Fuel cell CO sensor

Patent · Tue Dec 14 04:00:00 EST 1999

OSTI ID:872749

Grot, Stephen Andreas ^[1]; Meltser, Mark Alexander ^[2]; Gutowski, Stanley ^[2]; Neutzler, Jay Kevin ^[1]; Borup, Rodney Lynn ^[3]; Weisbrod, Kirk ^[4]

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1. Rochester, NY
2. Pittsford, NY
3. East Rochester, NY
4. Los Alamos, NM

The CO concentration in the H.sub.2 feed stream to a PEM fuel cell stack is monitored by measuring current and/or voltage behavior patterns from a PEM-probe communicating with the reformate feed stream. Pattern recognition software may be used to compare the current and voltage patterns from the PEM-probe to current and voltage telltale outputs determined from a reference cell similar to the PEM-probe and operated under controlled conditions over a wide range of CO concentrations in the H.sub.2 fuel stream. A CO sensor includes the PEM-probe, an electrical discharge circuit for discharging the PEM-probe to monitor the CO concentration, and an electrical purging circuit to intermittently raise the anode potential of the PEM-probe's anode to at least about 0.8 V (RHE) to electrochemically oxidize any CO adsorbed on the probe's anode catalyst.

• Research Organization: GENERAL MOTORS CORP
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-90CH10435
• Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Detroit, MI)
• Patent Number(s): US 6001499
• Application Number: 08/957563
• OSTI ID: 872749
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/429/48/
adsorbed
anode
anode catalyst
behavior
behavior patterns
catalyst
cell
cell similar
cell stack
charge circuit
circuit
communicating
compare
concentration
concentrations
conditions
controlled
controlled conditions
current
determined
discharge
discharging
electrical
electrical discharge
electrochemically
feed
feed stream
fuel
fuel cell
fuel stream
intermittently
measuring
measuring current
monitor
monitored
operated
outputs
oxidize
pattern
pattern recognition
patterns
pem
pem fuel
pem-probe
pem-probe communicating
potential
probe
purging
raise
range
recognition
recognition software
reference
reference cell
reformate
reformate feed
rhe
sensor
similar
software
stack
stream
telltale
voltage
voltage behavior
voltage patterns
wide
wide range