Membrane-based hydrogen purifiers having graphite frame members. The purifiers include a hydrogen-separation membrane module with at least one membrane cell containing at least one hydrogen-selective membrane, which includes a permeate face and an opposed mixed gas face, and a fluid-permeable support structure that physically contacts and supports at least a central region of the permeate face. The membrane cell further includes a permeate-side frame member and a mixed gas-side frame member. The permeate-side frame member is interposed between the hydrogen-selective membrane and the fluid-permeable support structure to physically contact a peripheral region of the permeate face and a peripheral region of the fluid-permeable support structure. The mixed gas-side frame member physically contacts a peripheral region of the mixed gas face. At least one of the permeate-side frame member and the mixed gas-side frame member is a graphite frame member.

Method and apparatus for generating green electrical power. During a hydrogen gas storage mode, an electrolyzer generates a stream of hydrogen gas from water supplied by a water source and using power from an input power source. A hydrogen tank temporarily stores the stream of hydrogen. During a power generation mode, a fuel cell converts the stream of hydrogen gas from the tank into output electrical power by combining the hydrogen with oxygen. An inverter conditions and supplies the electrical power to a local load. A controller circuit uses a system parameter to adaptively switch between the storage mode and the power generation mode. In some cases, external power is supplied during the generation and storage of the hydrogen gas from an electrical grid or a local renewable source such as a set of solar panels. Respective grid-tied, solar-tied, grid-only, off-grid, and electric vehicle charging configurations are provided.

Disclosed is a method of controlling an air supply system for a fuel cell. The air supply system includes a fuel cell stack, an air channel to supply air to an inlet of the fuel cell stack, a gas adsorption unit disposed on the air channel and configured to adsorb oxygen contained in air introduced into the air channel. In particular, the method includes: determining whether a power generation operation of the fuel cell stack is resumed; when the power generation operation of the fuel cell stack is resumed, controlling a voltage source to apply a voltage to the gas adsorption unit; and supplying air to the fuel cell stack through the air channel in a state in which the voltage is applied to the gas adsorption unit.

Methods, microbial fuel cells and microbial consortia for generating electrical current are provided according to the present invention which include providing a microbial consortium to an anode chamber of a microbial fuel cell, wherein the microbial consortium includes: 1) an engineered methanogen that contains a heterologous nucleic acid sequence encoding methyl-coenzyme M reductase derived from an anaerobic methane oxidizer, 2) an exoelectrogen microbe that produces electrically-conductive appendages and/or one or more types of electron carrier, and 3) a sludge, methane-acclimated sludge, a sludge isolate component, a methane-acclimated sludge isolate component chosen from Paracoccus spp., Geotoga spp., Geobacter spp., Methanosarcina spp., Garciella spp., humic acids; or a combination of any two or more thereof.

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell having a cathode and an anode configured to receive a portion of a hhydrocarbon feed and to output an anode exhaust stream comprising carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and water; and an electrolyzer cell having a cathode and an anode. The anode of the electrolyzer cell is configured to receive a first portion of the anode exhaust stream and another portion of the hydrocarbon feed, and to generate a hydrogen stream.

A fuel cell system includes an inlet pipe configured to guide a fuel gas injected from an injector to a fuel cell stack, and a gas liquid separator configured to perform gas liquid separation of a fuel exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell stack. The gas liquid separator is directly coupled to a lower portion of the inlet pipe. A connection channel configured to connect the inside of the gas liquid separator and a channel in the inlet pipe together is formed in a part coupling the gas liquid separator and the inlet pipe together.

A module for fueling a hydrogen cell is provided including a hydrogen production device, a hydrogen purification device and a hydrogen cell power generation system. The hydrogen production device comprises: a housing, a cavity being formed in the housing, and a first opening, a second opening and a third opening which all communicate with the cavity being formed in the housing; a plasma generating unit contained in the cavity and comprising a first electrode and a second electrode, the first electrode being close to the first opening, and the second electrode being close to the second opening; a voltage supply unit, a power supply end of the voltage supply unit being electrically connected to the first electrode and the second electrode, and a potential difference exists between the first electrode and the second electrode to generate plasma; a feeding unit communicating with the first opening; and an exhaust unit.

The invention provides a hybrid power system, which integrates an internal combustion engine with a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack and provides power for the vehicle through the internal combustion engine at first in the preheating stage of the SOFC stack, thereby solving the problem that an SOFC stack is unable to provide power for the vehicle in the preheating stage. At the same time, the internal combustion engine burns fuel gas, outputs high temperature exhaust gas, heats the heat exchanger with the high temperature exhaust gas, then discharges the exhaust gas from an exhaust turbine and inhales air from the outside of the system. The air first passes through an air preheater, then passes through a heat exchanger and then enters the inside of the SOFC stack, preheats the air preheater through an air pipeline and then is discharged. After multiple cycles, the preheating of the SOFC stack is completed. As the air preheater is connected to the heat exchanger in series to heat the air, the heating speed of the air entering the SOFC stack is raised, the preheating time is shortened and a quick start of the SOFC stack is achieved so that the SOFC stack can be used to achieve the purpose of providing power for the vehicle efficiently.

Disclosed are a self-contained hydrogen power system and method for an electric car charging station. The self-contained hydrogen power system may include a high-level water purification unit configured to retain storm water, seawater or portable water in a water reserve tank, remove precipitates from the storm water, seawater or portable water, and perform water treatment on the storm water, seawater or portable water, a solar water electrolysis unit configured to generate clean hydrogen through hydrogen electrolysis and store the clean hydrogen, an energy production and storage unit configured to convert the clean hydrogen into energy through a fuel cell and perform an energy production and storage process by using energy generated by a sunlight collector, and a charging station configured to receive the energy stored in the energy production and storage unit and use the energy to charge an electric car.

The present invention relates to a filter unit (100, 301) for filtering a fluid (105) for the operation of a fuel cell. The filter unit (100, 301) comprises at least one filter element (101) filled with a filter material (103) comprising cyclodextrin. The presented Invention also relates to a fuel cell system, to the use of cyclodextrin to filter a fluid for the operation of a fuel cell system, and to a method for operating a fuel cell system.