Method of compensating a MOS gas sensor, method of manufacturing a MOS gas sensor, MOS gas sensor, and fuel cell system

• US 6,550,304 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2002
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Relion Incorporated (Plug Power Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avista Laboratories Inc. (Plug Power Inc.)
• Inventors: Fuglevand, William A., Lloyd, Greg A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kwok, Helen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Politzer, Jay L
• Application Number:
  US10/187,707
• Publication Number:
  US 20030019275A1
• Time in Patent Office: 295 Days
• Field of Search: 73/232, 73/232.1, 73/310.6, 73/10.6, 422/98
• US Class Current: 73/1.02
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/122 Circuits particularly adapted therefor, e.g. linearising circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0006 Calibrating gas analysers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0247 characterised by the form characterised by a channel configuration H01M8/0258
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04007 related to heat exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04089 of gaseous reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04097 with recycling of the reactants H01M8/04119, H01M8/04104 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0432 Temperature; Ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0444 Concentration; Density H01M8/04492 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0447 of cathode exhausts
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04522 of cathode exhausts
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04679 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04955 Shut-off or shut-down of fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/1004 characterised by membrane-electrode assemblies [MEA] H01M8/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/241 with solid or matrix-supported electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/247 Arrangements for tightening a stack, for accommodation of a stack in a tank or for assembling different tanks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A method of compensating a MOS gas sensor is described and which includes using a MOS gas sensor to provide a signal indicative of gas concentration of a target gas in an ambient; providing a signal representative of dew point of the ambient; and modifying the signal from the MOS gas sensor using the signal representative of dew point to simultaneously compensate for the effects of both temperature and relative humidity on the MOS gas sensor.

Claims

1. A fuel cell power system comprising:

a housing having a fuel gas inlet and an exhaust outlet;

at least one ion exchange membrane fuel cell disposed within the housing; and

a MOS gas sensor system including a MOS gas sensor which, in operation, senses the presence of a fuel in the housing, and which, in operation, provides a signal indicative of the gas concentration of the fuel in the housing;

equipment configured to determine the dew point in the housing; and

compensation circuitry configured to modify the signal from the MOS gas sensor using a compensation factor, which is based upon the determined dew point.

2. A fuel cell system in accordance with claim 1 wherein the compensation circuitry is analog circuitry.

3. A fuel cell system in accordance with claim 1 and further comprising a fuel supply coupled to the fuel supply inlet of the housing and which delivers the fuel.

4. A fuel cell power system in accordance with claim 3 wherein the fuel comprises hydrogen gas, and wherein the MOS sensor of the MOS gas sensor system is configured to sense the concentration of hydrogen gas.

5. A fuel cell power system in accordance with claim 1 wherein the equipment configured to determine the dew point in the housing comprises a temperature sensor which, in operation, generates a signal representative of temperature of the ambient;

a relative humidity sensor which, in operation, provides a signal representative of the relative humidity of the ambient; and

circuitry, coupled to the analog circuitry, and which, in operation, derives dew point from the temperature and humidity signals.