System for determining a gas composition within a shut down fuel cell power plant and method of operation

The invention is a system ( 10 ) and method for determining a gas composition within a fuel cell ( 12 ) of a shut down fuel cell power plant. The system ( 10 ) includes at least one fuel cell ( 12 ), a sensor circuit ( 86 ) secured in electrical connection with the fuel cell ( 12 ), wherein the circ...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors CARL A. REISER, RYAN J. BALLIET
Format Patent
LanguageEnglish
Published 30.04.2004
Edition7
Subjects
BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
ELECTRICITY
PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
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Summary:The invention is a system ( 10 ) and method for determining a gas composition within a fuel cell ( 12 ) of a shut down fuel cell power plant. The system ( 10 ) includes at least one fuel cell ( 12 ), a sensor circuit ( 86 ) secured in electrical connection with the fuel cell ( 12 ), wherein the circuit ( 86 ) includes a power source ( 88 ), a voltage-measuring device ( 90 ), and a sensor circuit switch ( 92 ). The circuit ( 86 ) is secured so that the power source ( 88 ) may selectively deliver a pre-determined sensing current to the fuel cell ( 12 ) for a pre-determined sensing duration. The system ( 10 ) selectively admits the reducing fluid into an anode flow field ( 28 ) of the cell ( 12 ) whenever the sensor circuit ( 86 ) senses that a shut down monitoring voltage of the fuel cell ( 12 ) is the same as or exceeds a calibrated sensor voltage limit of the fuel cell ( 12 ).
Bibliography:Application Number: AU20030270743