Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus – product – and – Having magnetic field feature
Patent
1999-05-11
2000-08-29
Nuzzolillo, Maria
Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus, product, and
Having magnetic field feature
429 34, 429 39, 429 30, H01M 818
Patent
active
061106143
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electric power generation system comprising a plurality of fuel cells electrically connected to to another, for example as a stack of fuel cells.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention an electric power generation system comprises a plurality of fuel cells electrically connected one to another, said fuel cells comprising anodes and cathodes, a plurality of first passage means associated with and defined at least in part by said anodes, a plurality of second passage means associated with and defined at least in part by said cathodes, third passage means connected to inlets to said first passage means for said third passage means to supply said first passage means and associated anodes with fuel gas, fourth passage means connected to inlets to said second passage means to supply said second passage means and associated cathodes with oxidizing gas, the arrangement being such that either (i) anode exhaust gas from a first group of said first passage means is kept separate from anode exhaust gas from a second group formed by a plurality of other passages of said first passage means and fifth passage means being provided to convey said anode exhaust gas from said second group of said first passage means to the third passage means for supply with said fuel gas to the inlets to said first passage means or (ii) cathode exhaust gas from a first group of said second passage means is kept separate from cathode exhaust gas from a second group formed by a plurality of other said second passage means and sixth passage means being provided to convey said cathode exhaust gas from said second group of said second passage means to the fourth passage means for supply with said oxidizing gas to the inlets to said second passage means, or the arrangement being such that anode exhaust gas from a first group of said first passage means is kept separate from anode exhaust gas from a second group formed by a plurality of other said first passage means and fifth passage means being provided to convey said anode exhaust gas from said second group of said first passage means to the third passage means for supply with said fuel gas to the inlets to said first passage means and cathode exhaust gas from a first group of said second passage means is kept separate from cathode exhaust gas from a second group formed by plurality of other said second passage means and sixth passage means being provided to convey said cathode exhaust gas from said second group of said second passage means to the fourth passage means for supply with said oxidizing gas to the inlets to said second passage means.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1, which is partly in section, diagrammatically illustrates an embodiment of an electric power generation system formed according to the invention;
FIG. 1A is a section of a fragment of two adjacent fuel cells in the system in FIG. 1, taken at right angles to the plane of FIG. 1;
FIG. 2 which is partly in section, diagrammatically illustrates another embodiment of an electric power generation system formed according to the invention;
FIG. 3 which is partly in section, diagrammatically illustrates a further embodiment of an electric power generation system formed according to the invention;
FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of a plan view of yet another embodiment of an electric power generation system formed according to the invention, comparable with the embodiment in FIG. 1, but comprising a cross-flow stack of fuel cells;
FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of a fragment of the stack taken along line V--V in FIG. 4, and
FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic illustration of a fragment of the stack taken along line VI--VI in FIG. 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the drawings like references identify like or comparable parts.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
With referenc
REFERENCES:
patent: 3718506 (1973-02-01), Fischer et al.
patent: 4182795 (1980-01-01), Baker et al.
patent: 4808491 (1989-02-01), Reichner
patent: 5047299 (1991-09-01), Shockling
patent: 5200278 (1993-04-01), Watkins et al.
patent: 5360679 (1994-11-01), Buswell et al.
Alejandro Raymond
BG plc
Nuzzolillo Maria
LandOfFree
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