Method of monitoring CO concentrations in hydrogen feed to a PEM fuel cell

Patent · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2000

OSTI ID:872997

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. The PEM-probe is intermittently purged of any CO build-up on the anode catalyst (e.g., by (1) flushing the anode with air, (2) short circuiting the PEM-probe, or (3) reverse biasing the PEM-probe) to keep the PEM-probe at peak performance levels.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Detroit, MI)
• Patent Number(s): US 6063516
• OSTI ID: 872997
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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air
anode
anode catalyst
behavior
behavior patterns
biasing
build-up
catalyst
cell
cell similar
cell stack
circuiting
communicating
compare
concentration
concentrations
conditions
controlled
controlled conditions
current
determined
feed
feed stream
flushing
fuel
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fuel stream
hydrogen
hydrogen feed
intermittently
levels
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pattern recognition
patterns
peak
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pem
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pem-probe
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range
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recognition software
reference
reference cell
reformate
reformate feed
reverse
reverse bias
similar
software
stack
stream
telltale
voltage
voltage behavior
voltage patterns
wide
wide range