Bloom Energy Corporation patents

Systems and methods for suppressing chromium poisoning in fuel cells

A fuel cell assembly includes a fuel cell stack including a plurality of fuel cells, an incoming oxidizing gas flow path configured to deliver an oxidizing gas to the plurality of fuel cells, and a chromium-getter material located in the incoming oxidizing flow path. A fuel cell includes an electrolyte,... Bloom Energy Corporation

Corrosion resistant barrier layer for a solid oxide fuel cell stack and making thereof

A method of forming diffusion barrier layer includes providing an interconnect for a fuel cell stack, forming a glass barrier precursor layer over a Mn and/or Co containing electrically conductive contact layer on the interconnect, and heating the barrier precursor layer to precipitate crystals in the barrier precursor layer to... Bloom Energy Corporation

Anode with high redox stability

A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) includes a cathode electrode, a solid oxide electrolyte and an anode electrode containing a first portion having a cermet containing a nonzero volume percent of a nickel containing phase and a nonzero volume percent of a ceramic phase and a second portion having a... Bloom Energy Corporation

Anode with remarkable stability under conditions of extreme fuel starvation

A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) includes a cathode electrode, a solid oxide electrolyte, and an anode electrode having a first region located adjacent to a fuel inlet and a second region located adjacent to a fuel outlet. The anode electrode includes a cermet having a nickel containing phase and... Bloom Energy Corporation

Fuel cell system with variable auxiliary bus voltage and operating thereof

A method of operating a fuel cell system which includes a plurality of fuel cells and a plurality of auxiliary components located in at least one cabinet, includes monitoring, by a control unit, a parameter of the fuel cell system, determining whether the parameter has violated a threshold, and varying... Bloom Energy Corporation

Sorbent bed assembly, fuel cell system including same, and systems and devices for loading and transporting same

A sorbent bed assembly of a fuel cell system, including a first sorbent bed, a second sorbent bed and at least one third sorbent bed, the second sorbent bed disposed between the first sorbent bed and the at least one third sorbent bed, a cover plate on the plurality of... Bloom Energy Corporation

Corrosion resistant barrier layer for a solid oxide fuel cell stack and making thereof

A method of forming diffusion barrier layer includes providing an interconnect for a fuel cell stack, forming a glass barrier precursor layer over a Mn and/or Co containing electrically conductive contact layer on the interconnect, and heating the barrier precursor layer to precipitate crystals in the barrier precursor layer to... Bloom Energy Corporation

Energy load management system

A system and method for controlling a fuel cell system. An anode tail gas oxidizer (ATO) receives air and fuel exhaust streams from one or more fuel cell stacks of the fuel cell system. The one or more fuel cell stacks provide current to one or more loads. An ATO... Bloom Energy Corporation

Fuel cell system for information technology loads

A fuel cell system having a power module including at least one fuel cell segment, an input output module including at least one inverter, a rectifier, and an electric distribution module having at least a first electrical connector and a second electrical connector. The at least one fuel cell segment... Bloom Energy Corporation

Systems and methods for recycling fuel cell stack components

System and methods for refurbishing fuel cell stack components, the methods including singulating the stack using a splitting apparatus or a liquid nitrogen bath. Fuel cell debris may be removed from interconnects of the fuel cell stack using laser heating, flame heating, a die, sonication, a nubbed roller, grit blasting,... Bloom Energy Corporation

Method of refining of scandium oxide from concentrates using solvent extraction

A method of selectively removing impurities from a scandium-containing feed solution includes contacting an aqueous scandium-containing solution with an organic solvent stream containing an extractant, thereby forming a loaded organic solvent stream containing the impurity or impurities while leaving the scandium in the raffinate. The aqueous stream containing the scandium... Bloom Energy Corporation

Anode splitter plate and methods for making the same

Various embodiments of a reactant feed and return assembly, such as an anode splitter plate (ASP), are provided for facilitating reactant feed and exhaust flow in a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack system. Embodiments include a reactant feed and return assembly including at least a first portion formed of... Bloom Energy Corporation

Heterogeneous ceramic composite sofc electrolyte

A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) includes a cathode electrode, a solid oxide electrolyte, and an anode electrode. The electrolyte includes yttria stabilized zirconia and scandia stabilized zirconia, such as scandia ceria stabilized zirconia.... Bloom Energy Corporation

Seal compositions, methods, and structures for planar solid oxide fuel cells

A seal composition includes a first alkaline earth metal oxide, a second alkaline earth metal oxide which is different from the first alkaline earth metal oxide, aluminum oxide, and silica in an amount such that molar percent of silica in the composition is at least five molar percent greater than... Bloom Energy Corporation

Carbon dioxide shielded natural gas line and using thereof

A natural gas line comprises a concentric pipe having an inner natural gas pipe and an outer carbon dioxide pipe surrounding the inner pipe. Carbon dioxide in the outer pipe comprises a shield which prevents or decreases natural gas leakage to the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide may be supplied from... Bloom Energy Corporation

Doped scandia stabilized zirconia electrolyte compositions

A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) electrolyte composition includes zirconia stabilized with scandia, and at least one of magnesia, zinc oxide, indium oxide, and gallium oxide, and optionally ceria in addition to the oxides above.... Bloom Energy Corporation

Methods and systems for detecting leaks in a fuel cell stack

Systems and methods for testing a fuel cell stack include a vacuum source, a test head including at least one isolated vacuum plenum configured to be positioned in fluid communication with a first portion of the fuel cell stack, the isolated vacuum plenum in fluid communication with the vacuum source,... Bloom Energy Corporation

Fuel cell stack column including stress-relief components

A fuel cell column includes termination plates, fuel cell stacks disposed between the termination plates, and fuel manifolds disposed between the fuel cell stacks. The fuel cell stacks include fuel cells, interconnects disposed between the fuel cells, and end plates disposed on opposing ends of the fuel cell stacks. At... Bloom Energy Corporation

Sorbent bed assembly and fuel cell system including same

A sorbent bed assembly, a fuel cell system including the sorbent bed assembly, and methods of using the same. The sorbent bed assembly includes sorbent beds disposed in a stack, such that the sorbent beds extend lengthwise in a non-vertical direction, and conduits configured to fluidly connect the sorbent beds.... Bloom Energy Corporation

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy ("eis") analyzer and using thereof

Systems, methods, and devices of the various embodiments provide a hardware and software architecture enabling electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (“EIS”) to be performed on multiple electrochemical devices, such as fuel cells, at the same time without human interaction with the electrochemical devices and to use EIS to dynamically monitor the performance... Bloom Energy Corporation

Fuel cell ventilation systems

A roof cap assembly for a fuel cell system includes a housing, and a cover assembly disposed on the housing and configured to move between a first position and a second position. The cover assembly includes a cover comprising a first opening and a second opening, and a door connected... Bloom Energy Corporation

Pre-formed powder delivery to powder press machine

Methods for fabricating an interconnect for a fuel cell system that include forming a metal powder into a preform structure, positioning the preform structure in a die cavity of a press apparatus, and compressing the preform structure in the press apparatus to form the interconnect. Further embodiments include use of... Bloom Energy Corporation

Coatings for sofc metallic interconnects

Various methods of treating a chromium iron interconnect for a solid oxide fuel cell stack and coating the interconnect with a ceramic layer are provided.... Bloom Energy Corporation

Real-time monitoring and automated intervention platform for long term operability of fuel cells

Methods, apparatuses, and systems for real-time monitoring and automated intervention of a power generation. Embodiments may include receiving operating data from components of the power generation system. A potential failure condition for the components may be determined from real-time operating data of the received operating data before an occurrence of... Bloom Energy Corporation

Intergrated fuel cell and energy storage systems and operating thereof

An electrical power system, including a fuel cell system having a plurality of fuel cell segments and an energy storage system electrically coupled to the fuel cell system. The energy storage system including a plurality of energy storage system technologies, an energy storage system direct current (DC) bus configured to... Bloom Energy Corporation