Claims
- 1. A fuel cell system, comprising:
a plurality of fuel cells (16, 18) compressed into a stack (14) between a pair of end plates, including a first end fuel cell (18) at a cathode end of said stack and a second end fuel cell at an anode end of said stack, said end plates being either (a) current-collecting end plates (15) or (b) non-current-collecting end plates (68, 82); and a heater (37, 52, 56, 78, 100) having either (c) an electrical resistance heating element (48, 50, 53, 56) or (d) a fuel combustor (78, 100), said heater disposed (e) within at least one of said end plates, (f) at least partly within one of said end fuel cells, or (g) within said stack in contact with a current collector comprising either (h) one of said current-collecting end plates (15), if any, or (I) a current collector plate (70) disposed near an end of said stack between one of said end fuel cells and one of said end plates.
- 2. A system according to claim 1 wherein:
insulated resistance wire (48) is disposed within some portion of at least one of said end fuel cells (16).
- 3. A system according to claim 1 wherein:
an electrically powered heater plate (53) is disposed between a current-collecting end plate (15) and one of said end fuel cells (16).
- 4. A system according to claim 1 wherein:
at least one heater element (56) is disposed in a hole (58) provided in at least one of said end plates.
- 5. A system according to claim 4 wherein:
each heater element is in a hole (56) adjacent to the inner surface of said end plate (15) which is toward said fuel cells (16, 18).
- 6. A system according to claim 1 wherein said end plates are non-current-collecting end plates (82) and further comprising insulation (81) disposed on an inner surface of each of said end plates, toward said fuel cells, and a current collector plate (70) disposed on a side of said insulation opposite said inner surface.
- 7. A system according to claim 6 wherein said current collector plate (71) and said heater (78, 100) are disposed between one of said end cells and said insulation.
- 8. A system according to claim 1 wherein:
said heater is a fuel combustor (78, 100); and a fluidic fuel for said heater flows in unused reactant gas flow fields (37, 47) of one of said end fuel cells, and the remainder of said heater (78) and said current collector plate (70) are disposed between said one end cell and said insulation.
- 9. A system according to claim 1 wherein said heater comprises:
a porous or solid fuel flow field plate (72, 72a) through which fluid fuel flows; a substrate (75); and a catalyst (76) on said substrate for combusting said fuel.
- 10. A system according to claim 9 wherein the flow channels of said fuel flow plate are generally parallel to oxidant reactant gas flow channels of said fuel cells.
- 11. A system according to claim 9 wherein the flow channels of said fuel flow plate are substantially parallel to the fuel reactant gas flow channels of said fuel cells.
- 12. A system according to claim 1 wherein said heater is a catalytic fuel combustor (78, 100).
- 13. A system according to claim 1, wherein:
said heater is a fuel combustor (78, 100), and additionally comprising: at least one manifold (92) for providing fuel to said fuel combustor.
- 14. A system according to claim 1, wherein:
said heater is a combustor (78, 100); and fuel for said combustor comprises very dilute hydrogen in air.
- 15. A system according to claim 1 wherein:
said fuel cells each comprise anode and cathode catalysts supported on carbon paper supports; and said heater comprises insulated heating wire (50) woven into at least one of said supports (21a).
- 16. A method of operating a fuel cell system having a plurality of fuel cells (16, 18) compressed into a stack (14) between a pair of end plates, including a first end fuel cell (18) at a cathode end of said stack and a second end fuel cell at an anode end of said stack, said end plates being either (a) current-collecting end plates (15) or (b) non-current-collecting end plates (68, 82), said method comprising;
providing heat either from (c) an electrical resistance heating element (48, 50, 52, 56) or (d) a fuel combustor (78, 100) disposed (e) within at least one of said end plates (15), (f) at least partly within one of said end fuel cells, or (g) within said stack in contact with a current collector comprising either (h) one of said current-collecting end plates (15), if any, or (I) a current collector plate (70) disposed near an end of said stack between one of said end fuel cells and one of said end plates.
- 17. A method according to claim 16 wherein:
said step of providing heat provides heat within a portion of said end plate (15) near a surface of said end plate which is toward said fuel cell (16).
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/456,412, filed Jun. 6, 2003.
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10456412 |
Jun 2003 |
US |
Child |
10839667 |
May 2004 |
US |