Fuel cell system and method of operating the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023246212-A1
Application number	US-202318099552-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 20, 2023
Priority date	Feb 3, 2022
Publication date	Aug 3, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell including a fuel electrode and an air electrode; a fuel electrode fuel line configured to supply fuel gas to the fuel electrode; a polluted exhaust line configured to supply polluted exhaust containing contaminants discharged from a facility to the air electrode; and an air electrode fuel line configured to supply fuel gas to the air electrode.

First claim

1 . A fuel cell system comprising:
a fuel cell including a fuel electrode and an air electrode; a fuel electrode fuel line configured to supply fuel gas to the fuel electrode; a polluted exhaust line configured to supply polluted exhaust containing contaminants discharged from a facility to the air electrode; and an air electrode fuel line configured to supply fuel gas to the air electrode.

2 . The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , further comprising
an outside air regulator capable of adjusting a flow rate of outside air taken into the polluted exhaust line.

3 . The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a normal exhaust supply line capable of supplying normal exhaust from the facility to the polluted exhaust line, the normal exhaust being exhaust having a lower concentration of the contaminants than the polluted exhaust or exhaust not containing the contaminants; and a normal exhaust regulator capable of adjusting a flow rate of the normal exhaust supplied from the normal exhaust supply line to the polluted exhaust line.

4 . The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a discharge line capable of discharging the polluted exhaust to the outside from the polluted exhaust line; and a filter provided at the discharge line.

5 . The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an exhaust fuel gas line configured to supply exhaust fuel gas discharged from the fuel cell; an exhaust air line configured to supply exhaust air discharged from the fuel cell; a combustor configured to mix and combust the exhaust fuel gas supplied from the exhaust fuel gas line and the exhaust air supplied from the exhaust air line; a combustion gas line through which combustion gas generated at the combustor flows; a heat exchange apparatus that is provided in the combustion gas line and generates at least one of steam and hot water by using the combustion gas generated at the combustor; and at least one heat supply line configured to supply, to the facility, the at least one of steam and hot water generated at the heat exchange apparatus.

6 . The fuel cell system according to claim 5 , further comprising
an additional fuel line configured to supply additional fuel to the combustor.

7 . The fuel cell system according to claim 5 , wherein
the heat exchange apparatus comprises a first heat exchanger configured to generate hot water using the combustion gas generated at the combustor, the at least one heat supply line comprises a hot water supply line configured to supply, to the facility, hot water generated at the first heat exchanger, and the fuel cell system further comprises a hot well connected to the hot water supply line.

8 . The fuel cell system according to claim 7 , wherein
the heat exchange apparatus comprises a second heat exchanger upstream of the first heat exchanger in the combustion gas line, the second heat exchanger being configured to generate steam using the combustion gas generated at the combustor, and the at least one heat supply line comprises a steam supply line configured to supply, to the facility, the steam generated at the second heat exchanger.

9 . The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a flow regulator capable of adjusting a flow rate of the fuel gas supplied from the air electrode fuel line to the air electrode; and a controller configured to control the flow regulator, wherein the controller is configured to control the flow regulator based on a polluted exhaust amount being a flow rate of the polluted exhaust discharged from the facility.

10 . The fuel cell system according to claim 9 , wherein
when a difference between an air intake target value of the fuel cell and the polluted exhaust amount is less than a threshold value, the controller is configured to control the flow regulator to supply the fuel gas to the air electrode at a flow rate corresponding to the difference between the air intake target value and the polluted exhaust amount.

11 . The fuel cell system according to claim 9 , further comprising:
an outside air regulator capable of adjusting a flow rate of outside air taken into the polluted exhaust line, wherein when the difference between the air intake target value of the fuel cell and the polluted exhaust amount is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the controller is configured to control the outside air regulator to increase the flow rate of the outside air taken into the polluted exhaust line.

12 . The fuel cell system according to claim 9 , further comprising:
a normal exhaust supply line capable of supplying normal exhaust from the facility to the polluted exhaust line, the normal exhaust being exhaust having a lower concentration of the contaminants than the polluted exhaust or exhaust not containing the contaminants; and a normal exhaust regulator capable of adjusting a flow rate of the normal exhaust supplied from the normal exhaust supply line to the polluted exhaust line, wherein when the difference between the air intake target value of the fuel cell and the polluted exhaust amount is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the controller is configured to control the normal exhaust regulator to increase the flow rate of the normal exhaust supplied from the normal exhaust supply line to the polluted exhaust line.

13 . The fuel cell system according to claim 9 , wherein
when the difference between the air intake target value of the fuel cell and the polluted exhaust amount is less than a threshold value, the controller is configured to increase the air intake target value.

14 . The fuel cell system according to claim 8 , further comprising:
an additional fuel line configured to add fuel to the combustor; an additional fuel regulator configured to adjust an additional fuel amount being a flow rate of fuel added from the additional fuel line to the combustor; and a controller configured to control the additional fuel regulator, wherein the controller is configured to control the additional fuel regulator to meet a steam demand and a hot water demand of the facility with steam from the steam supply line and hot water from the hot water supply line.

15 . A method of operating a fuel cell system,
the fuel cell system comprising: a fuel cell including a fuel electrode and an air electrode; a fuel electrode fuel line configured to supply fuel gas to the fuel electrode; a polluted exhaust line configured to supply polluted exhaust containing contaminants discharged from a facility to the air electrode; and an air electrode fuel line configured to supply fuel gas to the air electrode, the method of operating the fuel cell system comprising: adjusting a flow rate of fuel gas supplied from the air electrode fuel line to the air electrode based on a polluted exhaust amount being an amount of the polluted exhaust discharged from the facility.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Iwai Yasushi
• Yokohama Katsuhiko
• Matake Norihisa
• Mori Ryutaro

Classifications

• H01M8/0662 Primary

  Treatment of gaseous reactants or gaseous residues, e.g. cleaning · CPC title

• H01M8/04119

  with simultaneous supply or evacuation of electrolyte; Humidifying or dehumidifying · CPC title

• H01M8/04022

  Heating by combustion · CPC title

• H01M8/04753

  of fuel cell reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/12

  operating at high temperature, e.g. with stabilised ZrO2 electrolyte · CPC title