US Patent No: 5,478,662

Number of patents in Portfolio can not be more than 2000

Method and apparatus for disposing of water and/or inert gas from a fuel cell block

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Abstract

A method for cathode-side water and inert gas disposal and/or anode-side inert gas disposal from a fuel cell block having a number of fuel cells, includes increasingly concentrating a water and an inert gas component in a cathode-side gas mixture and an inert gas component in an anode-side gas mixture, in flow direction of the gas mixtures. The water and inert gas components are at least partially discharged from the fuel cell block. In an apparatus for performing the method, the fuel cells are subdivided into cell groups through which a flow of gas mixtures can be conducted in parallel. The cell groups include a cell group disposed last as seen in gas mixture flow direction. Lines connect the cell groups for conducting at least a fraction of the gas mixtures successively through the cell groups, and for discharging another fraction of the gas mixtures, being dependent on an electric current, from the fuel cell block after flowing through the last cell group.

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First Claim

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Patent Owner(s)

Patent OwnerAddressTotal Patents
SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFTMUNICH16762

International Classification(s)

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Inventor(s)

Inventor Name Address # of filed Patents Total Citations
Strasser, Karl Erlangen, DE 18 256

Cited Art

Patent Info (Count) # Cites Year
 
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SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT (1)
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UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION (1)
4,533,607 Process for removing electrolyte vapor from fuel cell exhaust gas 73 1984

Patent Citation Ranking

Forward Cites

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6,242,120 System and method for optimizing fuel cell purge cycles 98 1999
6,465,118 System and method for recovering thermal energy from a fuel processing system 37 2000
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6,887,605 System and method for optimizing fuel cell purge cycles 2 2001
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6,878,474 System and method for recovering thermal energy from a fuel processing system 4 2002
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7,485,381 System and method for recovering thermal energy from a fuel processing system 0 2005
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7,655,332 System and method for optimizing fuel cell purge cycles 1 2005
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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (1)
7,445,859 Organic fuel cell methods and apparatus 0 2004