The invention related to a method for the start-up of an electrolysis system, wherein the electrolysis system is configured to produce hydrogen at the cathode side of the electrolysis system from a water containing electrolysis medium. According to the method, at least part of the electrolysis system is purged with an inert gas during stand-by. The inert gas is displaced from the cathode side of the electrolysis system by means of the hydrogen stream produced during start-up. The resulting mixed stream, which comprises at least hydrogen and inert gas, is supplied to a hydrogen separation unit until a predetermined upper concentration limit of inert gas in the mixed stream is reached. After the predetermined upper concentration limit of inert gas in the mixed stream, now low in inert gas, has been reached, the mixed stream is withdrawn from the electrolysis system by bypassing the hydrogen separation unit.

A bipolar plate for a four-fluid fuel cell includes a nonporous sub-plate and a porous sub-plate. The nonporous sub-plate includes a water management side, an opposing reactant side, and an internal coolant passage therebetween. The porous sub-plate includes a reactant side and an opposing water management side. The reactant side includes a first reactant flow field, and the water management side is fluidly connected to the water management side of the nonporous sub-plate. Embodiments of the invention include a method to operate the four-fluid fuel cell in thermal boost mode, and a method to accumulate and retain product water.

A four-fluid bipolar plate for a fuel cell includes an oxidant flow field, a fuel reactant flow field, a dedicated coolant passage, and a water management flow field. The bipolar plate includes at least one porous layer. A first side of the porous layer is fluidly connected to the water management flow field via a plurality of pores that act as a bubble barrier. An opposing second side of the porous layer includes either the fuel reactant flow field or the oxidant flow field. In one example, the dedicated coolant passage is internal to the bipolar plate, and may be configured to flow an antifreeze-type coolant.

A chemical reaction system has: an electrochemical reaction device including a cathode configured to reduce carbon dioxide and thus generate a carbon compound, an anode configured to oxidize water and thus generate oxygen, a cathode flow path facing the cathode, an anode flow path facing the anode, and a separator between the anode and the cathode; and a dehydrogenation device configured to remove hydrogen from a first fluid introduced from the cathode flow path, the first fluid containing the hydrogen and the carbon compound, and the hydrogen being removed using oxygen.

The method and system for removing CO.sub.2 from the atmosphere or the ocean having the steps of, feeding a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system with a gaseous hydrocarbon feed, converting the gaseous hydrocarbon feed in the SOFC system into an anode exhaust stream having carbon dioxide CO.sub.2, the SOFC system thereby producing electricity; injecting the anode exhaust stream as an injection gas into an underground coal bed; in the underground coal bed the injection gas causing coal bed methane (CBM) to desorb from the coal and CO.sub.2 to adsorb onto the coal; extracting the coal bed methane (CBM) from the underground coal bed; and discharging a production gas having the coal bed methane (CBM) from the underground coal bed.

An integrated gas management device (GMD) for a fuel cell has a gas-to-gas humidifier for transferring water from a second gas to a first gas; and a heat exchanger attached to a first end of the humidifier core for cooling the first gas. The GMD may optionally have a thermal isolation plate between the heat exchanger and the first end of the humidifier core. The GMD further has a bypass line to allow the first gas to bypass the humidifier. The first gas may be cathode charge air and the second gas may be cathode exhaust.

Provided is an acid gas separation membrane that includes an acid gas separation layer containing a hydrophilic resin and an acid gas carrier, a hydrophobic porous membrane layer supporting the acid gas separation layer, a porous membrane protective layer protecting the acid gas separation layer, and a first layer having a Gurley number of less than or equal to 0.5 times a Gurley number of the hydrophobic porous membrane layer and the porous membrane protective layer, the Gurley number of the first layer being greater than or equal to 0.1 s and less than or equal to 30 s. Also provided is an acid gas separation method using the acid gas separation membrane, as well as an acid gas separation module and an acid gas separation apparatus that each include the acid gas separation membrane.

A device for decreasing a concentration of hydrogen exhausted from a fuel cell through an exhaust line includes: a first housing connected to the exhaust line and having an exhaust gas moving path and an air inlet formed therein; a pumping part installed in the first housing and sucking air through the air inlet; a second housing coupled to the first housing and having an air diluting part and a diluted gas moving path formed therein, the air diluting part being connected to the exhaust gas moving path and the diluted gas moving path being connected to the air diluting part; and a nozzle member spraying the air introduced into the air inlet to the air diluting part while being rotated.

An integrated power generation and exhaust processing system includes a fuel cell system configured to generate power and to separate CO.sub.2 included in exhaust output from the fuel cell system, and an exhaust processing system configured to at least one of sequester or densify CO.sub.2 separated from the exhaust output from the fuel cell system.

An energy system with hydration of magnesium hydride, including: a magnesium hydride storage tank, a Covapor unit, a storage battery, a hydrogen buffer and temperature regulation tank, a meter, a molecular sieve filter, a hydrogen fuel cell, an exhaust gas purifier, a water tank, and an air purifier. A water outlet of the hydrogen fuel cell is connected to a water inlet of the magnesium hydride storage tank. A hydrogen outlet of the magnesium hydride storage tank is connected to a hydrogen inlet of the hydrogen fuel cell. A thermal conductive medium outlet of the magnesium hydride storage tank is connected to a jacket of the molecular sieve filter and the Covapor unit, respectively, and a jacket outlet of the molecular sieve filter and an outlet of the Covapor unit are respectively connected to a thermal conductive medium inlet of the magnesium hydride storage tank.