Fuel cell with transport flow across gap
First Claim
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1. An electrochemical cell for use with an electrode and reactants comprising a fuel and an oxidizer, comprising:
- electrodes comprising;
(i) an anode communicated to the fuel source for receiving the fuel and oxidizing the fuel into at least oxidized fuel ions and electrons, and (ii) a cathode communicated to the oxidizer source for accepting electrons and reducing the oxidizer into at least reduced oxidizer ions;
the anode and the cathode being spaced apart to define a gap between opposing gap facing surfaces thereof and being connectable to a load;
a first input into the cell for directly delivering a first of the reactants selected from the group consisting of;
the fuel and the oxidizer to a first of the electrodes to produce a first output;
a second input into the cell for directly delivering a second of the reactants to a second of the electrodes, the second of the reactants being different from the first reactant, and the second input being separate from the first input to the first of the electrodes and configured for combining with the first output, and wherein the fuel and the oxidizer are each input from a source external to the fuel cell;
a flow generator for generating a transport flow comprising the electrolyte and the ions formed from the first reactant oxidized or reduced at the first electrode that exits the gap facing surface of the first electrode and into the gap such that the transport flow flows essentially perpendicularly to the opposing gap facing surfaces of the electrodes and transports the ions of the first output formed from the first reactant for reaction with the ions formed from the second reactant oxidized or reduced at the second electrode, to form a second output that exits the second electrode, the second output comprising a mixture which results in a product and the electrolyte exiting the second electrode.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a fuel cell with a gap for transport flow of an electrolyte containing charge carrying ions from either a fuel or an oxidizer between anode and a cathode.
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Citations
57 Claims
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1. An electrochemical cell for use with an electrode and reactants comprising a fuel and an oxidizer, comprising:
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electrodes comprising;
(i) an anode communicated to the fuel source for receiving the fuel and oxidizing the fuel into at least oxidized fuel ions and electrons, and (ii) a cathode communicated to the oxidizer source for accepting electrons and reducing the oxidizer into at least reduced oxidizer ions;the anode and the cathode being spaced apart to define a gap between opposing gap facing surfaces thereof and being connectable to a load; a first input into the cell for directly delivering a first of the reactants selected from the group consisting of;
the fuel and the oxidizer to a first of the electrodes to produce a first output;a second input into the cell for directly delivering a second of the reactants to a second of the electrodes, the second of the reactants being different from the first reactant, and the second input being separate from the first input to the first of the electrodes and configured for combining with the first output, and wherein the fuel and the oxidizer are each input from a source external to the fuel cell; a flow generator for generating a transport flow comprising the electrolyte and the ions formed from the first reactant oxidized or reduced at the first electrode that exits the gap facing surface of the first electrode and into the gap such that the transport flow flows essentially perpendicularly to the opposing gap facing surfaces of the electrodes and transports the ions of the first output formed from the first reactant for reaction with the ions formed from the second reactant oxidized or reduced at the second electrode, to form a second output that exits the second electrode, the second output comprising a mixture which results in a product and the electrolyte exiting the second electrode. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A fuel cell for use with an electrolyte and reactants comprising a fuel and an oxidizer comprising:
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electrodes comprising;
(i) an anode for oxidizing the fuel into at least oxidized fuel ions and electrons, and (ii) a cathode for accepting electrons and reducing the oxidizer into at least reduced oxidizer ions;the anode and the cathode being spaced apart to define a gap between opposing gap facing surfaces thereof and being connectable to a load; a first input into the cell for directly delivering a first of the reactants selected from the group consisting of;
the fuel and the oxidizer to a first of the electrodes to produce a first output, the first input being upstream of or at the first electrode;a second input into the cell for directly delivering a second of the reactants to a second of the electrodes, the second of the reactants being different from the first reactant, and the second input being separate from and downstream of the first electrode such that the second of the reactants is configured for combining with the first output, and wherein the fuel and the oxidizer are each input from a source external to the fuel cell; and a flow generator for generating a transport flow of the electrolyte exiting the gap facing surface of the first electrode and flowing essentially perpendicularly to the opposing gap facing surfaces of both the electrodes to the gap facing surface of the second electrode across the gap to transport the ions of the first output formed from the first reactant oxidized or reduced at said first electrode for reaction with the ions formed from the second reactant oxidized or reduced at the second electrode, to form a second output that exits the second electrode, the second output comprising a mixture which results in a product and the electrolyte exiting the second electrode. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A fuel cell system comprising:
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a fuel source comprising a fuel; an oxidizer source comprising an oxidizer, the fuel and the oxidizer being reactants; electrodes comprising;
(a) an anode communicated to the fuel source for receiving the fuel and oxidizing the fuel into at least oxidized fuel ions and electrons, and (b) a cathode communicated to the oxidizer source for accepting electrons and reducing the oxidizer into at least reduced oxidizer ions;the anode and the cathode being spaced apart to define a gap between opposing gap facing surfaces thereof and being connectable to a load; a first input into the cell for directly delivering a first of the reactants selected from the group consisting of;
the fuel and the oxidizer to a first of the electrodes to produce a first output, the first input being upstream of or at the first electrode;a second input into the cell for directly delivering a second of the reactants to a second of the electrodes, the second of the reactants being different from the first reactant, and the second input being separate from and downstream of the first electrode such that the second of the reactants is configured for combining with the first output, and wherein the fuel and the oxidizer are each input from a source external to the fuel cell; an electrolyte in the gap between the anode and the cathode; a flow generator for generating a transport flow of the electrolyte exiting the gap facing surface of the first electrode and flowing essentially perpendicularly to the opposing gap facing surfaces of both the electrodes to the gap facing surface of the second electrode across the gap to transport the ions of the first output formed from the first reactant oxidized or reduced at said first electrode for reaction with the ions formed from the second reactant oxidized or reduced at the second electrode, to form a second output that exits the second electrode, the second output comprising a mixture which results in a product and the electrolyte exiting the second electrode. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29)
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30. A method for generating electrical current using a electrochemical cell for use with an electrolyte and reactants comprising a fuel and an oxidizer, comprising:
- electrodes comprising;
(i) an anode for oxidizing the fuel into at least oxidized fuel ions and electrons, and (ii) a cathode for accepting electrons and reducing the oxidizer into at least reduced oxidizer ions;
the anode and the cathode being spaced apart to define a gap between opposing gap facing surfaces thereof and being connectable to a load;
a first input into the cell for directly delivering a first of the reactants selected from the group consisting of;
the fuel and the oxidizer to a first of the electrodes to produce a first output;
a second input into the cell for directly delivering a second of the reactants to a second of the electrodes, the second of the reactants being different from the first reactant, and the second input being separate from the first input to the first of the electrodes such that the second of the reactants is configured for combining with the first output, and wherein the fuel and the oxidizer are each input from a source external to the fuel cell;
a flow generator for generating a transport flow comprising the electrolyte and the ions formed from the first reactant oxidized or reduced at the first electrode that flows from the first electrode and into the gap such that the transport flow transports the ions formed from the first reactant for reaction with the ions formed from the second reactant oxidized or reduced at the second electrode, the method comprising;delivering the first of the reactants to the first of the electrodes via the first input to produce the first output; delivering a second of the reactants to the second of the electrodes via the second input, for combining with the first output; wherein the transport flow comprising the electrode and the ions formed from the first reactant oxidized or reduced at the first electrode exist the gap facing surface of the first electrode and flows into the gap as the first output, the transport flow flowing essentially perpendicularly to the opposing gap facing surfaces of the electrodes and transporting the ions formed from the first reactant for reaction with the ions formed from the second reactant oxidized or reduced at the second electrode, to form a second output that exits the second electrode, the second output comprising a mixture which results in a product and the electrolyte exiting the second electrode. - View Dependent Claims (31)
- electrodes comprising;
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32. A method for generating electrical current using a fuel cell for use with an electrolyte and reactants comprising a fuel and an oxidizer comprising:
- electrodes comprising;
(i) an anode for oxidizing the fuel into at least oxidized fuel ions and electrons, and (ii) a cathode for accepting electrons and reducing the oxidizer into at least reduced oxidizer ions;
the anode and the cathode being spaced apart to define a gap between opposing gap facing surfaces thereof and being connectable to a load;
a first input into the cell for directly delivering a first of the reactants selected from the group consisting of;
the fuel and the oxidizer to a first of the electrodes to produce a first output, the first input being upstream of or at the first electrode;
a second input into the cell for directly delivering a second of the reactants to a second of the electrodes, the second of the reactants being different from the first reactant, and the second input being separate from and downstream of the first electrode such that the second of the reactants is configured for combining with the first output, and wherein the fuel and the oxidizer are each input from a source external to the fuel cell;
a flow generator for generating a transport flow of the electrolyte exiting the gap facing surface of the first electrode and flowing essentially perpendicularly to the opposing gap facing surfaces of both the electrodes to the gap facing surface of the second electrode across the gap to transport the ions of the first output formed from the first reactant oxidized or reduced at said first electrode for reaction with the ions formed from the second reactant oxidized or reduced at the second electrode, to form a second output that exits the second electrode, the second output comprising a mixture which results in a product and the electrolyte exiting the second electrode;
the method comprising;delivering the first of the reactants to the first of the electrodes via the first input upstream of or at the first electrode; delivering a second of the reactants to the second of the electrodes via the second input downstream of the first electrode at the gap or the second electrode; generating the transport flow of the electrolyte across the gap to transport the ions of the first output formed from the first reactant oxidized or reduced at said first electrode for reaction with the ions formed from the second reactant oxidized or reduced at the second electrode, to produce the second output exiting the second electrode, wherein the generated transport flow exits the gap faxing surface of the first electrode and flows essentially perpendicularly to the opposing gap facing surfaces of both the electrodes and through the gap facing surface of the second electrode. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
- electrodes comprising;
Specification