Process and apparatus for removing reaction water from galvanic fuel cells

Claim 1

PROCESS FOR OPERATING A FUEL CELL USING AN AQUEOUS ELECTROLYTE AND REACTANTS WHICH ELECTROCHEMICALLY PRODUCE ENERGY AS WELL AS WATER AS REACTION PRODUCT, WITH THE PERIODIC ELECTROCHEMICAL SEPARATION OF SAID REACTION WATER, WHICH COMPRISES CARRYING OUT THE FUEL CELL OPERATION CONTINUOUSLY AND, UPON THE REACHING OF A PREDETERMINED VOLUME INCREASE IN THE AQUEOUS ELECTROLYTE DUE TO THE REACTION WATER PRODUCED, PASSING A FIRST PREDETERMINED EXCESS VOLUME PORTION OF THE ELECTROLYTE DURING FURTHER FUEL CELL OPERATION TO AN ELECTROLYTIC DIALYSIS CELL HAVING ANODE AND CATHODE ELECTRODES AND ELECTROLYTE ION-SELECTIVE DIALYSIS MEMBRANE MEANS SEPARATING THE ANODE AND CATHODE ELECTRODES OF THE ELECTROLYTIC DIALYSIS CELL AND THEN PASSING A SECOND PREDETERMINED EXCESS VOLUME PORTION OF THE ELECTROLYTE DURING FURTHER FUEL CELL OPERATION TO A PART F THE ELECTROLYTIC DIALYSIS CELL SEPARATED BY SAID MEMBRANE MEANS FROM AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ELECTRODES AND THE FIRST EXCESS PORTION, THEN CONDUCTING CURRENT BETWEEN THE ANODE AND CATHODE ELECTRODES OF THE ELECTROLYTIC DIALYSIS CELL THROUGH THE SAID FIRST EXCESS PORTION AND THE SAID SECOND EXCESS PORTION AND THE MEMBRANE MEANS TO CAUSE THE MIGRATION OF THE CORRESPONDING ELECTROLYTE IONS PRESENT IN SAID SECOND EXCESS PORTION THROUGH THE MEMBRANE MEANS SELECTIVE THREFOR TO THE COUNTER ELECTRODE OF OPPOSITE POLARITY AND THE FIRST EXCESS PORTION, AND RECYCLING THE FIRST EXCESS PORTION ENRICHED WITH THE ELECTROLYTE IONS ELECTROCHEMICALLY SEPARATED FROM THE SECOND EXCESS PORTION BACK TO THE AQUEOUS ELECTROLYTE OF THE FUEL CELL WHILE WITHDRAWING THE SECOND EXCESS PORTION FOR THE RECEPTION OF FRESH SECOND EXCESS PORTION DURING THE FURTHER OPERATION OF THE FUEL CELL. 22. IN A FUEL CELL ARRANGEMENT HAVING AN ELECTROLYTE COMPARTMENT AND A PAIR OF OPPOSING ELECTRODES POSITIONED FOR THE GENERATION OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES PROVIDING AN ELECTROLYTIC DIALYSIS CELL IN PARTIAL FLOW COMMUNICATION THEREWITH, SAID DIALYSIS CELL CONTAINING ANODE AND CATHODE ELECTRODES SEPARATED BY ELECTROLYTE ION-SELECTIVE DIALYSIS MEMBRANE MEANS, SAID FUEL CELL ELECTROLYTE COMPAREMENT HAVING AN OVERFLOW CONDUIT COMMUNICATING DIRECTLY WITH THE PORTION OF SAID DIALYSIS CELL ON ONE SIDE OF SAID MEMBRANE MEANS ARRANGED FOR PASSING ELECTROLYTE FROM SAID ELECTROLYTE COMPARTMENT THERETO UPON THE REACHING OF A PREDETERMINED MAXIMUM VOLUME OF ELECTROLYTE IN SAID ELECTROLYTE COMPARTMENT, SAID OVERFLOW CONDUIT HAVING AN OVERFLOW CHANNEL MEANS INDIRECTLY COMMUNICATING SAID OVERFLOW CONDUIT WITH THE PORTION OF SAID DIALYSIS CELL ON THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID MEMBRANE MEANS AND ARRANGED FOR PASSING EXCESS ELECTROLYTE FROM SAID ELECTROLYTE COMPARTMENT THERETO UPON THE REACHING OF A PREDETERMINED MAXIMUM VOLUME OF ELECTROLYTE IN THE PORTION OF SAID DIALYSIS CELL ON SAID ONE SIDE OF THE MEMBRANE MEANS, AND MEANS FOR RECYCLING ELECTROLYTE FROM SAID ONE SIDE OF THE MEMBRANE MEANS OF SAID DIALYSIS CELL BACK TO SAID ELECTROLYTE COMPARTMENT OF THE FUEL CELL AND FOR WITHDRAWING SPENT ELECTROLYSIS PRODUCTS FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MEMBRANE MEANS OF THE DIALYSIS CELL.