Electrical installation having a cooled fuel cell comprising an absorption heat engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10084194-B2
Application number	US-201314442868-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 6, 2013
Priority date	Nov 16, 2012
Publication date	Sep 25, 2018
Grant date	Sep 25, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to an installation ( 100 ) comprising:
a power module having a fuel cell ( 12 ) and a reformer ( 14 a ), the fuel cell including a heat removal loop ( 24 ); and an absorption heat engine ( 40 ) having a first boiler ( 42 ), a condenser ( 46 ), an evaporator ( 48 ), and an absorber ( 50 ).

According to the invention, a heat exchange circuit ( 42 a ) of the first boiler is inserted in the heat removal loop of the fuel cell.
Furthermore, in the invention, the installation has a closed liquid circuit ( 10 ), which circuit comprises at least one heat exchanger ( 26, 28, 30, 32 ) having a heating circuit thermally coupled to the power module and a heated circuit inserted in said circulation circuit, said circulation circuit exchanging heat with said heating circuit, heating the liquid of the circulation circuit.
Finally, in the invention, a heat exchange circuit ( 48 a ) of the evaporator is inserted in said closed liquid circulation circuit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An installation comprising:
a power module supplying electricity and giving off heat, the power module comprising at least one fuel cell provided with an anode and a cathode, and at least one reformer, the anode being fed with hydrogen by the reformer and the cathode being fed with oxygen, the fuel cell including a heat removal loop;
an absorption heat engine having a first boiler, a condenser, an evaporator, and an absorber, a heat exchange circuit of the first boiler being inserted in the heat removal loop of the fuel cell in order to cool it; and
a closed liquid circulation circuit, the closed liquid circulation circuit comprising at least one heat exchanger having a heating circuit thermally coupled to the power module and a heated circuit inserted in the closed liquid circulation circuit, the closed liquid circulation circuit exchanging heat with said heating circuit, thereby heating the liquid of the closed liquid circulation circuit, and wherein:
a heat exchange circuit of the evaporator is inserted in the closed liquid circulation circuit, said heat exchange circuit of the evaporator having said heated liquid of the closed liquid circulation circuit passing therethrough after it has passed through the heated circuit of said heat exchanger in order to cool the heated liquid of the closed liquid circulation circuit; and
the condenser of the absorption heat engine has a heat exchange circuit that is inserted in a circuit for feeding air to the cathode and/or to the reformer, in order to heat that air.

2. An installation according to claim 1 , characterized in that the absorber of the absorption heat engine has a heat exchange circuit that is inserted in a circuit for feeding water to the reformer in order to heat that water.

3. An installation according to claim 1 , characterized in that the absorption heat engine is a double-effect absorption heat engine, said double-effect absorption heat engine having a second boiler.

4. An installation according to claim 1 , characterized in that the heating circuit of the at least one heat exchanger is connected to a circuit for exhausting gas from a burner of the reformer.

5. An installation according to claim 1 , characterized in that the heating circuit of the at least one heat exchanger is connected to an anode feed circuit between the reformer and the anode.

6. An installation according to claim 1 , characterized in that the heating circuit of the at least one heat exchanger is connected to a circuit for exhausting anode fluid and connected to the anode.

7. An installation according to claim 1 , characterized in that the heating circuit of the at least one heat exchanger is connected to a circuit for exhausting cathode fluid and connected to the cathode.

8. An installation according to claim 4 , characterized in that the at least one heat exchanger is a condenser.

9. An installation according to claim 5 , characterized in that the at least one heat exchanger is a condenser.

10. An installation according to claim 6 , characterized in that the at least one heat exchanger is a condenser.

11. An installation according to claim 7 , characterized in that the at least one heat exchanger is a condenser.

12. An installation comprising:
a power module supplying electricity and giving off heat, the power module comprising at least one fuel cell provided with an anode and a cathode, and at least one reformer, the anode being fed with hydrogen by the reformer and the cathode being fed with oxygen, the fuel cell including a heat removal loop;
an absorption heat engine having a first boiler, a condenser, an evaporator, and an absorber, a heat exchange circuit of the first boiler being inserted in the heat removal loop of the fuel cell in order to cool it; and
a closed liquid circulation circuit, the closed liquid circulation circuit comprising at least one heat exchanger, which is a condenser, having a heating circuit thermally coupled to the power module by being connected to a circuit for exhausting gas from a burner of the reformer, and a heated circuit inserted in the closed liquid circulation circuit, the closed liquid circulation circuit exchanging heat with said heating circuit, thereby heating the liquid of the closed liquid circulation circuit, and wherein:
a heat exchange circuit of the evaporator is inserted in the closed liquid circulation circuit, said heat exchange circuit of the evaporator having said heated liquid of the closed liquid circulation circuit passing therethrough after it has passed through the heated circuit of said heat exchanger in order to cool the heated liquid of the closed liquid circulation circuit;
the condenser of the absorption heat engine has a heat exchange circuit that is inserted in a circuit for feeding air to the cathode and/or to the reformer, in order to heat that air;
the absorber of the absorption heat engine has a heat exchange circuit that is inserted in a circuit for feeding water to the reformer in order to heat that water; and
a condensate liquid recovered in such a condenser feeds the reformer via a condensate circuit.

13. An installation according to claim 1 , characterized in that the fuel cell is a high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell.

14. An installation according to claim 1 , characterized in that it is an on-board installation.

15. An aircraft including an installation according to claim 1 .

16. An installation comprising:
a power module supplying electricity and giving off heat, the power module comprising at least one fuel cell provided with an anode and a cathode, and at least one reformer, the anode being fed with hydrogen by the reformer and the cathode being fed with oxygen, the fuel cell including a heat removal loop;
an absorption heat engine having a first boiler, a condenser, an evaporator, and an absorber, a heat exchange circuit of the first boiler being inserted in the heat removal loop of the fuel cell in order to cool it; and
a closed liquid circulation circuit, the closed liquid circulation circuit comprising at least one heat exchanger, which is a condenser, having a heating circuit thermally coupled to the power module by being connected to an anode feed circuit between the reformer and the anode, and a heated circuit inserted in the closed liquid circulation circuit, the closed liquid circulation circuit exchanging heat with said heating circuit, thereby heating the liquid of the closed liquid circulation circuit, and wherein:
a heat exchange circuit of the evaporator is inserted in the closed liquid circulation circuit, said heat exchange circuit of the evaporator having said heated liquid of the closed liquid circulation circuit passing therethrough after it has passed through the heated circuit of said heat exchanger in order to cool the heated liquid of the closed liquid circulation circuit;
the condenser of the absorption heat engine has a heat exchange circuit that is inserted in a circuit for feeding air to the cathode and/or to the reformer, in order to heat that air;
the absorber of the absorption heat engine has a heat exchange circuit that is inserted in a circuit for feeding water to the reformer in order to heat that water; and
a condensate liquid recovered in such a condenser feeds the reformer via a condensate circuit.

17. An installation comprising:
a power module supplying electricity and giving off heat, the power module comprising at least one fuel cell provided with an anode and a cathode, and at least one reformer, the anode being fed with hydrogen by the reformer and the cathode being fed w

Assignees

• Snecma
• Safran Aircraft Engines

Inventors

• Boudjemaa Fabien
• Hafsaoui Omar

Classifications

• H01M8/04037

  Electrical heating · CPC title

• H01M2250/20

  Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• H01M8/04029 Primary

  Heat exchange using liquids · CPC title

• H01M2250/40

  Combination of fuel cells with other energy production systems · CPC title

• H01M8/0618

  Reforming processes, e.g. autothermal, partial oxidation or steam reforming · CPC title