Integrated fuel cell systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018076472-A1
Application number	US-201615263505-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 13, 2016
Priority date	Sep 13, 2016
Publication date	Mar 15, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

An integrated fuel cell system includes fuel cells, fuel heat exchangers, air heat exchangers, and tail gas oxidizers. The tail gas oxidizers oxidize a (second) portion of fuel received from the fuel cells with effluent that is output from the fuel cells. Fuel cell stacks are fluidly coupled with the fuel heat exchangers and the tail gas oxidizers such that the fuel that is output from the fuel cells is split into a first portion that is directed back into the fuel heat exchangers and a second portion that is directed into the tail gas oxidizers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system comprising:
one or more fuel cell stacks each including fuel cells configured to generate electric current based on fuel and air supplied to the fuel cells; one or more fuel heat exchangers configured to exchange heat between the fuel supplied to the fuel cells for generating the electric current and a first portion of fuel that is output from the fuel cells; one or more air heat exchangers configured to exchange heat between the air supplied to the fuel cells for generating the electric current and effluent that is output from the fuel cells; and one or more tail gas oxidizers configured to receive a second portion of the fuel that is output from the fuel cells and air that is output from the fuel cells, the one or more tail gas oxidizers configured to oxidize the second portion of the fuel with the effluent that is output from the fuel cells, wherein the one or more fuel cell stacks are fluidly coupled with the one or more fuel heat exchangers and the one or more tail gas oxidizers such that the fuel that is output from the fuel cells is split into the first portion that is directed back into the one or more fuel heat exchangers and the second portion that is directed into the one or more tail gas oxidizers.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more fuel heat exchangers are configured to be fluidly coupled with a fuel blower in order to direct all fuel that is output from the one or more heat exchangers back into the one or more fuel heat exchangers via the fuel blower.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the one or more fuel heat exchangers are configured to be fluidly coupled with a fuel source in a location between the fuel blower and the one or more heat exchangers.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein an external housing of the one or more fuel cell stacks abuts an external housing of the one or more fuel heat exchangers.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein an external housing of the one or more tail gas oxidizers abuts an external housing of the one or more fuel cell stacks.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein an external housing of the one or more air heat exchangers abuts an external housing of the one or more tail gas oxidizers.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more fuel cell stacks are disposed between and directly coupled with the one or more fuel heat exchangers and the one or more tail gas oxidizers.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more tail gas oxidizers are disposed between and directly coupled with the one or more fuel cell stacks and the one or more air heat exchangers.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more fuel heat exchangers include a low temperature fuel heat exchanger and a high temperature fuel heat exchanger, the low temperature fuel heat exchanger disposed between a fuel blower and a fuel source along a fuel flow cycle, the high temperature fuel heat exchanger disposed between the low temperature fuel heat exchanger and the one or more fuel cell stacks along the fuel flow cycle.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein one or more fuel heat exchangers are coupled to one end of the one or more fuel cell stacks and the one or more tail gas oxidizers and the one or more air heat exchangers are coupled to an opposite end of the one or more fuel cell stacks.

11 . A system comprising:
one or more fuel cell stacks each including fuel cells configured to generate electric current based on fuel and air supplied to the fuel cells; one or more fuel heat exchangers configured to exchange heat between the fuel supplied to the fuel cells for generating the electric current and a first portion of fuel that is output from the fuel cells; and one or more tail gas oxidizers configured to receive a second portion of the fuel that is output from the fuel cells and air that is output from the fuel cells, the one or more tail gas oxidizers configured to oxidize the second portion of the fuel with effluent that is output from the fuel cells, wherein the one or more fuel cell stacks are fluidly coupled with the one or more fuel heat exchangers and the one or more tail gas oxidizers such that the fuel that is output from the fuel cells is split into the first portion that is directed back into the one or more fuel heat exchangers and the second portion that is directed into the one or more tail gas oxidizers.

12 . The system of claim 11 , further comprising one or more air heat exchangers configured to exchange heat between the air supplied to the fuel cells for generating the electric current and the effluent that is output from the fuel cells.

13 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more fuel heat exchangers are configured to be fluidly coupled with a fuel blower in order to direct all fuel that is output from the one or more heat exchangers back into the one or more fuel heat exchangers via the fuel blower.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the one or more fuel heat exchangers are configured to be fluidly coupled with a fuel source in a location between the fuel blower and the one or more heat exchangers.

15 . The system of claim 11 , wherein an external housing of the one or more fuel cell stacks abuts an external housing of the one or more fuel heat exchangers.

16 . The system of claim 11 , wherein an external housing of the one or more tail gas oxidizers abuts an external housing of the one or more fuel cell stacks.

17 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more fuel cell stacks are disposed between and directly coupled with the one or more fuel heat exchangers and the one or more tail gas oxidizers.

18 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more fuel heat exchangers include a low temperature fuel heat exchanger and a high temperature fuel heat exchanger, the low temperature fuel heat exchanger disposed between a fuel blower and a fuel source along a fuel flow cycle, the high temperature fuel heat exchanger disposed between the low temperature fuel heat exchanger and the one or more fuel cell stacks along the fuel flow cycle.

19 . A method comprising:
receiving mixed input source fuel into one or more fuel heat exchangers configured to exchange heat between the mixed input source fuel and a first portion of fuel that is output from fuel cells in one or more fuel cell stacks; generating electric current using the fuel cells in the one or more fuel cell stacks by consuming at least some fuel that is heated by the one or more fuel heat exchangers and at least some air that is heated by one or more air heat exchangers; and directing the first portion of the fuel that is output from the fuel cells into the one or more fuel heat exchangers and a second, remaining portion of the fuel that is output from the fuel cells into one or more tail gas oxidizers.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the second portion of the fuel that is output from the fuel cells is split off from the first portion of the fuel and directed into the one or more tail gas oxidizers in a location between the fuel cells and the one or more fuel heat exchangers.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Hickey Darren Bawden
• Hussaini Irfan

Classifications

• H01M8/04022

  Heating by combustion · CPC title

• H01M8/2475

  Enclosures, casings or containers of fuel cell stacks · CPC title

• H01M8/04097 Primary

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

• H01M8/04014 Primary

  Heat exchange using gaseous fluids; Heat exchange by combustion of reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/04201

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