Patent Application
20100323268
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fuel cells for powering a process and/or an apparatus and, more particularly, to a system and method for increasing electrical energy collection of fuel cell conductors.
2. Description of Related Art
Energy generating devices such as, for example, fuel cells and catalytic converters, are well known. Generally speaking, a fuel cell generates electricity by combining hydrogen with oxygen. For example, in a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) electricity is produced directly from oxidizing a fuel. SOFC devices include a solid oxide, or ceramic, electrolyte. Advantages of this class of fuel cells include high efficiencies, long term stability, fuel flexibility, low emissions, and cost. A perceived disadvantage is that high operating temperature results in longer start up times and mechanical/chemical compatibility issues.
In operation, oxygen is reduced into oxygen ions at a cathode. The oxygen ions then diffuse through the solid oxide electrolyte to an anode where they electrochemically oxidize fuel (e.g., light hydrocarbons such as methane, propane, butane, and the like) in the fuel cell. In the oxidizing reaction water is a typical byproduct as well as two electrons. The electrons then flow through an external circuit as usable electricity. The inventors have recognized that a need exists to improve the collection of electrical energy within fuel cells.
The present invention resides in one aspect in an electrical circuit, including an anode conductor formed from a first wire lead and a cathode conductor formed from a second wire lead. In one embodiment, the first wire lead and the second wire lead are each comprised of wire having a predetermined diameter. At least a portion of the predetermined diameter of at least one of the first wire lead and the second wire lead is compressed to provided an increased surface area of the at least portion as compared to a remainder of the predetermined diameter.
In one aspect of the invention, the compressed predetermined diameter maintains a same cross sectional area as the remainder of the predetermined diameter and has an increased surface area. In one embodiment, the increased surface area of the compressed predetermined diameter is at least about two (2) times a surface area of the remainder of the predetermined diameter. In one embodiment, the first and the second wire leads are nickel or nickel-based.
In yet another embodiment, a portion of one or both of the first wire lead and/or the second wire lead is covered by a high temperature, porous, non-conducting insulation. The insulation may be comprised of, for example, at least one of a ceramic insulator, a ceramic-like insulator, and a silicon insulator. In one embodiment, the ceramic-like insulator is comprised of an alumina-boria-silica insulator.
In still another embodiment, the anode conductor and the cathode conductor are disposed about an electrolyte material of the fuel cell. Exemplary electrolyte materials include a solid oxide electrolyte.
In one aspect, the present invention resides in a fuel cell having an anode conductor, a cathode conductor, and an electrolyte material disposed between the anode conductor and the cathode conductor. In one embodiment, a first inlet provides oxygen to the cathode conductor, the oxygen being reduced into oxygen ions, and a second inlet provides a fuel to the anode conductor. The oxygen ions diffuse through the electrolyte material to the anode conductor and electrochemically oxidize the fuel to produce electrons. An external electrical circuit is coupled to the fuel cell and receives the electrons from the anode conductor.
In one embodiment, the anode conductor is formed from a first wire lead and the cathode conductor is formed from a second wire lead. The first wire lead and the second wire lead are each comprised of wire having a predetermined diameter. At least a portion of the predetermined diameter of at least one of the first wire lead and the second wire lead is compressed to provide an increased surface area.
In another embodiment, a portion of one or both of the first wire lead and/or the second wire lead are covered by a high temperature, porous, non-conducting insulation. In still another embodiment, the electrolyte materials are comprised of a solid oxide electrolyte.
The foregoing aspects and other features of the presently disclosed embodiments are explained in the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
As described herein, the inventors have discovered that electrical energy collection is improved by increasing a surface area of conductors of an external circuit coupled to an energy generating device such as, for example, a fuel cell, a catalytic converter, and like devices. An increase in the surface area of one or more of the conductors increases a total collected energy produced by the energy generating device. The inventors have further discovered that it would be advantageous to provide conductors having increased surface area without increasing a mass of the conductors and without reducing the tensile strength of the conductor or its cross sectional area, so as not to compromise weight and other characteristics of the energy generating device.
As shown in
It should be appreciated that, while the energy generating device 100 is described hereinafter as a fuel cell, it is within the scope of the present disclosure for the energy generating device 100 to be a catalytic converter where a liquid such as, for example, water, undergoes a catalytic reaction for its dissociation into a hydrogen ion and an electron (e.g., e− 180).
In accordance with the present invention, at least one of the anode conductor 110 and the cathode conductor 120 is comprised of a wire 115 (
In one embodiment, the nickel or nickel-based wire anode conductor 110 collects energy generated by the energy generating device 100 (e.g., the fuel cell), for example, the e− 180. The nickel or nickel-based wire anode conductor 110 is a lead to the external electrical circuit 200 coupling the process or apparatus 210 to the fuel cell 100. In one embodiment, the nickel or nickel-based wire cathode conductor 120 is a lead from the external electrical circuit 200 back to the fuel cell 100. In one aspect of the invention, a portion 117 of the diameter DN of the wire conductors 115, e.g., the anode conductor 110 and/or the cathode conductor 120, is compressed or flattened from a round cross section to increase the surface area by at least about two (2) times. This is accomplished, for example, by flattening or compressing the portion 117 of the wire 115 of about 0.020 inch (0.508 mm) in diameter to about 0.005 inch (0.127 mm). When flattened, the portion 117 of the wire has a width WC of about 0.045 inch (1.143 mm), is ribbon like, and has about the same cross section area (0.0314 square inches, 0.7976 mm) as the original round wire (e.g., the diameter DN), but now the portion 170 has a thickness TC of about 0.005 inch (0.127 mm). It should be appreciated that by compressing or flattening the existing nickel or nickel-based wire conductors 115 of the fuel cell 100 neither the conductor mass or tensile strength is increased so that, for example, the fuel cell 100 increases total collected energy without increasing weight and other characteristics as compared to conventional fuel cell arrangements. It should also be appreciated that the increased surface area improves conductivity of the conductors 115 as well as connectivity (e.g., line contact versus point contact).
In one embodiment, the compressed wire conductor is replaced by a wire ribbon having the same cross sectional area as the compressed wire (e.g., the portion 117 represents an entire length of the wire 115). In one embodiment, one or both of the anode wire conductor 110 and/or the cathode wire conductor 120 is coated with or covered by a high temperature, porous, non-conducting insulation 118 such as, for example, a ceramic, ceramic-like or silicon insulator. In one embodiment, the ceramic-like insulation is an alumina-boria-silica insulation.
The foregoing description is only illustrative of the present embodiments. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the embodiments disclosed herein. Accordingly, the embodiments are intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances which fall within the scope of the present disclosure and one or more of the appended claims.
This patent application claims priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of copending, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/218,723, filed Jun. 19, 2009, the disclosure of this U.S. patent application is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61218723 | Jun 2009 | US |
