Integrated fuel cell and engine combustor assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10724432-B2
Application number	US-201715805878-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 7, 2017
Priority date	Nov 7, 2017
Publication date	Jul 28, 2020
Grant date	Jul 28, 2020

Abstract

An integrated fuel cell and engine combustor assembly includes an engine combustor having a combustion chamber fluidly coupled with a compressor and a turbine. The assembly also includes a fuel cell stack circumferentially extending around the combustion chamber of the combustor. The fuel cell stack includes fuel cells configured to generate electric current. The fuel cell stack is positioned to receive discharged air from the compressor and fuel from a fuel manifold. The fuel cells in the fuel cell stack generate electric current using the discharged air and at least some of the fuel. The fuel cell stack is positioned to radially direct partially oxidized fuel from the fuel cells into the combustion chamber of the combustor. The combustor combusts the partially oxidized fuel into one or more gaseous combustion products that are directed into and drive the downstream turbine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An integrated fuel cell and engine combustor assembly, the assembly comprising:
an annular engine combustor extending along an annular axis, the annular engine combustor having an interior combustion chamber that is configured to be fluidly coupled with an upstream compressor and a downstream turbine; and
a fuel cell stack circumferentially extending around the interior combustion chamber of the annular engine combustor, the fuel cell stack including plural fuel cells configured to generate electric current,
wherein the fuel cell stack is positioned to receive discharged air from the compressor and fuel from a fuel manifold, the fuel cells in the fuel cell stack configured to generate the electric current using the discharged air and at least some of the fuel,
wherein the fuel cell stack is positioned to radially direct partially oxidized fuel from the fuel cells into the interior combustion chamber of the annular engine combustor,
wherein the annular engine combustor is configured to combust the partially oxidized fuel into one or more gaseous combustion products that are directed into and drive the downstream turbine.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell stack is positioned radially outward of the interior combustion chamber of the annular engine combustor such that the interior combustion chamber is disposed between the annular axis and the fuel cell stack.

3. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cells in the fuel cell stack are stacked next to each other in a direction that is parallel to the annular axis.

4. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the fuel cells includes a cathode, an anode, and an electrolyte between the cathode and the anode in a direction that is parallel to the annular axis.

5. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cells in the fuel cell stack are elongated tubes that are elongated in radial directions that are perpendicular to the annular axis.

6. The assembly of claim 5 , wherein the fuel cells in the fuel cell stack are formed by undulating anode plates and undulating cathode plates.

7. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cells in the fuel cell stack are conductively connected with each other such that the electric current individually generated by the fuel cells is added together.

8. An engine assembly, the assembly comprising:
an engine combustor having a combustion chamber with an outer diameter that extends along an annular axis; and
a fuel cell stack extending around the outer diameter of the combustion chamber and around the annular axis such that the outer diameter of the combustion chamber is between the annular axis and the fuel cell stack along radial directions outwardly extending from the annular axis,
wherein the fuel cell stack is positioned to receive discharged air from a compressor and fuel, the fuel cell stack configured to generate electric current using the discharged air and the fuel,
wherein the fuel cell stack is positioned to radially direct partially oxidized fuel passing through the fuel cell stack into the combustion chamber of the combustor,
wherein the combustor is configured to combust the partially oxidized fuel into one or more gaseous combustion products that drive a downstream turbine,
wherein each of the fuel cells includes a cathode, an anode, and an electrolyte between the cathode and the anode in a direction that is parallel to the annular axis,
wherein each of the fuel cells also includes at least a portion of a first bipolar plate that is spaced apart from the cathode and at least a portion of a second bipolar plate that is spaced apart from the anode, wherein the cathode is spaced apart from the first bipolar plate in a direction that is parallel to the annular axis by a cathode flow field through which the discharged air from the compressor radially flows toward the annular axis.

9. The assembly of claim 8 , wherein the fuel cell stack circumferentially surrounds the combustion chamber around the annular axis.

10. The assembly of claim 8 , wherein the fuel cell stack is a solid oxide fuel cell stack.

11. The assembly of claim 8 , wherein the fuel cell stack includes fuel cells that are stacked next to each other in a direction that is parallel to the annular axis.

12. The assembly of claim 8 , wherein the second bipolar plate is spaced apart from the anode in the direction that is parallel to the annular axis by an anode flow field through which the discharged air from the compressor radially flows toward the annular axis.

13. The assembly of claim 8 , wherein the fuel cell stack includes fuel cells that are tubes that are elongated in radial directions that are perpendicular to the annular axis.

14. The assembly of claim 13 , wherein the tubes of the fuel cell stack are adjacent fuel and air passages in a honeycomb arrangement.

15. The assembly of claim 13 , wherein the fuel cells in the fuel cell stack are formed by undulating anode plates and undulating cathode plates.

16. The assembly of claim 15 , wherein the undulating anode plates and the undulating cathode plates contact each other in first locations and are spaced apart from each other in different, second locations, wherein separation between the anode plates and the cathode plates in the second locations form the tubes of the fuel cells.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Shapiro Andrew Philip
• Joshi Narendra Digamber

Classifications

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• F02C3/205

  in a fluidised-bed combustor (in combination with a steam cycle see F01K23/061; fluidised-bed apparatus in general B01J8/18; fluidised-bed combustors in general F23C10/00) · CPC title

• H01M2250/407

  Combination of fuel cells with mechanical energy generators · CPC title

• H01M8/2428

  Grouping by arranging unit cells on a surface of any form, e.g. planar or tubular · CPC title

• F02C6/10 Primary

  supplying working fluid to a user, e.g. a chemical process, which returns working fluid to a turbine of the plant · CPC title