Protective reformer device for the protection of an anode section of a fuel cell stack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12374708-B2
Application number	US-202117792743-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 5, 2021
Priority date	Feb 6, 2020
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

The present invention relates to a protective reformer device ( 10 ) for the protection of an anode section ( 112 ) of a fuel cell stack ( 110 ) against oxidizing damage during a heating-up process, having a gas duct ( 20 ) with a gas inlet ( 22 ) and a gas outlet ( 24 ) for conducting fuel gas from an anode feed section ( 120 ) of the fuel cell stack ( 110 ), wherein a catalytic converter section ( 30 ) is arranged in the gas duct ( 20 ) for a catalytic oxidation of at least part of the fuel gas into a protective gas for feeding to the anode section ( 112 ), wherein, furthermore, the gas duct ( 20 ) has a temperature control device ( 40 ) in thermally transmitting contact with the catalytic converter section ( 30 ) for an active temperature control of the catalytic converter section ( 30 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A protective reformer device for the protection of an anode section of a fuel cell stack against oxidising damage during a heating-up process, having a gas duct with a gas inlet and a gas outlet for conducting fuel gas from an anode feed section of the fuel cell stack, wherein a catalytic converter section is arranged in the gas duct for a catalytic oxidation of at least part of the fuel gas into a protective gas for feeding to the anode section, wherein, furthermore, the gas duct has a temperature control device in thermally transmitting contact with the catalytic converter section for an active temperature control of the catalytic converter section;
wherein the temperature control device is designed at least partially as a heat exchanger, wherein the gas duct forms a first heat exchanger side of the heat exchanger;
wherein the second heat exchanger side of the heat exchanger is formed at least partially by a cathode feed section of the fuel cell stack.

2. The protective reformer device according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature control device is designed as a heating device, as a cooling device or as a combined heating and cooling device.

3. The protective reformer device according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature control device is designed at least partially as an independent temperature control device independent of fluid flows of the fuel cell stack.

4. The protective reformer device according to claim 1 , wherein the second heat exchanger side of the heat exchanger is formed at least partially by a cathode discharge section of the fuel cell stack.

5. The protective reformer device according to claim 1 , wherein the second heat exchanger side of the heat exchanger is formed at least partially by an anode discharge section of the fuel cell stack.

6. The protective reformer device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one valve device is provided upstream of the second heat exchanger side of the heat exchanger for a variation of the fluid fed to the second heat exchanger side.

7. The protective reformer device according to claim 1 , wherein the gas duct and/or the catalytic converter section are at least partially manufactured using an additive process.

8. A fuel cell system, having
at least one fuel cell stack with an anode section and a cathode section,
a reformer for reforming reformer feed gas,
an anode feed section for feeding reformed anode feed gas from the reformer to the anode section,
a cathode feed section for feeding cathode feed gas to the cathode section,
a reformer feed section for feeding the reformer feed gas to the reformer,
an anode discharge section for discharging anode exhaust gas,
a cathode discharge section for discharging cathode exhaust gas,

wherein a protective reformer device with the features of claim 1 is arranged in the anode feed section between the reformer and the anode section.

9. The fuel cell system according to claim 8 , wherein the anode feed section has a main anode feed section ( 120 a ) and a bypass anode feed section ( 120 b ), wherein the protective reformer device is arranged in the bypass anode feed section ( 120 b ).

10. Fuel The fuel cell system according to claim 8 , wherein a starting burner device is arranged in the cathode feed section, in the cathode discharge section and/or in the anode discharge section.

11. A method for the protection of an anode section of a fuel cell stack of a fuel cell system with the features of claim 8 , having the following steps:
monitoring an anode temperature in the anode section,
monitoring a protective reformer temperature of the protective reformer device,
cooling and/or heating the protective reformer device on the basis of the monitored temperatures by means of the temperature control device.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the step of cooling and/or heating is carried out on the basis of a specified operating corridor of the protective reformer device.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the step of cooling and/or heating is carried out on the basis of a minimum anode temperature and/or of a maximum temperature difference with respect to a cathode temperature of the cathode section of the fuel cell stack.

Assignees

• Avl List Gmbh

Inventors

• Neubauer Raphael
• Strasser-Krauss Thomas

Classifications

• H01M8/0618 Primary

  Reforming processes, e.g. autothermal, partial oxidation or steam reforming · CPC title

• H01M8/04738

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

• H01M8/04373

  of auxiliary devices, e.g. reformers, compressors, burners · CPC title

• H01M8/04328

  of anode reactants at the inlet or inside the fuel cell · CPC title

• H01M8/04268

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