Electrochemical reactor, such as a fuel cell or an electrolyser, provided with a device for measuring a parameter of a gas specific to the operation of said reactor
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
H01M-008/04
H01M-008/24
H01M-008/0444
H01M-008/2483
C25B-001/10
C25B-015/02
H01M-008/04223(2016.01)
H01M-008/04492(2016.01)
H01M-008/2465
H01M-008/04089(2016.01)
H01M-008/04119(2016.01)
H01M-008/04082(2016.01)
H01M-008/1018
출원번호
US-0497011
(2010-09-24)
등록번호
US-10062915
(2018-08-28)
우선권정보
FR-09 04594 (2009-09-25)
국제출원번호
PCT/EP2010/064109
(2010-09-24)
§371/§102 date
20120530
(20120530)
국제공개번호
WO2011/036236
(2011-03-31)
발명자
/ 주소
Paganelli, Gino
출원인 / 주소
Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin
대리인 / 주소
Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
0인용 특허 :
1
초록▼
An electrochemical reactor, such as a fuel cell stack or an electrolyzer, includes a stack of electrochemical cells, a manifold, a sensor, and a monitor. Each electrochemical cell includes an electrode plate having a face in electrical contact with an electrolyte. The manifold is connected to the fa
An electrochemical reactor, such as a fuel cell stack or an electrolyzer, includes a stack of electrochemical cells, a manifold, a sensor, and a monitor. Each electrochemical cell includes an electrode plate having a face in electrical contact with an electrolyte. The manifold is connected to the faces of the electrochemical cells in an exchange circuit, for exchanging a gas with outside of the stack. The sensor is sensitive to a composition of the gas in the circuit. The monitor monitors or controls an operational condition of the electrochemical reactor in response to measurements by the sensor. The stack and the manifold form a one-piece reactor body. A chamber is integrated into the body in communication with the manifold. The sensor is mounted in the body and includes a sensitive or sensing unit exposed directly to an in situ concentration of a component of the gas in the chamber.
대표청구항▼
1. An electrochemical reactor comprising: a stack of electrochemical cells, each of the cells including a bipolar plate having an anode plate portion and a cathode plate portion;a manifold connected to the cells in an exchange circuit, for exchanging a gas in the circuit with outside of the stack;a
1. An electrochemical reactor comprising: a stack of electrochemical cells, each of the cells including a bipolar plate having an anode plate portion and a cathode plate portion;a manifold connected to the cells in an exchange circuit, for exchanging a gas in the circuit with outside of the stack;a sensor sensitive to a composition of the gas in the circuit;a monitor for monitoring a condition of the reactor based on an output from the sensor; andtwo end plates sandwiching the stack therebetween, one of the two endplates being a system plate positioned on one side of the stack, the system plate including: an internal wall positioned adjacent an end cell of the stack,an external wall positioned opposite the internal wall,a lateral wall separating the internal wall and the external wall, the lateral wall having: a first end that interfaces and extends laterally from a chamber-side surface of the internal wall,a second end that interfaces and extends laterally from a chamber-side surface of the external wall,a chamber-side surface, andan external surface, anda first chamber bounded by and directly interfacing the chamber-side surface of the internal wall, the chamber-side surface of the external wall, and the chamber-side surface of the lateral wall, such that the first chamber is located wholly within the system plate, and such that the first chamber and the lateral wall separate the internal wall from the external wall of the system plate,wherein the stack and the manifold form a one-piece reactor body, with the first chamber being in communication with the manifold via an inlet opening in the internal wall,wherein the sensor is mounted on the lateral wall separating the internal wall and the external wall of the system plate, such that the sensor extends through a hole in the lateral wall, with a portion of the sensor being positioned external to the external surface of the lateral wall, and with a sensing device of the sensor being positioned, internal to the external surface of the lateral wall so that the sensing device is directly exposed to an in situ concentration of a component of the gas in the first chamber, andwherein the sensing device is separated from an atmosphere of the first chamber by a filter that is gas-permeable and water-impermeable. 2. An electrochemical reactor according to claim 1, wherein the internal wall of the system plate has a stack-side surface that faces the end cell of the stack, such that the manifold passes through the stack and opens onto the inlet opening in the internal wall, the inlet opening extending through the stack-side surface and the chamber-side surface of the internal wall into the first chamber, andwherein the external wall of the system plate has an outside surface that forms a support surface for fixing an element of the circuit outside of the reactor body. 3. An electrochemical reactor according to claim 2, wherein the sensor includes a hollow end piece positioned in the hole in the lateral wall, the hollow end piece enclosing a cavity that communicates with an atmosphere of the first chamber, andwherein the sensing device is housed in the cavity of the hollow end piece. 4. An electrochemical reactor according to claim 3, wherein the cavity of the hollow end piece is separated from another chamber of the sensor by a gas-tight and liquid-tight partition, the other chamber being formed in the portion of the sensor positioned external to the external surface of the lateral wall, relative to the first chamber, andwherein the monitor includes a processor for processing signals from the sensing device, the processor being mounted on the portion of the sensor positioned external to the external surface of the lateral wall. 5. An electrochemical reactor according to claim 4, wherein the partition is sealingly penetrated by conductors extending from the sensing device, the partition being resistant to a differential pressure between the cavity and the other chamber of the sensor. 6. An electrochemical reactor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is sensitive to variations in thermal conductivity of the gas in the circuit, in order to obtain a measurement that depends on a hydrogen content of the gas in the first chamber. 7. An electrochemical reactor according to claim 1, wherein the reactor body includes: a second manifold connecting the cells of the stack to a second chamber integrated into the reactor body in a second exchange circuit, anda second sensor sensitive to a composition of gas in the circuit, the second sensor being mounted in the reactor body and being provided with a sensing device exposed directly to an in situ concentration of a component of the gas in the second chamber. 8. An electrochemical reactor according to claim 1, wherein the monitor includes a processor positioned in immediate proximity to the sensing device, the processor being fixable to the reactor body on the portion of the sensor positioned external to the external surface of the lateral wall. 9. An electrochemical reactor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor detects a carbon dioxide concentration in an environment of the sensing device. 10. An electrochemical reactor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is sensitive to variations in thermal conductivity of the gas in which the sensor is immersed, the thermal conductivity depending on a hydrogen concentration of the gas in the circuit and on a water vapour concentration of the gas in the circuit, andwherein the sensor includes a controller for controlling plural measurements of thermal conductivity in an environment of the sensing device for different heating temperatures in order to determine the water vapour concentration in the environment. 11. The electrochemical reactor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is sensitive to variations in thermal conductivity of the gas in which the sensor is immersed, the thermal conductivity depending on a hydrogen concentration of the gas in the circuit and on a water vapour concentration of the gas in the circuit,wherein the electrical reactor further comprises a second sensor sensitive to a humidity of the gas in the first chamber, andwherein the monitor includes a processor for providing a measurement of the hydrogen concentration in the first chamber based on a signal from the sensor sensitive to the composition of the gas in the circuit and a signal from the second sensor sensitive to the humidity of the gas in the first chamber. 12. The electrochemical reactor according to claim 1, wherein the electrochemical reactor is incorporated in a fuel cell stack,wherein the circuit is a hydrogen gas circuit,wherein the sensor is mounted in the hydrogen gas circuit, andwherein the hydrogen gas circuit includes: the first chamber for admitting a hydrogen gas coming at least partly from a hydrogen source into an entry duct of the fuel cell stack,an uptake line at an exit of the fuel cell stack, for uptaking the hydrogen gas after reaction in the electrochemical cells,an injection device for injecting at least some of the hydrogen gas coming from the uptake line into the first chamber, anda purge valve connected to the uptake line, wherein action of the purge valve is under control of a controller that is controlled by the sensor to maintain a hydrogen concentration in the first chamber above a predetermined purity level. 13. An electrochemical reactor according to claim 1, wherein the electrochemical reactor is incorporated in a fuel cell stack,wherein the circuit is a hydrogen gas circuit,wherein the sensor is a hydrogen concentration sensor, andwherein the monitor maintains a hydrogen concentration above a predetermined threshold during at least one of a shut-down phase and a standby state during which no energy is produced, in response to a signal from the hydrogen concentration sensor in the hydrogen gas circuit. 14. An electrochemical reactor according to claim 1, wherein the electrochemical reactor is incorporated in a fuel cell stack,wherein the gas in the circuit is oxygen gas in an oxygen gas circuit,wherein the sensor is an oxygen gas sensor, andwherein the electrochemical reactor further comprises a hydrogen gas sensor mounted in the oxygen gas circuit to detect a presence of hydrogen gas in the oxygen gas. 15. An electrochemical reactor according to claim 1, wherein the electrochemical reactor is incorporated in an electrolyser,wherein the circuit is a hydrogen gas circuit,wherein the hydrogen gas circuit includes a hydrogen separator,wherein the hydrogen separator includes: the first chamber,gas outlets of cathodes of the cells of the stack, the gas outlets being connected to the first chamber, andwherein a portion of the sensor is positioned in the first chamber so as to deliver to a controller at least one signal corresponding to a hydrogen concentration in the hydrogen gas circuit. 16. An electrochemical reactor according to claim 1, wherein the electrochemical reactor is incorporated in an electrolyser,wherein the gas in the circuit is oxygen gas in an oxygen gas circuit,wherein the oxygen gas circuit includes an oxygen separator,wherein the oxygen separator includes: the first chamber,gas outlets of anodes of the cells of the stack, the gas outlets being connected to the first chamber, andwherein the sensor is a hydrogen concentration sensor and delivers to a controller at least one signal corresponding to a hydrogen concentration in the oxygen gas circuit.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (1)
Gustav Boehm DE; David P. Wilkinson CA; Shanna Knights CA; Reinhold Schamm DE; Nicholas J. Fletcher CA, Method and apparatus for operating a fuel cell.
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