Claims
- 1. An electrolyte delivery apparatus comprising:
an electrolyte reservoir comprising electrolyte; a fluid conduit in fluid communication with the electrolyte reservoir, the fluid conduit configured to receive electrolyte from the electrolyte reservoir; a heating device in thermal communication with the electrolyte reservoir and the fluid conduit, the heating device being operative to increase fluidity of at least a portion of the electrolyte in the electrolyte reservoir; and a pressure generator operative to force electrolyte out of the electrolyte reservoir and into the fluid conduit.
- 2. The electrolyte delivery apparatus of claim 1 in which the heating device is a resistive heater.
- 3. The electrolyte delivery apparatus of claim 1 in which the pressure generator is a pressure-regulated gas.
- 4. The electrolyte delivery apparatus of claim 1 in which the fluid conduit comprises a stainless steel tube.
- 5. The electrolyte delivery apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a vent for venting the electrolyte reservoir.
- 6. A fuel cell assembly comprising:
a fuel cell comprising a cathode electrode, an anode electrode and an electrolyte matrix between the cathode electrode and anode electrode; an electrolyte reservoir comprising electrolyte; a fluid conduit configured to provide fluid communication between the fuel cell and the electrolyte reservoir; and a heating device in thermal communication with the electrolyte reservoir and operative to increase the fluidity of the electrolyte for delivery to the fuel cell.
- 7. The fuel cell assembly of claim 6 further comprising a pressure generator configured to force liquid electrolyte from the electrolyte reservoir and into the fuel cell through the fluid conduit.
- 8. The fuel cell assembly of claim 6 in which the fuel cell is a molten carbonate fuel cell.
- 9. The fuel cell assembly of claim 6 in which the cathode and anode each comprises a nickel catalyst.
- 10. The fuel cell assembly of claim 6 in which the heating device is in thermal communication with both the electrolyte reservoir and the fluid conduit.
- 11. The fuel cell assembly of claim 6 in which the fuel cell is in a fuel cell stack.
- 12. The fuel cell assembly of claim 6 further comprising a second fluid conduit configured to replenish electrolyte in the electrolyte reservoir.
- 13. A molten carbonate fuel cell assembly comprising:
a molten carbonate fuel cell comprising a cathode electrode, an anode electrode and a molten carbonate electrolyte matrix between the cathode electrode and the anode electrode; an electrolyte reservoir comprising molten carbonate electrolyte; a fluid conduit configured to provide fluid communication between the molten carbonate fuel cell and the electrolyte reservoir; a heating device operative to heat molten carbonate electrolyte in the electrolyte reservoir; and a pressure generator comprising a pressurized gas operative to force heated molten carbonate electrolyte out of the electrolyte reservoir.
- 14. The molten carbonate fuel cell assembly of claim 13 further comprising a thermocouple in thermal communication with the electrolyte reservoir.
- 15. The molten carbonate fuel cell assembly of claim 13 further comprising a flow detector operative to detect flow of the pressurized gas.
- 16. The molten carbonate fuel cell assembly of claim 13 further comprising a replenishment tube for adding additional electrolyte to the electrolyte reservoir.
- 17. The molten carbonate fuel cell assembly of claim 13 further comprising a controller configured to activate the pressure generator.
- 18. The molten carbonate fuel cell assembly of claim 13 further comprising a timer configured to deactivate the pressure generator after a certain period.
- 19. A method of supplying electrolyte to a fuel cell, the method comprising:
providing an electrolyte reservoir comprising electrolyte, the electrolyte reservoir in fluid communication with a fuel cell through a fluid conduit; heating the electrolyte reservoir to increase fluidity of at least a portion of the electrolyte in the electrolyte reservoir; and delivering electrolyte from the electrolyte reservoir to the fuel cell through the fluid conduit.
- 20. The method of claim 19 in which the electrolyte is delivered to an operating fuel cell.
- 21. The method of claim 19 in which the fuel cell is a molten carbonate fuel cell.
PRIORITY CLAIM
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/462,645 filed on Apr. 14, 2003 and entitled “Method and Apparatus for Addition of Molten Carbonate Electrolyte to an Operating Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell,” the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60462645 |
Apr 2003 |
US |