Multiple-walled fuel container and delivery system

• US 6,460,733 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2001
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Duracell U.S. Operations, Inc. (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: MTI MicroFuel Cells, Inc. (Soluna Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beckmann, Gerhard, Acker, William P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jacyna, J. Casimer
• Application Number:
  US09/788,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20020127141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 222/81, 222/82, 222/83, 222/83.5, 222/87, 222/88, 222/94, 222/129, 222/142.5, 222/145.1, 222/1, 206/400, 206/524, 422/40
• US Class Current: 222/94
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04186 of liquid-charged or electrolyte-charged reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04208 Cartridges, cryogenic media or cryogenic reservoirs
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/1011 Direct alcohol fuel cells [DAFC], e.g. direct methanol fuel cells [DMFC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

A fuel container and delivery assembly for use with a direct oxidation fuel cell system is provided. The container and delivery assembly allows clean fuel which, in a preferred embodiment, is in the form of either pure methanol or an aqueous methanol/water mixture to be delivered to the cell. Additives are mixed with the fuel containing substance prior to release of the fuel outside of the cell. The fuel substance is housed in an inner tank, which is disposed within an outer container. A plenum area defined by the space between the outer container and the flexible bladder is filled with the additives so that, upon rupture of the entire assembly, the fuel substance is mixed with the additives. In one embodiment of the invention, the inner tank is a flexible bladder. A rupture means is provided on a needle, which draws the fuel out in pure form, tears the flexible bladder so that any remaining fuel is mixed with the additives when it is desired to dispose of or re-fill the container.

Claims

1. A multiple-walled fuel container and delivery assembly for use with an associated direct oxidation fuel cell system, the assembly comprising:

an inner tank filled with a carbonaceous fuel, being capable of being pierced or intentionally accessed for delivering fuel to said associated direct oxidation fuel cell system, and said inner tank being substantially comprised of a material that is capable of rupture;

an outer container having an opening at one end thereof, said outer container enclosing said inner tank and defining a plenum between an interior wall of said outer container and said inner tank, said plenum being filled with a mixture of one or more additives, wherein, upon rupture of said inner tank, or rupture of said assembly, said fuel is mixed with said additives.

2. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a conduit for extracting said fuel in a pure form, without said one or more additives, from said inner tank.

3. The fuel delivery assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said conduit comprises a needle having an aperture therein through which said fuel passes.

4. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 3 wherein:

said outer container includes a seal at one in thereof which seal is composed of a plastic resin capable of being pierced by said needle.

5. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 3, further comprising:

a plug sized to fit within said opening in said outer container to seal said outer container, said plug also including a rubber portion disposed thereon capable of being pierced by said needle for introduction of said needle into said outer container.

6. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 5 wherein said conduit includes:

a guide sized to fit over said opening in said outer container; and

a needle sized to fit within said guide and said needle having an aperture therein through which said fuel can pass upon piercing said seal at said opening of said outer container.

7. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 6 wherein:

said fuel is disposed within said flexible bladder and said additive component is disposed within the plenum between the interior wall of said outer container and the flexible bladder; and

a pressure chamber being disposed within the interior of said outer container, said pressure chamber applying pressure to said flexible bladder to compress said flexible bladder whereby the fuel is driven into an aperture in said needle to extract said fuel.

8. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 7 further comprising:

coupling device disposed between said inner tank and said outer container in such a manner that said coupling device causes a rupture in said inner tank upon rupture of said outer container whereby said fuel is mixed with said additives when said outer container is ruptured.

9. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 7 further comprising:

a conduit for extracting said fuel in pure form without said additives from said inner tank.

10. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 9 wherein said conduit comprises a needle having an aperture therein, through which said methanol-containing substance passes.

11. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 10 wherein said conduit includes:

a guide sized to fit over said opening in said outer container; and

a needle sized to fit within said guide and said needle having an aperture therein through which said methanol containing substance passes upon piercing said seal and said opening of said outer container.

12. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 7 wherein said inner tank is a flexible bladder that is substantially fully expanded upon being filled with said methanol containing substance.

13. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 12 further comprising:

a pressure chamber disposed within an interior of said outer container to apply pressure to said flexible bladder to compress the flexible bladder whereby said methanol-containing substance is driven into said conduit.

14. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 13 further comprising:

deflating device associated with said needle and connected to said needle in such a manner that said deflating device causes a tear in said bladder in such a manner that said methanol containing substance is mixed with said additives upon rupture of said flexible bladder.

15. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said inner tank is a flexible bladder, which is substantially fully expanded upon being filled with said fuel.

16. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 15 further comprising:

a pressure chamber disposed within an interior of said outer container to apply pressure to said flexible bladder to compress the flexible bladder whereby said fuel is driven into said conduit.

17. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 15 further comprising:

deflating device associated with said needle and connected to said needle in such a manner that said deflating device causes a tear in said bladder such that said fuel is mixed with said additives upon rupture of said flexible bladder.

18. A fuel container and delivery assembly for uses with an associated direct oxidation fuel cell system the assembly comprising:

means for holding a carbonaceous fuel including an inner tank filled with said fuel, and said inner tank being capable of being pierced or intentionally accessed for delivering fuel to said associated direct oxidation fuel cell system, and said inner tank being substantially comprised of a material that is capable of rupture; and

means for enclosing said inner tank including an outer container which defines a plenum between an interior wall of said outer container and said inner tank, said plenum being filled with a mixture of one or more additives and for mixing said additives with said fuel substance upon rupture of said inner tank or said assembly.

19. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 18 further comprising:

means for extracting said field in a pure form without said one or more additives from said inner tank.

20. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 19 further comprising:

said means for extracting said fuel being a needle having an aperture therein through which said fuel passes.

21. The fuel delivery assembly as defined in claim 20 wherein:

said means for holding said hydrocarbon fuel is a flexible bladder that is substantially fully expanded upon being filled with said fuel.

22. The fuel delivery assembly as defined in claim 21 further comprising:

means for applying pressure to said flexible bladder to compress said flexible bladder whereby said fuel is driven into said means for extracting.

23. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 22 further comprising:

means for deflating said flexible bladder in such a manner that said flexible bladder is deflated and said fuel is mixed with said additives when said flexible bladder is deflated.

24. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 23 wherein:

said outer container includes sealing means.

25. A fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 23 further comprising:

means for applying pressure to said flexible bladder to compress said flexible bladder whereby fuel is driven into an aperture in said needle to extract said fuel.

26. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 25 further comprising:

means for deflating said flexible bladder upon removal of said needle whereby said fuel is mixed with said additives once said needle means is removed from said assembly.

27. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 18 further comprising:

plug means sized to fit within said opening in said outer container for sealing said outer container, said plug means also having means capable of being pierced by said needle for introducing said needle into said outer container.

28. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 27 wherein:

said extracting means includes

guide means sized to fit over said opening in said outer container; and

needle means sized to fit within said guide means and said needle means having an aperture therein through which said fuel can pass upon piercing said seal at said opening of said outer container.

29. A method of storing and delivering fuel substances to a direct oxidation fuel cell system, including the steps of:

filling an inner tank that is capable of being pierced or intentionally accessed and that is capable of rupture with a fuel substance;

disposing said inner tank within an outer container allowing a plenum area between an inner wall of said outer container and said inner tank;

filling said plenum with one or more additives; and

sealing said inner tank and said outer container in such a manner that upon rupture of said inner tank and said outer container, said fuel substance is mixed with said one or more additives.

30. The method as defined in claim 29, including the further step of:

delivering said fuel substance, without said additives, to said direct oxidation fuel cell via a conduit provided at one end of said outer container, but which conduit is introduced into said inner tank, such that fuel, without said additives is delivered to said cell.

31. The method as defined in claim 30, including the further step of:

providing as said conduit a needle having an aperture therein through which said fuel substance can pass to said cell.

32. The method as defined in claim 31, including the further step of:

providing said inner tank as a flexible bladder; and

applying pressure to said flexible bladder to deliver fuel from said flexible bladder to said conduit.

33. The method as defined in claim 32, including the further step of:

deflating said flexible bladder when removing said needle from said inner tank such that said fuel substance is mixed with said additives when said needle is removed from said inner tank.

34. A fuel container and delivery assembly for use with an associated direct oxidation fuel cell, the assembly comprising:

an outer container having an interior portion defined by an interior wall, and an opening at one end thereof;

an inner flexible bladder disposed within said outer container and sized to define a plenum between said flexible bladder and said interior wall of said outer container;

a fuel disposed in one of either said inner flexible bladder or said outer container;

an additive substance disposed in the other of said flexible bladder and said outer container, whereby, upon rupture of the assembly, said fuel substance and said additives are mixed together; and

a conduit for extracting substances from said assembly for delivery to said direct oxidation fuel cell.

35. A fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 34 wherein:

said conduit comprising a needle having an aperture therein through which said fuel passes.

36. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 35 further comprising:

deflating device associated with said needle and connected to said needle in such a manner that said deflating device cause a tear in said bladder such that said fuel and said additives are mixed upon tearing said flexible bladder.

37. The fuel container and delivery assembly as defined in claim 36 further comprising:

coupling device disposed between said inner tank and said outer container in such a manner that said coupling device causes a rupture of said inner tank upon rupture of said outer container whereby said fuel is mixed with said additives when said outer container is ruptured. said outer container whereby said fuel is mixed with said additives when said outer container is ruptured.