Fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11196059-B2
Application number	US-201716464305-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2017
Priority date	Nov 29, 2016
Publication date	Dec 7, 2021
Grant date	Dec 7, 2021

Abstract

The invention relates to a fuel cell system (100) having a fuel supply unit (8) and fuel cells (1, 2) having a cathode (4, 4′) and an anode (3, 3′), wherein the cathode (4, 4′) features a cathode feed line (40), the anode (3, 3′) features an anode feed line (30), and the flow in the anode (3, 3′) is connected with the flow in the fuel supply unit (8) via the anode feed line (30), in which a reforming apparatus (13) is arranged, and having an anode exhaust line (6) provided with at least one burner apparatus (22, 23). According to the invention, a first heat exchanger (16) is provided in the cathode feed line (40), and a second heat exchanger (29), which is arranged upstream of the reforming apparatus (13), is provided in the anode feed line (30), wherein the anode exhaust line (6) divides downstream of the burner apparatus (22, 23) into a first anode exhaust subsidiary line (6a) and a second anode exhaust subsidiary line (6b), each of which is connected to an exhaust gas outlet (21), and wherein the first anode exhaust subsidiary line (6a) leads through a warm side of the first heat exchanger (16), and the second anode exhaust subsidiary line (6b) leads through a warm side of the second heat exchanger (29), and the vaporizing arrangement (12) is able to be heated via the second anode exhaust subsidiary line (6b).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell system comprising a fuel supply unit, at least one fuel cell having one cathode and one anode, wherein the cathode features a cathode feed line, the anode features an anode feed line, the flow in the anode is connected via an anode feed line to the flow in the fuel supply unit, and a reforming apparatus is arranged in the anode feed line, and comprising an anode exhaust line for discharging at least anode exhaust gas from the anode, wherein at least one burner apparatus is arranged in the anode exhaust line,
wherein
at least one first heat exchanger is arranged in the cathode feed line, at least one vaporizing arrangement and a second heat exchanger are arranged in the anode feed line, and the vaporizing arrangement is arranged upstream of the reforming apparatus, wherein the anode exhaust line divides downstream of the burner apparatus into a first anode exhaust subsidiary line that is connected to an exhaust gas outlet and a second anode exhaust subsidiary line that is connected to an exhaust gas outlet, and wherein the first anode exhaust subsidiary line leads through a warm side of the first heat exchanger, and the second anode exhaust subsidiary line leads through a warm side of the second heat exchanger, and the vaporizing arrangement is able to be heated via the second anode exhaust subsidiary line.

2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein the first anode exhaust subsidiary line and the second anode exhaust subsidiary line lead to a common exhaust gas outlet.

3. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein at least a first control valve apparatus is provided in the first anode exhaust subsidiary line, or a second control valve apparatus is provided in the second anode exhaust subsidiary line.

4. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein the anode exhaust gas being fed into the second anode exhaust subsidiary line flows through the reforming apparatus so as to transfer heat to the reforming apparatus.

5. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein the second heat exchanger is designed as a superheater.

6. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein the second heat exchanger and the reforming apparatus are combined into a common superheating and reforming element.

7. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein the second heat exchanger and the vaporizing arrangement are combined into a vaporizing and superheating element.

8. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein, subsequent in the direction of flow to the burner apparatus, anode exhaust is able to flow through the reforming apparatus prior to the second heat exchanger.

9. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein the anode exhaust line divides downstream of the reforming apparatus into the first anode exhaust subsidiary line and the second anode exhaust subsidiary line, wherein the anode exhaust flows through the reforming apparatus subsequent to the burner apparatus.

10. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein the burner apparatus is a catalytic burner or a start burner unit having an ignition apparatus, or a combined element comprising a catalytic burner and a start burner apparatus.

11. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein a start burner fuel line is provided between the fuel supply unit and the anode exhaust line, with a start burner fuel metering arrangement.

12. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein a fuel injection metering apparatus is arranged in the anode feed line upstream of the vaporizing arrangement.

13. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one bypass line branches off from the cathode feed line upstream of the first heat exchanger and discharges back into the cathode feed line downstream of the first heat exchanger, wherein a bypass control valve apparatus is advantageously arranged in the bypass line.

14. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one purge air line branches off from the cathode feed line upstream of the first heat exchanger and discharges into the anode feed line upstream of the reforming apparatus.

Assignees

• Avl List Gmbh
• Nissan Motor

Inventors

• Reissig Michael
• Reiter Bernd
• Mathé Jörg
• Krauss Thomas
• Planitzer Stefan
• Lawlor Vincent
• Rechberger Jürgen
• Yanagisawa Masanari
• Miyazaki Shinichi
• Chikugo Hayato
• Mano Tadaki
• Yaguchi Tatsuya

Classifications

• H01M8/04007 Primary

  related to heat exchange · CPC title

• H01M8/0612

  from carbon-containing material · CPC title

• H01M8/04089

  of gaseous reactants · CPC title

• H01M2008/147

  Fuel cells with molten carbonates · CPC title

• H01M8/04201

  Reactant storage and supply, e.g. means for feeding, pipes · CPC title