Patent Grant
7749628
The present invention relates to a thermally integrated fuel cell system.
High temperature fuel cells such as solid oxide fuel cells comprise an electrolyte sandwiched between a cathode and an anode. Oxygen reacts with electrons at the cathode to form oxygen ions, which are conducted through the ion-conducting ceramic electrolyte to the anode according to the reaction:
½O2+2e→O2− (1)
At the anode, oxygen ions combine with hydrogen and carbon monoxide to form water and carbon dioxide thereby liberating electrons according to the exothermic reactions:
H2+O2−→H2O+2e− (2)
CO+O2−→CO2+2e− (3)
In conventionally-designed solid oxide fuel cells, the above electrochemical reactions usually are performed at temperatures of between 600° C. and 1000° C. Therefore, thermal management is an important consideration in the design of fuel cell systems. SOFC stacks produce high grade heat and it would obviously improve the overall efficiency of the operation if that high grade heat could be captured and utilized.
Typically, incoming fuel and air streams are preheated both during startup when the stack is at ambient temperatures and during operating conditions when the stack is at elevated temperatures. It is well known to use heat exchangers to extract heat from the stack exhausts and use that heat to preheat incoming gas streams.
In PCT Application No. PCT/US02/12315 (WO02/087052), a waste energy subassembly is provided which includes a combustion zone and a heat exchanger. A separate reformer subassembly provides reformate to the combustion zone where it is combusted to heat the system. Once at operating conditions, the stack exhaust is combusted in the combustion zone and heat is transferred to the incoming air and reformate streams in the heat exchanger. In Applicant's co-pending PCT Application No. CA01/01014, an integrated module is described which is associated with a fuel cell stack and includes an afterburner, a fuel reformer and a heat exchanger. The afterburner burns unused fuel in the fuel cell exhaust streams and heats the fuel reformer and an incoming cathode air stream.
It is a goal of both of these technologies to thermally integrate the fuel cell system and some thermal integration is achieved. However, it is apparent that further integration and better efficiencies may be achievable.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a highly thermally integrated fuel cell system.
The present invention provides a thermally integrated fuel cell system. In one aspect of the invention, the invention may comprise a fuel cell system comprising a fuel cell stack and further comprising:
In another aspect, the invention may comprise a fuel cell system including a stack comprising a fuel cell system including a fuel cell stack, said system comprising:
In another aspect, the invention may comprise a fuel cell system including a fuel cell stack comprising:
The invention will now be described by way of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the accompanying simplified, diagrammatic, not-to-scale drawings. In the drawings:
The present invention provides for a thermally integrated fuel cell system. When describing the present invention, all terms not defined herein have their common art-recognized meanings.
Generally, a system of the present invention achieves thermal integration primarily by exchanging heat from the exhaust side to the intake side of the fuel cell system in order to preheat the intake streams. As well, radiative heat from the fuel cell stack itself is captured. The features of the invention described herein enhance the efficiency or controllability of the system.
In a preferred embodiment, the first and second parts of the process air stream flow in parallel while the first and second parts of the process fuel stream flow in series. Furthermore, there is no direct thermal link between the two heat sources. More preferably, the two heat sources are isolated from each other with thermal insulation, thus not degrading the thermal availability of either heat source.
The split of the two heat sinks, the process air stream and the process fuel stream, into two parts, one part of which is thermally linked to the stack as a high grade heat source, and another part of which is thermally linked to the afterburner as the other high grade heat source, permits greater controllability of the system. For example, the stack may be cooled by directing a greater proportion of the process air stream through the part which is thermally linked to the stack. In another example, if greater fuel utilization results in less heat produced by the afterburner, more heat from the stack may be utilized by the heat sinks. These and other control strategies will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown schematically in
In an alternative embodiment, the fuel may be mixed with water prior to entering into the steam generator (26) or water heat exchanger.
The secondary reformate stream (36) is then passed through a equalization heat exchanger (36) which serves to equalize the temperature between the reformate stream (36) and the heated air stream (48) before entering the fuel cell stack (10). The equalization heat exchanger is an optional component and may assist in minimizing the temperature gradients between the stack and the incoming reactants.
The air source (22) passes into a low temperature heat exchanger (38) where it is split into two streams. A valve (39) or diverter, or independent valves, may direct air equally into both streams, into one stream to the exclusion of the other, or direct a greater proportion of air into one stream. It is preferably to split the air stream prior to entry into the low temperature heat exchanger so as to avoid the need for high temperature materials for the valves (39). A first air stream (40) is passed to a high temperature heat exchanger (42) while the second air stream (44) goes on to a radiative heat exchanger (46). The two streams from the high temperature heat exchanger (42) and the radiative heat exchanger (46) are then combined into a heated air stream (48) before entering the equalization heat exchanger (36).
Once reacted in the stacks, the cathode exhaust (50) and the anode exhaust (52) pass into an afterburner assembly (54) where any residual fuel in the exhaust stream is combusted. The cathode and anode exhausts are combined at this stage, and the cathode exhaust preferably provides sufficient residual oxygen necessary for combustion of any remaining combustible fuel in the afterburner. The afterburner exhaust (56) is used first to heat the fuel input stream in the primary reformer (30) and the air input stream in the high temperature heat exchanger (42). In one embodiment, the afterburner (54) is coupled with the primary reformer (30) and the high temperature heat exchanger in an integrated module (not shown).
The hot exhaust stream (56) may then be used to heat the steam generator (26) on the fuel side and the low temperature heat exchanger (38) on the air side. The exhaust stream may be split to heat these heat exchange elements, or they may be heated in series. In one embodiment, the secondary reformer (34) and the radiative heat exchanger (46) are positioned to receive radiative energy from the stacks (10). The heat from the stacks is available from the inefficiency in the electrochemical reactions.
The afterburner may also include a startup burner, or startup burner capability, which burns unreformed fuel and exhausts into the same exhaust as the afterburner (56).
In one embodiment, the implementation of the system described above may be divided into a hot zone (100) and a low temperature zone (102). The low temperature zone includes the low temperature air heat exchanger (38) and steam generator (26). The hot zone (100) may be further divided into a stack zone (104) and a burner zone (106), which in one embodiment may be an integrated module. As shown in
In one embodiment, the stack zone is contained as a stack compartment, which is vented through a catalytic converter, which may be electrically heated for startup, shutdown or other low-temperature operation. Any fuel gases which leak from the stacks are contained within the stack compartment and are eliminated by the catalytic converter before being vented to the atmosphere. The equalization heat exchanger (38) and a stack compartment burner (50) are disposed within the stack compartment.
One embodiment of the stack zone is shown in horizontal cross-section in
Startup of the stacks (10) when the whole system is at an ambient temperature is initiated by first purging the cathode and exhaust streams, as well as the stack compartment, with air. Process air flow is started, primarily through the first stream, thereby avoiding the radiative heat exchanger (46). In one embodiment, a stack compartment heater is provided within the stack zone to provide initial heat to the stacks. The stack compartment heater may be an electric heater or a burner and is typically fired first in a startup procedure. Once the stack compartment heater has raised the stack temperature to about 200° C., the startup burner associated with the afterburner is then ignited.
At this stage, the preferred startup sequence depends on whether an anode purge gas is used or not. Anode purge gas may comprise a mixture of nitrogen or argon with a small amount of hydrogen, and serves to preserve a reducing atmosphere in the fuel reformers as well as the SOFC anodes as the system heats up. If anode purge gas is used, the purge gas flow is initiated after firing of the stack compartment heater and after firing of the startup burner. Once the startup burner and the stack compartment burner have brought up the stack temperature to about 700° C., or slightly below the stack operating temperature, the switch from purge gas to process fuel may take place.
If no anode purge gas is used and the startup procedure utilizes process fuel and reformate only, then the process fuel flow is initiated after the startup burner is ignited. For steam reformation type systems, it is preferred to ensure the steam to carbon ratio of the process fuel flow is approximately 2.6 while at operating temperatures to prevent carbon deposition within the system. The steam to carbon ratio may be ramped up from a lower value to the operating value during a startup procedure as thermodynamic properties and equilibrium conditions of the reactants allow.
The hot exhaust from the startup burner heats the primary reformer (30), and both the high temperature and low temperature heat exchangers (42, 38) as well as the steam generator (26). As the primary reformer reaches its operating temperature, and the air heat exchangers heat the air, the fuel cell stacks begin operating and the exothermic reactions with the stacks produce electricity and heat. It is preferred during startup to direct all or a majority of air flow through the first stream (40) thereby avoiding the radiative heat exchanger (46). Once the fuel cell stacks (10) approach operating temperatures and begin operating, sufficient radiative heat is produced to allow use of the radiative heat exchanger (46) as well as the high temperature heat exchanger (42). Once the fuel cell stacks reach an operating temperature, then the stack compartment burner may be shutdown.
It is preferred to provide thermal insulation between the stack zone and the burner zone to permit greater thermal control of the system. The temperature of the stack zone may be independently controlled with greater precision by eliminating or reducing conductive heat transfer from the burner zone to the stack zone.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, various modifications, adaptations and variations of the foregoing specific disclosure can be made without departing from the scope of the invention claimed herein. The various features and elements of the described invention may be combined in a manner different from the combinations described or claimed herein, without departing from the scope of the invention.
This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/249,772 filed on May 6, 2003, entitled “Thermally Integrated SOFC System”, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10249772 | May 2003 | US |
| Child | 11611204 | US |
