Method for Operating a Fuel Cell and Such a Fuel Cell

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This invention describes a method for operating a fuel cell that uses a hydrogen-carrying liquid (a "carrier material") as its fuel source instead of pure compressed hydrogen gas. Inside the anode compartment, the carrier material first releases hydrogen through a dehydrogenation reaction, and then a further oxidation step using a catalyst extracts additional hydrogen from the same carrier. Oxygen ions transported through a solid electrolyte from the cathode side react with this hydrogen in the anode compartment to generate electricity. The result is a two-stage hydrogen extraction process that maximises the electrical energy obtained from each unit of carrier material.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Powering electric vehicles using liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) such as dibenzyltoluene instead of high-pressure hydrogen tanks.
• Stationary power generation at industrial sites where safe, liquid-form hydrogen storage is preferred over gaseous hydrogen infrastructure.
• Off-grid or remote energy supply systems where transporting liquid carrier material is more practical than delivering compressed hydrogen cylinders.
• Integration into solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems to increase hydrogen utilisation efficiency from LOHC-based energy storage.
• Backup power systems for data centres or telecommunications facilities that require dense, safe energy storage with high conversion efficiency.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Achieves higher hydrogen utilisation from the carrier material by combining dehydrogenation and catalytic oxidation in a single anode compartment, reducing waste.
• Eliminates the need for high-pressure or cryogenic hydrogen storage by using a stable liquid carrier, significantly improving safety and ease of transport.
• Simplifies the overall system architecture by integrating hydrogen release and electricity generation into one combined process step.
• Increases overall energy conversion efficiency compared to single-stage dehydrogenation fuel cell operation.
• Reduces the need for external hydrogen purification or reforming equipment, lowering system complexity and cost.
• Enables use of existing liquid fuel logistics infrastructure for the hydrogen carrier, easing deployment in markets without dedicated hydrogen supply chains.

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Patent Abstract

A method for operating a fuel cell (1) comprises supplying a hydrogen-loaded carrier material into an anode space (3) of the fuel cell (1), dehydriding the hydrogen-loaded carrier material in the anode space (3) and thereby releasing hydrogen from the carrier material, supplying an oxygen-containing gas or gas mixture into a cathode space (4) of the fuel cell (1), transporting oxygen ions from the cathode space (4) through an electrolyte (5) into the anode space (3), converting the released hydrogen into electrical current by means of the oxygen ions in the anode space (3), oxidizing the dehydrided carrier material by contacting with an oxidation catalyst in the anode space (3) and thereby additionally releasing hydrogen from the carrier material, and converting the additionally released hydrogen into electrical current by means of the oxygen ions in the anode space (3).