Fuel cell system and method for controlling the temperature of a fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12206140-B2
Application number	US-201917295893-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2019
Priority date	Nov 21, 2018
Publication date	Jan 21, 2025
Grant date	Jan 21, 2025

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fuel cell system ( 1 a; 1 b; 1 c; 1 d ) comprising: at least one fuel cell stack ( 2 ) with an anode portion ( 3 ) and a cathode portion ( 4 ); a reformer-heat exchanger ( 5 ) with a cold side which is upstream of the anode portion ( 3 ) and forms a reformer ( 6 ) and a hot side which is downstream of the cathode portion ( 4 ) and forms a heat exchanger ( 7 ); and an afterburner ( 8 ) downstream of the heat exchanger ( 7 ) for combusting anode exhaust gas from the anode portion ( 3 ) and/or cathode exhaust gas from the cathode portion ( 4 ), the heat exchanger ( 7 ) being situated directly downstream of the cathode portion ( 4 ) and being in fluid communication with the cathode portion ( 4 ) by means of a cathode exhaust gas line ( 9 ) in order for the cathode exhaust gas to be fully conducted through the heat exchanger ( 7 ). The invention also relates to a method for controlling the temperature of a fuel cell system ( 1 a; 1 b; 1 ce; 1 d ) according to the invention.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fuel cell system ( 1 a ; 1 b ; 1 c ; 1 d ) comprising:
at least one fuel cell stack ( 2 ) with an anode portion ( 3 ) and a cathode portion ( 4 ),
a reformer-heat exchanger ( 5 ) with a cold side upstream of the anode portion ( 3 ) which forms a reformer ( 6 ),
a hot side downstream of the cathode portion ( 4 ) which forms a heat exchanger ( 7 ), and an afterburner ( 8 ) downstream of the heat exchanger ( 7 ) for combusting anode exhaust gas from the anode portion ( 3 ) and/or cathode exhaust gas from the cathode portion ( 4 ), wherein the heat exchanger ( 7 ) is situated directly downstream of the cathode portion ( 4 ) and is in fluid communication with the cathode portion ( 4 ) by means of a cathode exhaust gas line ( 9 ) in order for the cathode exhaust gas to be fully conducted through the heat exchanger ( 7 ),
a cathode supply gas line ( 19 ) for the supply of cathode supply gas to the cathode portion ( 4 ) is provided upstream of the cathode portion ( 4 ),
a cathode exhaust gas start-up burner ( 11 ) and a cathode supply gas start-up burner ( 12 ) is provided for the adjustable supply of a heating fluid into the cathode exhaust gas line ( 9 ) and the cathode supply gas line ( 19 ), and;
an adjustable supply adapted to feed a heating fluid for controlling a temperature of the fuel cell system ( 1 c ), wherein the adjustable supply is adapted to feed the heating fluid
(a) through the cathode exhaust gas start-up burner ( 11 ) into the cathode exhaust gas line ( 9 ), and/or (b) through the cathode supply gas start-up burner ( 12 ) into the cathode supply gas line ( 19 ) depending on a determined temperature of the reformer ( 6 ).

2. The fuel cell system ( 1 b ) according to claim 1 , wherein a start-up burner ( 10 ) is provided for the adjustable supply of a heating fluid to the afterburner ( 8 ), wherein the afterburner ( 8 ) is arranged upstream of a hot side of a cathode gas heat exchanger ( 15 ), the cold side of which is arranged upstream of the cathode portion ( 4 ) in a cathode supply gas line ( 19 ) for the supply of cathode supply gas to the cathode portion ( 4 ).

3. A Method for controlling the temperature of a fuel cell system ( 1 a ; 1 b ; 1 c ; 1 d ), the method comprising:
providing at least one fuel cell stack ( 2 ) with an anode portion ( 3 ) and a cathode portion ( 4 );
providing a reformer-heat exchanger ( 5 ) with a cold side upstream of the anode portion ( 3 ) which forms a reformer ( 6 ), and a hot side downstream of the cathode portion ( 4 ) which forms a heat exchanger ( 7 );
providing an afterburner ( 8 ) downstream of the heat exchanger ( 7 ) for combusting anode exhaust gas from the anode portion ( 3 ) and/or cathode exhaust gas from the cathode portion ( 4 );
situating the heat exchanger ( 7 ) directly downstream of the cathode portion ( 4 );
fluidly communicating the heat exchanger ( 7 ) with the cathode portion ( 4 ) by a cathode exhaust gas line ( 9 ) in order for the cathode exhaust gas to be fully conducted through the heat exchanger ( 7 );
providing a cathode supply gas line ( 19 ) for the supply of cathode supply gas to the cathode portion ( 4 ) upstream of the cathode portion ( 4 );
providing a cathode exhaust gas start-up burner ( 11 ) and a cathode supply gas start-up burner ( 12 ) for the adjustable supply of a heating fluid into the cathode exhaust gas line ( 9 ) and the cathode supply gas line ( 19 ); and
controlling a temperature of the fuel cell system ( 1 c ) by adjustably feeding a heating fluid through (a) the cathode exhaust gas start-up burner ( 11 ) into the cathode exhaust gas line ( 9 ), and/or (b) the cathode supply gas start-up burner ( 12 ) into the cathode supply gas line ( 19 ) depending on a determined temperature of the reformer ( 6 ).

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein
the supply of the cathode supply gas is regulated in order to regulate the temperature in the fuel cell system ( 1 a ).

5. The method according to claim 3 ,
wherein
when controlling the temperature of the fuel cell system ( 1 b ), depending on a determined temperature of the reformer ( 6 ), heating fluid is fed through the start-up burner ( 10 ) to the afterburner ( 8 ) and onwards from there to the hot side of the cathode gas heat exchanger ( 15 ), the cold side of which is arranged upstream of the cathode portion ( 4 ) in the cathode supply gas line ( 19 ).

6. A method of using a fuel cell system ( 1 a ; 1 b ; 1 c ; 1 d ) according to claim 1 to provide electrical energy in a motor vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the temperature in the fuel cell system ( 1 a ) is regulated solely by regulating the supply of the cathode supply gas.

8. A fuel cell system ( 1 a ; 1 b ; 1 c ; 1 d ) comprising:
at least one fuel cell stack ( 2 ) with an anode portion ( 3 ) and a cathode portion ( 4 ),
a reformer-heat exchanger ( 5 ) with a cold side upstream of the anode portion ( 3 ) which forms a reformer ( 6 ), and
a hot side downstream of the cathode portion ( 4 ) which forms a heat exchanger ( 7 ), and
an afterburner ( 8 ) downstream of the heat exchanger ( 7 ) for combusting anode exhaust gas from the anode portion ( 3 ) and/or cathode exhaust gas from the cathode portion ( 4 ), wherein the heat exchanger ( 7 ) is situated directly downstream of the cathode portion ( 4 ) and is in fluid communication with the cathode portion ( 4 ) by means of a cathode exhaust gas line ( 9 ) in order for the cathode exhaust gas to be fully conducted through the heat exchanger ( 7 ),
a cathode supply gas line ( 19 ) for the supply of cathode supply gas to the cathode portion ( 4 ) is provided upstream of the cathode portion ( 4 ),
a cathode exhaust gas start-up burner ( 11 ) and/or a cathode supply gas start-up burner ( 12 ) is provided for the adjustable supply of a heating fluid into the cathode exhaust gas line ( 9 ) and/or the cathode supply gas line ( 19 ),
a start-up burner ( 10 ) is provided for the adjustable supply of a heating fluid to the afterburner ( 8 ), wherein the afterburner ( 8 ) is arranged separately from and at a distance from the reformer-heat exchanger ( 5 ), and;
an adjustable supply adapted to feed a heating fluid for controlling a temperature of the fuel cell system ( 1 c ), wherein the adjustable supply is adapted to feed the heating fluid
(a) through the cathode exhaust gas start-up burner ( 11 ) into the cathode exhaust gas line ( 9 ), and/or (b) through the cathode supply gas start-up burner ( 12 ) into the cathode supply gas line ( 19 ) depending on a determined temperature of the reformer ( 6 ).

Assignees

• Avl List Gmbh

Inventors

• Neubauer Raphael
• Strasser-Krauss Thomas
• Seidl Michael

Classifications

• H01M2250/20

  Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• H01M8/04776

  at auxiliary devices, e.g. reformer, compressor, burner · CPC title

• H01M8/04738

  of auxiliary devices, e.g. reformer, compressor, burner · CPC title

• H01M8/04268

  Heating of fuel cells during the start-up of the fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04074

  Heat exchange unit structures specially adapted for fuel cell · CPC title