Fuel cell generator containing self-supporting high gas flow solid oxide electrolyte fuel cells
First Claim
1. A single electrochemical cell, comprising a plurality of cell segments, the cell segments comprising an annular, electronically conductive, porous, inner electrode;
- solid electrolyte contacting and surrounding said inner electrode;
an electronically conductive, porous outer electrode contacting and surrounding said electrolyte; and
an annular;
electronically conductive, interconnection member disposed between adjacent segments, electronically connecting the inner electrode of one cell segment to the inner electrode of an adjacent cell segment, the outer electrodes being physically and electronically segmented from each other and from the inner electrodes of adjacent cell segments.
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Abstract
An axially elongated, electrochemical cell assembly is made, containing a plurality of cell elements each made up of an electronically conductive, porous, inner electrode, an annular, solid electrolyte contacting and surrounding said first electrode, and an annular, electronically conductive, porous, outer electrode contacting and surrounding said electrolyte, with annular, electronically conductive, interconnection members disposed between and bonded to cell elements, where the inner electrodes of the cell elements are electronically connected through the interconnection member, and the outer electrodes of the cell elements are physically and electronically segmented from each other; where a plurality of such cell assemblies can be connected by a sleeving means and placed in the generating chamber of an electrochemical cell generator, which also has an associated dual gaseous reactant input, at least one combustion product chamber, and a combustion product gas exhaust.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A single electrochemical cell, comprising a plurality of cell segments, the cell segments comprising an annular, electronically conductive, porous, inner electrode;
- solid electrolyte contacting and surrounding said inner electrode;
an electronically conductive, porous outer electrode contacting and surrounding said electrolyte; and
an annular;
electronically conductive, interconnection member disposed between adjacent segments, electronically connecting the inner electrode of one cell segment to the inner electrode of an adjacent cell segment, the outer electrodes being physically and electronically segmented from each other and from the inner electrodes of adjacent cell segments. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
- solid electrolyte contacting and surrounding said inner electrode;
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8. An axially elongated, annular, fuel cell assembly, comprising a plurality of cell elements, the cell elements comprising a self-supporting, annular, electronically conductive, porous, inner air electrode;
- solid oxide electrolyte contacting and surrounding said air electrode; and
an electronically conductive, porous, outer fuel electrode contacting and surrounding said electrolyte;
with an annular, electronically conductive, interconnection members disposed between and bonded to the cell elements, wherein the inner air electrodes of the cell elements on the same cell assembly are electronically connected through the interconnection member, and the outer electrodes of the cell elements on the same cell assembly are physically and electronically segregated from each other and from the inner electrodes on the same cell assembly. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
- solid oxide electrolyte contacting and surrounding said air electrode; and
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14. A configuration of axially elongated, annular, electrochemical cells comprising one central, axially elongated, electrochemical cell assembly and a plurality of parallel, axially elongated, electrochemical cell assemblies, said electrochemical cell assemblies having a plurality of cell elements, the cell elements comprising an annular, electronically conductive, porous, inner air electrode, an annular, gas-impermeable, solid oxide electronically insulating electrolyte contacting and surrounding said air electrode;
- and an annular, electronically conductive, porous, outer fuel electrode contacting and surrounding said electrolyte;
with an annular, electronically conductive, interconnection member disposed between the cell elements, wherein the inner air electrodes of the cell elements on the same cell assembly are electronically connected through the interconnection member, and the outer electrodes of the cell elements on the same cell assembly are physically and electronically segmented from each other and from the inner electrodes on the same cell assembly, where the outside surfaces of the annular interconnection members of the central elecrochemical cell assembly are connected in series to an adjacent electrochemical cell assembly, such that said outside surfaces of the interconnection members are electronically connected to the outer fuel electrode surfaces of an adjacent electrochemical cell assembly. - View Dependent Claims (15)
- and an annular, electronically conductive, porous, outer fuel electrode contacting and surrounding said electrolyte;
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16. An electrochemical cell generator comprising:
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(A) a housing means defining a plurality of chambers including a generator chamber and a combustion product chamber; (B) a porous barrier separating said generator and combustion product chambers; (C) a plurality of axially elongated, electrochemical cell assemblies disposed within said generator chamber, said electrochemical cell assemblies each comprising a plurality of cell elements, the cell elements comprising an annular electronically conductive, porous, inner electrode;
solid electrolyte contacting and surrounding said first electrode; and
an electronically conductive, porous outer electrode contacting and surrounding said electrolyte;
with annular, electronically conductive, interconnection members disposed between the cell elements, wherein the inner electrodes of the cell elements on the same cell assembly are electronically connected through the interconnection member, and the outer electrodes of the cell elements on the same cell assembly are physically and electronically segmented from each other and from the inner electrodes on the same cell assembly, to provide a plurality of segmented electrochemical lengths;(D) means for flowing a first gaseous reactant through said annular fuel cells and through said porous barrier into said combustion product chamber; (E) means for flowing a second gaseous reactant into said generator chamber, about said fuel cells, and through said porous barrier into said combustion product chamber; (F) means for segregating said first and second gaseous reactants from direct contact with one another prior to entry of each into said combustion product chamber; and (G) means to exhaust the first and second reactants from the combustion product chamber. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. An electrochemical cell generator comprising:
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(A) a housing means defining a plurality of chambers including two combustion product chambers with a generator chamber disposed between them; (B) porous barriers separating said generator chamber from the two combustion product chambers; (C) a plurality of axially elongated, annular, electrochemical cells disposed within said generator chamber; (D) means for flowing a first gaseous reactant through said annular electrochemical cells and through said porous barriers into both of said combustion product chambers; (E) means for flowing a second gaseous reactant into said generator chamber, about said electrochemical cells, and through said porous barriers into both of said combustion product chambers; (F) means for segregating said first and second gaseous reactants from direct contact with one another prior to entry of each into said combustion product chambers; and (G) means to exhaust the first and second reactants from the combustion product chambers. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A solid electrolyte fuel cell generator comprising:
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(A) a housing means defining a plurality of chambers including a generator chamber and two combustion product chambers with a generator chamber disposed between them; (B) porous barriers separating said generator chamber from the two combustion product chambers; (C) a plurality of axially elongated, annular, electrochemical cell assemblies disposed within said generator chamber, said electrochemical cell assemblies each comprising a plurality of cell elements, the cell elements comprising an annular, electronically conductive, porous, inner electrode;
solid electrolyte contacting and surrounding said first electrode; and
an electronically conductive, porous outer electrode contacting and completely surrounding said electrolyte;
with annular, electronically conductive, interconnection members disposed between the cell elements, electronically connecting the inner electrodes of the cell elements to the inner electrode of adjacent cell elements on the same cell assembly, and the outer electrodes of the cell elements are physically and electronically segmented from the outer electrodes of adjacent cell elements on the same cell assembly and from the inner electrodes of adjacent cell elements on the same cell assembly, to provide a plurality of segmented electrochemical lengths;(D) means for flowing a first gaseous reactant through said annular fuel cells and through said porous barriers into both of said combustion product chambers; (E) means for flowing a second gaseous reactant into said generator chamber, about said fuel cells, and through said porous barriers into both of said combustion product chambers; (F) means for segregating said first and second gaseous reactants from direct contact with one another prior to entry of each into said combustion product chambers; and (G) means to exhaust the first and second reactants from the combustion product chambers. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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Specification