A cooling and gas dehumidifying system comprising a cooling circuit in which a thermal fluid is circulated. The system further comprises a cooling arrangement arranged in the cooling circuit and configured to cool the thermal fluid flowing therethrough. A consumer gives up heat energy to the thermal fluid flowing through the cooling circuit. A gas dehumidifier having a heat exchanger arrangement is configured to be thermally coupled in a gas dehumidifying operating state with the thermal fluid flowing through the cooling circuit downstream of the cooling arrangement and having a first temperature, and thereby give up heat energy to the thermal fluid, and to be thermally coupled in a de-icing operating state with the thermal fluid flowing through the cooling circuit downstream of the consumer and having a second temperature, and thereby absorb heat energy from the thermal fluid, the second temperature being higher than the first temperature.

The invention relates to a rechargeable battery system 1, comprising: at least one electrochemical cell 2 adapted for in charge mode to convert one or more gaseous electrochemical reaction reactant(s) 3 into one or more gaseous electrochemical reaction product(s) 4, at least one storage arrangement 5 for storing said gaseous electrochemical reaction reactants and products, wherein at least one of the gaseous electrochemical reaction product(s) 4 is converted to and stored as at least one chemical reaction product(s) 7,11, where said chemical reaction product(s) 7,11 has a lower gas pressure upon formation than the corresponding gaseous electrochemical reaction product(s) 4, a first fluid communication system 12 between the at least one cell and the at least one storage arrangement 5, wherein the first fluid communication system is configured to form a closed system within the battery system, whereby the battery system is adapted to generate an automatic gas flow between the at least one storage arrangement 5 and cell 2.

A fuel cell system comprising at least one fuel cell arranged for a reformation of a hydrocarbon and a hydrocarbon generation unit connected to an anode outlet of the fuel cell for generating the hydrocarbon from carbon monoxide and hydrogen included in a partially unconverted exhaust stream of the anode outlet of the fuel cell, where the fuel cell is thermally decoupled from the hydrocarbon generation unit so that the exothermal hydrocarbon generation reaction and the endothermal reformation reaction proceed without one reaction thermally interfering the other.

A back-up rechargeable battery supply system comprises communication linkages and a configuration of switches to allow battery back-up power to be provided by cells within a battery unit that are in a ready mode and to by-pass batteries that are in a non-ready mode, or maintenance mode. The unique configuration of switches and communication methods enables the back-up power to be provided very quickly to avoid disruptions in power to a load. Each battery cell has a charge and discharge switch and a power switch. Both the power switch and one of the charge or discharge switches must be closed to allow the battery cell to charge or discharge respectively. The by-pass switch may be controlled by the battery system control or by the cell controller and when closed, the cell may be bypassed from discharging or charging. The battery cells may be electrochemical cells such as metal air batteries.

Provided is a water treatment system using an alkaline water electrolytic device and an alkaline fuel cell in which for continuing an electrolytic treatment, a hydrogen gas and an oxygen gas required in an alkaline water electrolytic device and an alkaline fuel cell, an amount of water corresponding to raw water lost through the electrolytic treatment, and an electrolytic solution are efficiently circulated and used in a water treatment system to considerably reduce electric power consumption. The water treatment system is a water treatment system using an alkaline water electrolytic device and an alkaline fuel cell in which an alkaline water electrolytic device and an alkaline fuel cell are connected to each other, the volume of raw water is reduced, an oxygen gas and a hydrogen gas that are generated from the alkaline water electrolytic device are fed to the alkaline fuel cell, the oxygen gas and hydrogen gas are used to generate electric power by the alkaline fuel cell, electric energy and water are collected, and the collected electric energy is fed to the alkaline water electrolytic device as an electric power source thereof.

Systems and methods for transitioning a fuel cell system between operating modes. The fuel cell system may be a SOFC system comprising Ni-containing anodes. The transitions may be from a shutdown mode to a hot standby mode, from a hot standby mode to a power ready hot standby mode, from a power ready hot standby mode to an operating mode, from an operating mode to a power ready hot standby mode, from a power ready hot standby mode to a hot standby mode, from a hot standby mode to a shutdown mode, and from an operating mode to a shutdown mode.

Disclosed are a reversible fuel cell oxygen electrode in which IrO.sub.2 is electrodeposited and formed on a porous carbon material and platinum is applied thereon to form a porous platinum layer, a reversible fuel cell including the same, and a method for preparing the same. According to the corresponding reversible fuel cell oxygen electrode, as the loading amounts of IrO.sub.2 and platinum used in the reversible fuel cell oxygen electrode can be lowered, it is possible to exhibit excellent reversible fuel cell performances (excellent fuel cell performance and water electrolysis performance) by improving the mass transport of water and oxygen while being capable of reducing the loading amounts of IrO.sub.2 and platinum. Further, it is possible to exhibit a good activity of a catalyst when the present disclosure is applied to a reversible fuel cell oxygen electrode and to reduce corrosion of carbon.

An electrochemical cell comprises a first electrode, a second electrode, and a proton-conducting membrane between the first electrode and the second electrode. The first electrode comprises Pr(Co.sub.1-x-y-z, Ni.sub.x, Mn.sub.y, Fe.sub.z)O.sub.3-, wherein 0x0.9, 0y0.9, 0z0.9, and is an oxygen deficit. The second electrode comprises a cermet material including at least one metal and at least one perovskite. Related structures, apparatuses, systems, and methods are also described.

Fuel cell arrangement having an improved efficiency. The arrangement comprises one or more fuel cell units 110 and a methanation unit 200 and a control unit 300. The fuel cell unit comprises a water inlet 111, a hydrogen outlet 112 and an oxygen outlet 113. The methanation unit comprises a catalyst 222, a hydrogen inlet 213, a carbon oxide inlet 214 having a first controllable valve 215 and a methane outlet 216, wherein the hydrogen outlet of the first fuel cell unit is coupled to the hydrogen inlet of the methanation unit, and the methanation unit is adapted to convert hydrogen and carbon oxide into methane, wherein the control unit is adapted to control the first controllable valve so as to obtain an optimum converting process to convert hydrogen and carbon oxide into methane.

Methods and systems for emissions free dispatchable power supply, emissions free chemical energy storage, and emissions free chemical energy distribution are disclosed. Methods include providing water and/or carbon dioxide to an electrolyser; providing electricity from a regional electrical power grid to the electrolyser for electrolysis of the water and/or carbon dioxide to produce oxygen; and providing the oxygen from the electrolyser to a hydrocarbon oxidation device for the oxidation of a hydrocarbon.