Grid islanded fuel cell installation for data center load

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11092652-B2
Application number	US-201916238336-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 2, 2019
Priority date	Jan 3, 2018
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

Various embodiments manage a fuel cell IT grid system to maintain fuel cell temperatures above a threshold temperature. The system may include power modules each including a fuel cell, DC/DC converters each connected to a power module, a DC power bus connected to the DC/DC, IT loads each connected to the DC power bus, a load balancing load connected to the DC power bus, and a control device connected to a first power module. The control device may determine whether a temperature of the first power module exceeds the temperature threshold, determine whether an electrical power output of the power modules exceeds an electrical power demand of the IT loads in response to the temperature exceeding the temperature threshold, and direct excess electrical power output to the load balancing load in response to the electrical power output exceeding the electrical power demand.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a plurality of power modules each including at least one fuel cell;
a plurality of direct current (DC)/DC converters each electrically connected to a power module of the plurality of power modules;
a DC power bus electrically connected to the plurality of DC/DC converters in parallel;
a plurality of information technology (IT) loads electrically connected to the DC power bus in parallel;
a load balancing load electrically connected to the DC power bus; and
a control device communicatively connected to a first power module of the plurality of power modules and configured with control device executable instructions to:
determine whether a temperature of the first power module exceeds a temperature threshold of the first power module;
determine whether an electrical power output of the plurality of power modules exceeds an electrical power demand of the plurality of IT loads in response to determining that the temperature of the first power module exceeds the temperature threshold of the first power module; and
direct excess electrical power output to the load balancing load in response to determining that the electrical power output of the plurality of power modules exceeds the electrical power demand of the plurality of IT loads;

a plurality of DC/alternating current (AC) inverters electrically connected to the DC power bus in parallel and each electrically connected to an IT load of the plurality of IT loads; and
a dual corded electrical connection between a first DC/AC inverter of the plurality of DC/AC inverters and a first IT load of the plurality of IT loads.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first IT load of the plurality of IT loads; and
a first DC/AC inverter and a second DC/AC inverter of the plurality of DC/AC inverters, wherein the first DC/AC inverter is electrically connected to a first input of the first IT load and the second DC/DC converter is electrically connected to a second input of the first IT load.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the DC power bus comprises a first DC power bus and a second DC power bus, and the first DC power bus is electrically connected to the first DC/AC inverter and the second DC power bus is electrically connected to the second DC/AC inverter.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of fuel cell IT grid systems, wherein:
a first fuel cell IT grid system comprises a first plurality of power modules of the plurality of power modules, a first plurality of DC/DC converters of the plurality of plurality of DC/DC converters, a first DC power bus, a first plurality of DC/AC inverters of the plurality of DC/AC inverters, and a first plurality of IT loads of the plurality of IT loads;
a second fuel cell IT grid system comprises a second plurality of power modules of the plurality of power modules, a second plurality of DC/DC converters of the plurality of plurality of DC/DC converters, a second DC power bus, a second plurality of DC/AC inverters of the plurality of DC/AC inverters, and a second plurality of IT loads of the plurality of IT loads; and
the DC power bus electrically connects the first fuel cell IT grid system and the second fuel cell IT grid system to the load balancing load.

Assignees

• Bloom Energy Corp

Inventors

• Cottuli Carl

Classifications

• H01M8/04947

  of auxiliary devices, e.g. batteries, capacitors · CPC title

• H01M8/04619

  of fuel cell stacks · CPC title

• H01M8/0494

  of fuel cell stacks · CPC title

• H01M8/04626

  of auxiliary devices, e.g. batteries, capacitors · CPC title

• H01M8/04365 Primary

  of other components of a fuel cell or fuel cell stacks · CPC title