The present invention provides a high efficiency prime mover with phase change energy storage for distributed generation and motor vehicle application. Phase change storage minimizes energy required for refrigerant liquefaction while reducing fuel consumption and emissions.

A glass ceramic seal contains by weight, on an oxide basis 40-60% of SiO.sub.2, 25-28% of BaO, 10-20% of B.sub.2O.sub.3, 8-12% of Al.sub.2O.sub.3, 0-2% of ZrO.sub.2, 0-1% of Y.sub.2O.sub.3, 0-1% of CaO, and 0-1% of MgO.

A method of operating a fuel cell system includes providing fuel and air to a stack of fuel cells located in a hotbox, operating the stack to generate an anode exhaust and a cathode exhaust, in a startup mode, providing a first amount of the anode exhaust and the cathode exhaust to an anode tail gas oxidizer (ATO) located in the hotbox to oxidize the anode exhaust and to generate heat which is provided to the stack, and in a steady-state mode, stopping providing the anode exhaust to the ATO or providing to the ATO a second amount of the anode exhaust which is smaller than the first amount, and providing the anode exhaust and the cathode exhaust outside the hotbox.

A fuel cell column includes a stack of alternating fuel cells and interconnects, where the interconnects separate adjacent fuel cells in the stack and contain fuel and air channels which are configured to provide respective fuel and air to the fuel cells. a manifold plate containing a bottom inlet hole and a bottom outlet hole located in a bottom surface of the manifold plate, top outlet holes and top inlet holes formed in opposing sides of a top surface of the manifold plate, outlet channels fluidly connecting the top outlet holes to the bottom inlet hole, and inlet channels fluidly connecting the top inlet holes to the bottom outlet hole, and a mitigation structure configured to reduce stress applied to the stack due to at least one of a shape mismatch or coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch between the stack and the manifold plate.

An electrolyzer system and a fuel cell system that include hydrogen blowers configured to compress hydrogen streams generated by the systems. The electrolyzer system includes a steam generator configured to generate steam, a stack of solid oxide electrolyzer cells configured to generate a hydrogen stream using the steam received from the steam generator, a hydrogen blower configured to pressurize the hydrogen stream generated by the stack, and a hydrogen processor configured to compress the pressurized hydrogen stream.

A fuel cell interconnect includes fuel ribs disposed on a first side of the interconnect and a least partially defining fuel channels, and air ribs disposed on an opposing second side of the interconnect and at least partially defining air channels. The fuel channels include central fuel channels disposed in a central fuel field and peripheral fuel channels disposed in peripheral fuel fields disposed on opposing sides of the central fuel field. The air channels include central air channels disposed in a central air field and peripheral air channels disposed in peripheral air fields disposed on opposing sides of the central air field. At least one of the central fuel channels or the central air channels has at least one of a different cross-sectional area or length than at least one of the respective peripheral fuel channels or the respective peripheral air channels.

A fuel cell system and method, the system including a hotbox, a fuel cell stack disposed in the hotbox, an anode tail gas oxidizer (ATO) disposed in the hotbox, and a fuel exhaust processor fluidly connected to the hotbox. The fuel exhaust processor includes a first hydrogen pump configured to extract hydrogen from the anode exhaust received from the fuel cell stack and to output the hydrogen to a first hydrogen stream provided to the fuel cell stack, a second hydrogen pump configured to extract hydrogen from anode exhaust output from the first hydrogen pump and to output the hydrogen to the first hydrogen stream, and a third hydrogen pump configured to extract hydrogen from anode exhaust output from the second hydrogen pump and to output the hydrogen to a second hydrogen stream provided to the ATO.

A hydrogen release and storage system (100) of the present invention includes a hydrogen compound member (101), a container (102) that accommodates the hydrogen compound member (101), a heating apparatus (103) configured to heat the inside of the container (102), a cooling apparatus (104) configured to cool the inside of the container (102) and a water supply apparatus (105) configured to supply water to the container (102).

A solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) includes a solid oxide electrolyte, a fuel-side electrode disposed on a fuel side of the electrolyte, and an air-side electrode disposed on an air side of the electrolyte. The air-side electrode includes a barrier layer disposed on the air side of the electrolyte and including a first doped ceria material, and a functional layer disposed on the barrier layer and including an electrically conductive material and a second doped ceria material.

A manifold plate for a fuel cell stack includes a lower manifold portion, an upper manifold portion, a dielectric layer sandwiched between the lower manifold portion and the upper manifold portion, a bottom inlet hole and a bottom outlet hole formed in a bottom surface of the lower manifold portion, where the bottom inlet hole and the bottom outlet hole extend through the dielectric layer, top outlet holes and top inlet holes formed in opposing sides of a top surface of the upper manifold portion, outlet channels fluidly connecting the top outlet holes to the bottom inlet hole, and inlet channels fluidly connecting the top inlet holes to the bottom outlet hole.