System and method for producing hydrogen using high temperature fuel cells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12003008-B2
Application number	US-202217824630-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 25, 2022
Priority date	Mar 16, 2018
Publication date	Jun 4, 2024
Grant date	Jun 4, 2024

Abstract

A steam methane reformer-integrated fuel cell system includes: at least one fuel cell including: an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte matrix separating the anode and the cathode; an anode gas oxidizer (AGO) configured to receive anode exhaust gas from the at least one fuel cell and a preheated air stream such that the anode exhaust gas reacts with the preheated air stream to produce a high-temperature exhaust stream, and configured to provide the high-temperature exhaust stream to the cathode of the at least one fuel cell; and a steam methane reformer configured to utilize heat from the high-temperature exhaust stream output from the AGO and to react methane with steam to produce a first product stream including hydrogen (H 2 ), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), and carbon monoxide (CO).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A steam methane reformer-integrated fuel cell system, comprising:
at least one fuel cell comprising:
an anode,
a cathode, and
an electrolyte matrix separating the anode and the cathode;

an anode gas oxidizer (AGO) configured to receive anode exhaust gas from the at least one fuel cell and a preheated air stream such that the anode exhaust gas reacts with the preheated air stream to produce a high-temperature exhaust stream, and configured to provide the high-temperature exhaust stream to the cathode of the at least one fuel cell; and
a steam methane reformer configured to utilize heat from the high-temperature exhaust stream output from the AGO before the high-temperature exhaust stream is provided to the cathode of the at least one fuel cell and to react methane with steam to produce a first product stream including hydrogen (H 2 ), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), and carbon monoxide (CO), wherein the steam and methane in the steam methane reformer are heated by the high-temperature exhaust stream.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first product stream comprises a first concentration of hydrogen, and
the system further comprises a water-gas shift reactor configured to react CO in the first product stream with steam to produce an outlet stream having a second concentration of hydrogen that is greater than the first concentration of hydrogen.

3. The system of claim 2 , further comprising:
an absorber column configured to reduce a concentration of CO 2 in the outlet stream such that a second product stream of the absorber column has a third concentration of hydrogen that is greater than the second concentration of hydrogen.

4. The system of claim 3 , further comprising:
a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) purification system configured to purify the second product stream such that a third product stream of the PSA purification system has a fourth concentration of hydrogen that is greater than the third concentration of hydrogen.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the fourth concentration of hydrogen is at least 95 mole %.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the at least one fuel cell is configured to receive a PSA tail gas from the PSA purification system as an anode feed gas.

7. The system of claim 4 , further comprising:
a stripper column connected to the absorber column; wherein:
the stripper column is configured to receive a PSA tail gas from the PSA purification system and a solvent from the absorber column; and
the stripper column is configured to strip CO2 from the solvent using the PSA tail gas and output a CO 2 -stripped solvent.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the absorber column is configured to receive the CO 2 -stripped solvent from the stripper column, such that a hydrogen concentration of the second product stream increases from the second concentration to the third concentration.

9. The system of claim 3 , wherein the third concentration of hydrogen is at least 90 mole %.

10. The system of claim 3 , further comprising a flash gas apparatus configured to receive rich solvent from the absorber column and configured to produce a first CO 2 -rich flashed gas stream.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the flash gas apparatus comprises a low-pressure flash system.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein:
the flash gas apparatus comprises:
a medium-pressure flash apparatus, and
a low-pressure flash apparatus, and

the medium-pressure flash apparatus is configured to operate at a pressure in a range of 40% to 60% of a pressure in the absorber column.

13. The system of claim 3 , further comprising a flash gas apparatus configured to receive rich solvent from the absorber column and configured to produce a first CO 2 -rich flashed gas stream comprising at least 60 mole % CO 2 .

14. The system of claim 2 , wherein the second concentration of hydrogen is at least 70 mole %.

15. A steam methane reformer-integrated fuel cell system, comprising:
at least one fuel cell comprising:
an anode,
a cathode, and
an electrolyte matrix separating the anode and the cathode;

an anode gas oxidizer (AGO) configured to receive anode exhaust gas from the at least one fuel cell and a preheated air stream such that the anode exhaust gas reacts with the preheated air stream to produce a high-temperature exhaust stream, and configured to provide the high-temperature exhaust stream to the cathode of the at least one fuel cell; and
a steam methane reformer configured to utilize heat from the high-temperature exhaust stream output from the AGO and to react methane with steam to produce a first product stream including hydrogen (H 2 ), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), and carbon monoxide (CO), wherein the first product stream comprises a first concentration of hydrogen;
a water-gas shift reactor configured to react CO in the first product stream with steam to produce an outlet stream having a second concentration of hydrogen that is greater than the first concentration of hydrogen;
an absorber column configured to reduce a concentration of CO 2 in the outlet stream such that a second product stream of the absorber column has a third concentration of hydrogen that is greater than the second concentration of hydrogen;
a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) purification system configured to purify the second product stream such that a third product stream of the PSA purification system has a fourth concentration of hydrogen that is greater than the third concentration of hydrogen;
a stripper column connected to the absorber column; wherein:
the stripper column is configured to receive a PSA tail gas from the PSA purification system and a solvent from the absorber column; and
the stripper column is configured to strip CO 2 from the solvent using the PSA tail gas and output a CO 2 -stripped solvent.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the absorber column is configured to receive the CO 2 -stripped solvent from the stripper column, such that a hydrogen concentration of the second product stream increases from the second concentration to the third concentration.

Assignees

• Fuelcell Energy Inc

Inventors

• Jahnke Fred C
• Lambrech Matthew

Classifications

• Y02P20/129

  Energy recovery, e.g. by cogeneration, H2recovery or pressure recovery turbines · CPC title

• Y02E60/36

  Hydrogen production from non-carbon containing sources, e.g. by water electrolysis · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/0675

  Removal of sulfur · CPC title

• H01M8/04097

  with recycling of the reactants (H01M8/04119, H01M8/04104 take precedence) · CPC title