ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS CONNECTED IN FLUID FLOW SERIES
First Claim
1. An electrochemical cell system for generating electrical power, the electrochemical cell system comprising:
- a plurality of fluidly connected electrochemical cells, each electrochemical cell comprising;
an anode configured to permit a fluid comprising at least an electrolyte to flow in contact therewith to oxidize a fuel; and
a cathode permeable to an oxidizer, the cathode being configured to receive electrons to reduce the oxidizer;
the cathode and the anode being spaced apart to define a gap therebetween for receiving the fluid flow;
wherein the plurality of electrochemical cells are connected in fluid flow series such that, for each pair of fluidly connected electrochemical cells, the fluid flows from a first cell of the pair of cells to a second cell of the pair of cells,wherein the plurality of electrochemical cells are connected electrically in series such that, for each pair of fluidly connected electrochemical cells, the cathode of the first cell of the pair is electrically connected to the anode of the second cell of the pair, andwherein an ionic resistance between the pair of fluidly connected electrochemical cells is greater than an ionic resistance within one electrochemical cell in the pair of cells.
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Abstract
An electrochemical cell system for generating electrical power is disclosed. The electrochemical cell system comprises a plurality of fluidly connected electrochemical cells. Each electrochemical cell comprises an anode and a cathode. The anode is configured to permit a fluid comprising at least an electrolyte to flow in contact therewith to oxidize a fuel. The cathode is permeable to an oxidizer and is configured to receive electrons to reduce the oxidizer. The cathode and the anode are spaced apart to define a gap therebetween for receiving the fluid flow. The plurality of electrochemical cells are connected in fluid flow series such that, for each pair of fluidly connected electrochemical cells, the fluid flows from a first cell of the pair of cells to a second cell of the pair of cells. The plurality of electrochemical cells are connected electrically in series such that, for each pair of fluidly connected electrochemical cells, the cathode of the first cell of the pair is electrically connected to the anode of the second cell of the pair.
70 Citations
55 Claims
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1. An electrochemical cell system for generating electrical power, the electrochemical cell system comprising:
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a plurality of fluidly connected electrochemical cells, each electrochemical cell comprising; an anode configured to permit a fluid comprising at least an electrolyte to flow in contact therewith to oxidize a fuel; and a cathode permeable to an oxidizer, the cathode being configured to receive electrons to reduce the oxidizer;
the cathode and the anode being spaced apart to define a gap therebetween for receiving the fluid flow;wherein the plurality of electrochemical cells are connected in fluid flow series such that, for each pair of fluidly connected electrochemical cells, the fluid flows from a first cell of the pair of cells to a second cell of the pair of cells, wherein the plurality of electrochemical cells are connected electrically in series such that, for each pair of fluidly connected electrochemical cells, the cathode of the first cell of the pair is electrically connected to the anode of the second cell of the pair, and wherein an ionic resistance between the pair of fluidly connected electrochemical cells is greater than an ionic resistance within one electrochemical cell in the pair of cells. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. An electrochemical cell system for generating electrical power, the electrochemical cell system comprising:
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a plurality of fluidly connected electrochemical cells, each electrochemical cell comprising; an anode configured to permit a fluid comprising at least an electrolyte to flow in contact therewith to oxidize a fuel; and a cathode permeable to an oxidizer, the cathode being configured to receive electrons to reduce the oxidizer;
the cathode and the anode being spaced apart to define a gap therebetween for receiving the fluid flow;wherein the plurality of electrochemical cells are connected in fluid flow series via a plurality of passageways such that, for each pair of fluidly connected electrochemical cells, the fluid flows from a first cell of the pair of cells to a second cell of the pair of cells through one passageway in the plurality of passageways, wherein the plurality of electrochemical cells are connected electrically in series such that, for each pair of fluidly connected electrochemical cells, the cathode of the first cell of the pair is electrically connected to the anode of the second cell of the pair, and wherein a length of the one passageway is greater than a minimum distance of the gap between the anode and the cathode. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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51. A method for generating electrical current using an electrochemical cell system comprising a plurality of electrochemical cells, the method comprising:
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flowing a fluid comprising an electrolyte through the plurality of cells, each electrochemical cell in the plurality of cells comprising an anode and a cathode spaced apart by a gap, the gap being provided along the fluid flow path; and inputting an oxidizer through the cathode of each electrochemical cell in the plurality of cells, the cathode being permeable to the oxidizer, wherein in each electrochemical cell in the plurality of cells, fuel is oxidized at the anode and the oxidizer is reduced at the cathode, and a by-product is formed by reaction of the oxidized fuel and reduced oxidizer in the electrolyte. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54, 55)
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Specification