1. A method of judging the life of a rechargeable battery, said rechargeable battery being used while charge and discharge are repeatedly performed therefor,
wherein when said rechargeable battery is charged with electricity, an internal resistance of said rechargeable battery is measured in a state in which a remaining power of said rechargeable battery has a predetermined capacity, and the value of the internal resistance with passage of time is obtained, thereby judging the life of said rechargeable battery based on the change of the value of the internal resistance with passage of time.
2. The method of judging the life of a rechargeable battery according to claim 1, wherein when the remaining power of said rechargeable battery during a full charge phase is set as 100%, the predetermined capacity is equal to or larger than 30%, but equal to or smaller than 93%.
3. The method of judging the life of a rechargeable battery according to claim 1, wherein when the remaining power of said rechargeable battery during a full charge phase is set as 100%, the predetermined capacity is equal to or larger than 30%, but equal to or smaller than 85%.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. Process for the direct oxidation and or internal reform of ethanol fuel cells using solid oxide, characterized by the fact that it uses a fuel cell comprising a solid oxide anode electrocatalyst multifunctional chemical-based mixed oxides and metal oxides such as copper (CuO and Cu2O), cerium (CeO2), yttria stabilized zirconia (Zr2O3\u2014Y2O3) and cerium aluminate (Ce1\u2212xMxAl1\u2212yNyO3), where M corresponds to an element among Sr and Ca; and x represents approximately a content in the range 0 to 50 mol %, N corresponds to an element from among Mn, Cr, Co, and y represents approximately a content in the range 0 to 50 mol %, the stack is fed with fuel complex such as ethanol or ethanol-water mixtures, to produce electricity, heat, water andor possibly through direct oxidation ethylene andor internal reform.
2. Process according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the liquid fuel supplied to the fuel cell is selected from ethanol, ethanolwater mixture or other alcohols.
3. Process according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the fuel cell is operated at a temperature ranging from 600 to 1000\xb0 C.
4. Process according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the fuel ethanol is oxidized directly or retired directly into the anode cell.
5. Process according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the fuel cell is operated with gas flow rates fueloxidant variables (0.5:1 to 3:1 and 2:1 to 1:3).
6. Process according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the electricity is generated simultaneously by means of electrochemical conversion of chemical energy into electrical energy with high efficiency during the oxidation of ethanol, producing 12 electrons of energy per mole of ethanol.
7. Process according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the fuel cell has high efficiency without the production of pollutants such as NOx and SOx and CO2 emissions reduced.
8. Process according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the fuel cell is operated with fuel vaporized and preheated.
9. Process according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the fuel cell is operated when the fuel at room temperature to be introduced into the fuel cell solid oxide.
10. Process according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the fuel cell to be operated directly with an ethanolwater mixture (mol) in a ratio ranging from 1:0 to 1:5.
11. Process according to claim 10, characterized by the fact that the fuel cell to produce hydrogen instead, both through the association of ethanol and water.
12. Process according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the fuel cell to produce preferably hydrocarbons such as ethylene by dehydration of ethanol.
13. Stack solid oxide fuel used for the direct oxidation andor internal reform of fuel, characterized by the fact that comprising an anode electrocatalyst with multifunctional chemical-based mixed oxides and metal oxides such as copper (CuO and Cu2O), cerium (CeO2), Zr2O3\u2014Y2O3 and cerium aluminate (Ce1\u2212xMxAl1\u2212yNyO3), where M corresponds to an element among Sr and Ca, and x represents about a content in the range 0 to 50 mol %, N corresponds to an element from among Mn, Cr, Co, and y represents approximately a content in the range 0 to 50 mol %.
14. Fuel cell according to claim 13, characterized by the fact that the composition has its cathode La0.8Sr0.2MnO3+\u03b4Zr2O3\u2014Y2O3 (LSMZEI), the first layer consists of a film cathode LSMZEI (20-5080-50% by mass) and a second cathode LSM (La0.8Sr0.2MnO3) or other cathodes, and operates with O2 oxidants selected from air, pure O2 or other gas mixtures rich in O2 and its electrolyte is ZEI (zirconia stabilized with 8% yttria) or other ceramic ionic conductor and impermeable to gas.
15. Fuel cell in accordance to claim 13, characterized by the fact that having at least one of the settings: supported by the electrolyte, the anode or the cathode.
16. Fuel cell according to claim 13, characterized by the fact that the electrolyte is conductive to oxygen O2\u2212 ions or protons, H+.
17. Fuel cell according to claim 13, not supported by the electrolyte, characterized in that the electrolyte is presented in the form of film and the cell operated at temperatures of 600 to 800\xb0 C.
18. Fuel cell according to claim 13, characterized in that the supporting electrolyte is presented on the electrodes or electrode layer deposited on the substrate, the cell operated at temperatures from 700 to 1000\xb0 C.
19. Fuel cell according to claim 13, characterized by the fact that the anode presents electrochemical and electrocatalytic activity for oxidation of ethanol.
20. Fuel cell according to claim 13, characterized by the fact that the anode has multifunctional catalytic, electrocatalytic and electrochemical, are still able to limit the deposition of carbon.
21. Fuel cell according to claim 13, characterized by the fact that the anode multifunctional has high electrochemical and electrocatalytic activity for the internal reform of ethanol.
22. Fuel cell according to claim 21, characterized by characterized by the fact that the anode multifunctional displays selectivity for the production of hydrocarbons such as ethylene.
23. Fuel cell according to claim 22, characterized by the fact that it is directly fed with ethanol andor ethanolwater mixture, with outputs in the range of Watts, or kWatts mWatts for distributed generation of electricity in remote locations, disconnected from the national grid power.
24. Fuel cell according to claim 23, characterized by the fact that it is directly fed with ethanol andor ethanolwater mixture, with outputs in the range of Watts, or kWatts mWatts for distributed generation of electricity in sites connected to the national grid electricity.
25. Fuel cell according to claim 24, characterized by the fact that supply electricity to local devices, stationary systems and also to the national grid power when the demand for such local devices and stationary systems is less their ability to produce electricity.
26. Fuel cell according to claim 25, characterized by the fact that having their applications targeted for use in homes, offices, businesses, schools, hospitals and the like, for providing electrical energy to power and heat for local heating water and space heating.
27. Fuel cell according to claim 26, characterized by the fact that the heat produced is used for cogeneration, allowing the production of electricity in addition to that produced by the fuel cell, can also be used for space heating, heat water, generate steam and heat other equipment, including reformers.
28. Fuel cell according to claim 27, characterized by the fact that its use aimed at mobile and portable devices such as games, computers, cell phones, PDAs, notebooks, laptops and other devices generally powered by batteries or conventional batteries.
29. Fuel cell according to claim 28, characterized by the fact that having their applications focused on vehicles, acting as an auxiliary power unit.
30. Characterized fuel cell according to claim 29, characterized by the fact that it is applied in the generation of electricity in hybrid electric vehicles or not, for the traction system of vehicles and can be applied in automobiles, buses, trucks, trains, motorcycles and special-purpose vehicles such as forklifts, golf carts, among others.
31. Catalyst for production of electricity from fuel ethanol andor ethanolwater mixture used in fuel cell anodes of solid oxide, characterized by the fact that being made the basis of mixed oxides of cerium aluminate (Ce1\u2212xMxAl1\u2212yNyO3), where M corresponds to an element among Sr and Ca, and x represents about a content in the range 0 to 50 mol %, N corresponds to an element from among Mn, Cr, Co, and y represents approximately one in content range 0 to 50 mol %; active and selective in the direct oxidation andor internal reform of ethanol and has a structure, preferably, the perovskite type.
32. Catalyst according to claim 31, characterized by the fact that present in the range of thermal stability up to 1400\xb0 C.
33. Catalyst according to claim 31, characterized by the fact that it is synthesized with molar concentrations of Ce:Al in the range of from 1:1 to 2:3.
34. Catalyst according to claim 31, characterized by the fact that simultaneously display catalytic and electrocatalytic functions for generating electricity by direct oxidation of ethanol andor mixtures of ethanolwater.
35. Catalyst according to claim 31, characterized by the fact that it shows high activity for the internal reform of ethanol andor mixtures of ethanolwater, with conversion of up to 100% ethanol.
36. Catalyst according to claim 31, characterized by the fact that the acid sites have characteristic, favoring the dehydration of ethanol to ethylene.
37. Catalyst according to claim 31, characterized by the fact that it shows high activity attributed to its high capacity to adsorb ethanol.
38. Catalyst according to claim 31, characterized by the fact that the catalytic and electrocatalytic functions provide the selectivity for ethylene production of hydrocarbons.
39. Catalyst according to claim 31, characterized by the fact that a reversible transformation of phases such that, when out of operation is composed primarily of CeO2 and \u03b3-Al2O3 and when in operation is constituted mainly by cerium aluminates.
40. Catalyst according to claim 39, characterized by presents perovskite structure in a reducing atmosphere under operating conditions the fuel cell.
41. Catalyst according to claim 39, characterized by the fact that the phases present CeO2 and \u03b3-Al2O3 in an oxidizing atmosphere.