GB2523045A - Fuel cells and method of operation - Google Patents

Fuel cells and method of operation Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2523045A
GB2523045A GB1510023.3A GB201510023A GB2523045A GB 2523045 A GB2523045 A GB 2523045A GB 201510023 A GB201510023 A GB 201510023A GB 2523045 A GB2523045 A GB 2523045A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
electrolyte
gas
permeable layer
anode
electrolyte chamber
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
GB1510023.3A
Other versions
GB201510023D0 (en
GB2523045B (en
Inventor
Naveed Akhtar
James Alexander Austin
Hugh Liam Sutherland
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
AFC Energy PLC
Original Assignee
AFC Energy PLC
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from GB201222707A external-priority patent/GB201222707D0/en
Priority claimed from GBGB1222728.6A external-priority patent/GB201222728D0/en
Application filed by AFC Energy PLC filed Critical AFC Energy PLC
Publication of GB201510023D0 publication Critical patent/GB201510023D0/en
Publication of GB2523045A publication Critical patent/GB2523045A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2523045B publication Critical patent/GB2523045B/en
Active legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/08—Fuel cells with aqueous electrolytes
    • H01M8/083—Alkaline fuel cells
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M4/00—Electrodes
    • H01M4/86—Inert electrodes with catalytic activity, e.g. for fuel cells
    • H01M4/8636—Inert electrodes with catalytic activity, e.g. for fuel cells with a gradient in another property than porosity
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M4/00—Electrodes
    • H01M4/86—Inert electrodes with catalytic activity, e.g. for fuel cells
    • H01M4/8647—Inert electrodes with catalytic activity, e.g. for fuel cells consisting of more than one material, e.g. consisting of composites
    • H01M4/8657—Inert electrodes with catalytic activity, e.g. for fuel cells consisting of more than one material, e.g. consisting of composites layered
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04082—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration
    • H01M8/04089—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration of gaseous reactants
    • H01M8/04104—Regulation of differential pressures
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04276—Arrangements for managing the electrolyte stream, e.g. heat exchange
    • H01M8/04283—Supply means of electrolyte to or in matrix-fuel cells
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M4/00—Electrodes
    • H01M4/86—Inert electrodes with catalytic activity, e.g. for fuel cells
    • H01M4/8605—Porous electrodes
    • H01M4/8626—Porous electrodes characterised by the form
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04082—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration
    • H01M8/04089—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration of gaseous reactants
    • H01M8/04119—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration of gaseous reactants with simultaneous supply or evacuation of electrolyte; Humidifying or dehumidifying
    • H01M8/04156—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration of gaseous reactants with simultaneous supply or evacuation of electrolyte; Humidifying or dehumidifying with product water removal
    • H01M8/04164—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration of gaseous reactants with simultaneous supply or evacuation of electrolyte; Humidifying or dehumidifying with product water removal by condensers, gas-liquid separators or filters
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
    • Y02E60/30—Hydrogen technology
    • Y02E60/50—Fuel cells

Landscapes

  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Electrochemistry (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Sustainable Development (AREA)
  • Sustainable Energy (AREA)
  • Composite Materials (AREA)
  • Fuel Cell (AREA)
  • Inert Electrodes (AREA)

Abstract

A liquid electrolyte fuel cell with means (202) to define an electrolyte chamber (208), and comprising two electrodes (10): an anode (10a) on one side of the electrolyte chamber (208) and a cathode (10b) on the other side. The anode (10a) comprises a sheet (1 1 ) of metal through which are defined a multiplicity of through- holes (14), and a gas-permeable layer (16) comprising fibrous and/or particulate electrically-conductive material which is bonded to and in electrical contact with the sheet (1 1 ) of metal, and is hydrophobic, and a second fluid-permeable layer (18) comprising fibrous and/or particulate electrically-conductive material and catalytic material, which is bonded to the outer surface of the gas-permeable layer (16), and is less hydrophobic than the first gas-permeable layer (16). The fuel cell (200) also comprises means (26, 50, 44) to adjust the pressure difference between electrolyte (20) within the electrolyte chamber (208) and a gas exposed to the surface of the anode (10a) remote from the electrolyte chamber (208), so that an interface between the electrolyte (10) and the gas is at an intermediate position within the second fluid- permeable layer (18). Raising the anode gas pressure above the electrolyte pressure has been found to improve long-term performance of the cell.
GB1510023.3A 2012-12-17 2013-12-16 Fuel cells and method of operation Active GB2523045B (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB201222707A GB201222707D0 (en) 2012-12-17 2012-12-17 Fuel cells
GBGB1222728.6A GB201222728D0 (en) 2012-12-17 2012-12-17 Fuel cell electrodes
PCT/GB2013/053304 WO2014096793A1 (en) 2012-12-17 2013-12-16 Fuel cells and method of operation

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB201510023D0 GB201510023D0 (en) 2015-07-22
GB2523045A true GB2523045A (en) 2015-08-12
GB2523045B GB2523045B (en) 2017-11-15

Family

ID=49780089

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB1510023.3A Active GB2523045B (en) 2012-12-17 2013-12-16 Fuel cells and method of operation

Country Status (3)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2523045B (en)
TW (1) TW201440306A (en)
WO (1) WO2014096793A1 (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2537632A (en) * 2015-04-21 2016-10-26 Afc Energy Plc Fuel cell stacks, electrodes, and method of manufacture

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2540592B (en) * 2015-07-22 2022-02-23 Afc Energy Plc Fuel cell stack insert
CN111129547A (en) * 2019-12-31 2020-05-08 一汽解放汽车有限公司 Identification control device and method for gas quality of cathode air filter of hydrogen fuel cell
DE102021106854A1 (en) * 2021-03-19 2022-09-22 Airbus Defence and Space GmbH Electrochemical cell for providing or consuming a gas component and method for providing or consuming a gas component

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4435267A (en) * 1982-10-08 1984-03-06 Exxon Research And Engineering Co. Gas percolation barrier for gas fed electrode
US20070128500A1 (en) * 2003-12-16 2007-06-07 Commissariat A L'energie Atomique Alkali fuel cell unaffected by carbonation
US20090042092A1 (en) * 2005-10-19 2009-02-12 Commissariat A L'energie Atomique Electrode for Alkali Fuel Cell and Method for Making a Fuel Cell Including at Least One Step of Making Such an Electrode

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4435267A (en) * 1982-10-08 1984-03-06 Exxon Research And Engineering Co. Gas percolation barrier for gas fed electrode
US20070128500A1 (en) * 2003-12-16 2007-06-07 Commissariat A L'energie Atomique Alkali fuel cell unaffected by carbonation
US20090042092A1 (en) * 2005-10-19 2009-02-12 Commissariat A L'energie Atomique Electrode for Alkali Fuel Cell and Method for Making a Fuel Cell Including at Least One Step of Making Such an Electrode

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2537632A (en) * 2015-04-21 2016-10-26 Afc Energy Plc Fuel cell stacks, electrodes, and method of manufacture
GB2537632B (en) * 2015-04-21 2021-12-08 Afc Energy Plc Fuel cell stacks, electrodes, and method of manufacture

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
TW201440306A (en) 2014-10-16
GB201510023D0 (en) 2015-07-22
WO2014096793A1 (en) 2014-06-26
GB2523045B (en) 2017-11-15

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