity generator, and having a first end extending to the outside of the housing and a second end extending to the inside of the housing; and a first valve located in the discharging pipe. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of driving a fuel cell, comprising:
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supplying hydrogen containing mixed fuel and oxygen to an electricity generator via a first supplying line and a second supplying line; generating electricity by way of an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen in the electricity generator; recovering, at a recovering unit, byproducts produced from the electrochemical reaction via a recovering path; discharging gas contained in the byproducts from the recovering unit to the environment; and mixing i) unreacted fuel contained in the byproducts, ii) water and iii) raw fuel so as to generate the hydrogen containing mixed fuel while discharging the gas to the environment. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. A fuel provider for use with a fuel cell, comprising:
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a first inlet configured to receive a first fuel; a second inlet configured to receive a second fuel, wherein the first and the second fuels have different concentrations from each other and wherein one of the first and second fuels includes gas; a third inlet configured to receive water; a first outlet configured to provide a mixed fuel based on the first and second fuels; and a second outlet configured to discharge the gas, wherein the fuel provider is configured to selectively close at least one of the second outlet and third inlet. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of driving a fuel cell having an anode side and a cathode side, the method comprising:
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receiving a first fuel; receiving a second fuel, wherein the first and the second fuels have different concentrations from each other and wherein one of the first and second fuels includes gas; generating a mixed fuel based on the first and second fuels; discharging the gas; and receiving water from the cathode side, wherein the mixed fuel is not permitted to enter the cathode side when the fuel cell is inclined. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification