초록 ▼

An alcohol and water recovery system for a direct aqueous alcohol fuel cell power plant includes at least one direct aqueous alcohol fuel cell for producing electrical energy, and a direct alcohol and water transfer device for recovering alcohol and water leaving the plant and transferring the recov

An alcohol and water recovery system for a direct aqueous alcohol fuel cell power plant includes at least one direct aqueous alcohol fuel cell for producing electrical energy, and a direct alcohol and water transfer device for recovering alcohol and water leaving the plant and transferring the recovered alcohol and water back into the plant. The direct alcohol and water transfer device passes a process oxidant stream upstream of the plant in mass transfer relationship with a plant exhaust stream that includes aqueous alcohol fuel and process oxidant fluid streams that have passed through the fuel cell, so that alcohol and water in the plant exhaust stream transfer directly through a mass transfer medium of the device to the process oxidant stream entering the fuel cell. The device includes a separator housing for supporting the transfer medium and for preventing bulk mixing of the streams. An exemplary mass transfer medium such as a liquid water portion of a water saturated polyfluorosulfonic ionomer selectively sorbs fluid substances consisting of polar molecules such as alcohol and/or water molecules from the plant exhaust stream containing polar and non-polar molecules, and desorbs the polar molecules into the process oxidant stream to directly recover and transfer alcohol fuel and water leaving the plant back into the fuel cell, and to thereby also humidify and add heat to the process oxidant stream.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] An alcohol and water recovery system for a direct aqueous alcohol fuel cell power plant that generates electrical energy from aqueous alcohol fuel and oxidant fluid reactants, the system comprising:a. at least one direct aqueous alcohol fuel cell means for producing the e

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] An alcohol and water recovery system for a direct aqueous alcohol fuel cell power plant that generates electrical energy from aqueous alcohol fuel and oxidant fluid reactants, the system comprising:a. at least one direct aqueous alcohol fuel cell means for producing the electrical energy from the aqueous alcohol fuel and oxidant fluid reactants;b. an oxidant inlet passage that passes a process oxidant stream into the direct aqueous alcohol fuel cell means, and a fuel inlet line that directs an aqueous alcohol fuel stream from a supply of aqueous alcohol fuel into the direct aqueous alcohol fuel cell means;c. a plant exhaust passage that receives a plant exhaust stream of the aqueous alcohol fuel and process oxidant streams that have passed through the direct aqueous alcohol fuel cell means; and,d. a direct alcohol and water transfer device secured in fluid communication with the oxidant inlet passage and with the plant exhaust passage, including;i. a mass transfer medium means for sorbing a fluid substance consisting of polar molecules within the plant exhaust stream and for desorbing the fluid substance consisting of polar molecules into the process oxidant stream that has a lower proportion of the fluid substance consisting of the polar molecules than the plant exhaust stream; andii. a separator housing means for supporting the mass transfer medium means in mass transfer relationship with the plant exhaust stream and process oxidant stream so that both streams contact the mass transfer medium means, and for preventing bulk mixing of the plant exhaust and process oxidant streams.