Energy generating unit comprising a high-temperature fuel cell stack and a vaporizing unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10374242-B2
Application number	US-201414765616-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 4, 2014
Priority date	Feb 4, 2013
Publication date	Aug 6, 2019
Grant date	Aug 6, 2019

Abstract

The invention relates to an energy generation unit comprising a high-temperature fuel cell stack ( 10 ), which is operated with liquid fuel, and a reformer ( 11 ) connected upstream of the fuel cell stack for processing the fuel, a recirculation line ( 13 ) for at least partially feeding back the anode exhaust gas into the reformer ( 1 ) and a device for feeding the liquid fuel into the anode exhaust gas. In accordance with the invention, the invention for feeding the fuel is in the form of an evaporator device ( 20 ), comprising a housing ( 21 ) which has an evaporator nonwoven ( 23 ) in the region of the fuel feed line ( 22 ), wherein the hot anode exhaust gas can be applied to said evaporator nonwoven from the recirculation line ( 13 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An energy generating unit comprising:
a high-temperature fuel cell stack operated by liquid fuel,
a reformer connected upstream of the fuel cell stack for processing the fuel,
a recirculation line for at least partially recirculating anode exhaust gas into the reformer,

said recirculation line comprising a gas outlet line and a feeder line,
a compressor for supplying anode exhaust gas to the reformer via the feeder line, and
a feeder capable of providing liquid fuel into the anode exhaust gas, wherein the feeder vaporizes at least some fuel and includes an evaporator made of a nonwoven material that is adjacent a fuel feed line and the feeder has a housing arranged in an exhaust gas chamber of the energy generating unit, said exhaust gas chamber being capable of receiving hot exhaust gas of the energy generating unit, and wherein the gas outlet line is capable of guiding the anode exhaust gas out of the exhaust gas chamber to the compressor, wherein the feeder housing comprises a gas inlet for the anode exhaust gas leading substantially tangentially to a curved surface of the feeder housing thereinto and the feeder housing is distinct from and differently shaped or sized than the exhaust gas chamber.

2. The energy generating unit according to claim 1 , wherein the housing of the feeder is cylindrical and comprises a central feed line capable of receiving the fuel on one end of the housing and a central gas outlet for gas consisting of anode exhaust gas and vaporized fuel on an opposite end of the housing.

3. The energy generating unit according to claim 1 , wherein the evaporator is flat and disk-shaped and includes one of a metal or ceramic member.

4. The energy generating unit according to claim 3 , wherein the feeder housing is cylindrical and comprised of thin-walled sheet metal components, wherein an end of the feeder housing proximate the evaporator is formed by a portion of a wall of the exhaust gas chamber.

5. The energy generating unit according to claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a heating element dedicated to the evaporator and includes an electrically heated heating element.

6. The energy generating unit according to claim 1 , wherein the feeder housing is distinct from the reformer.

7. The energy generating unit according to claim 1 , wherein the feeder housing is cylindrical with a curved surface and a covering side on one end, and wherein the evaporator is flat and positioned on an end of the feeder housing opposite the covering side.

8. The energy generating unit according to claim 1 , wherein the feeder housing and the exhaust gas chamber at most share one wall.

9. A vaporizing unit for producing an educt gas from a hot carrier gas and a liquid fuel for operating a high-temperature fuel cell stack having an upstream reformer, the vaporizing unit comprising a cylindrical housing having a central feed line for the liquid fuel and an evaporator made of a nonwoven material on one end and a central gas outlet capable of receiving the educt gas on an opposite end, and the cylindrical housing being provided with a gas inlet arranged between the one end and the opposite end and being capable of receiving a hot carrier gas and leading the hot carrier gas substantially tangentially to a curved surface of the cylindrical housing thereinto, wherein the vaporizing unit is a separate and distinct unit from the upstream reformer.

10. The vaporizing unit according to claim 9 , wherein at least sections of the evaporator are comprised of a metal or ceramic.

11. The vaporizing unit according to claim 9 , wherein the vaporizing unit comprises a heating element, the evaporator and an electrically heated heating element.

Assignees

• Avl List Gmbh

Inventors

• Rechberger Juergen
• Reissig Michael

Classifications

• C01B2203/1276

  Mixing of different feed components · CPC title

• C01B2203/1288

  Evaporation of one or more of the different feed components · CPC title

• C01B2203/066

  with fuel cells · CPC title

• F22B1/1853

  coming in direct contact with water in bulk or in sprays · CPC title

• F22B37/60

  specially adapted for steam boilers of instantaneous or flash type · CPC title