Fuel cell system including alcohol vaporization components and method of operating the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2026031379-A1
Application number	US-202519345787-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 30, 2025
Priority date	Sep 25, 2023
Publication date	Jan 29, 2026
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of operating a fuel cell system includes vaporizing a liquid fuel in a vaporizer located in a hot box using heat generated by the fuel cell system to form a fuel vapor, and providing the fuel vapor to a stack of fuel cells located in the hot box to generate power.

First claim

1 . A method of operating a fuel cell system, comprising:
vaporizing a liquid fuel in a vaporizer located in a hot box using heat generated by the fuel cell system to form a fuel vapor; and providing the fuel vapor to a stack of fuel cells located in the hot box to generate power.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of vaporizing the liquid fuel comprises injecting the liquid fuel into an anode exhaust output from the stack to vaporize the liquid fuel.

3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
preheating the liquid fuel using heat from at least a cathode exhaust output from the stack in a liquid fuel heat exchanger; and providing the preheated liquid fuel from the liquid fuel heat exchanger to the vaporizer to inject the liquid fuel into the anode exhaust.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the vaporizer comprises a liquid fuel injector that injects the liquid fuel into the anode exhaust flowing in an anode exhaust conduit.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising cooling the cathode exhaust using air provided to the stack in a cathode recuperator heat exchanger before the preheating the liquid fuel.

6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising heating the fuel vapor using the anode exhaust in an anode recuperator heat exchanger before the fuel vapor is provided to the stack.

7 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising providing the anode exhaust from the anode recuperator heat exchanger to an anode exhaust cooler heat exchanger, and cooling the anode exhaust using the air provided to the stack in the anode exhaust cooler heat exchanger.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein:
the liquid fuel injector comprises an injector ring disposed between the anode exhaust cooler and the anode recuperator; and the injector ring injects the liquid fuel into the anode exhaust that flows in the anode exhaust conduit from the anode recuperator heat exchanger to the anode exhaust cooler heat exchanger.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the injector ring comprises injection apertures in a surface thereof that inject the liquid fuel into the anode exhaust.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of vaporizing the liquid fuel comprises vaporizing the liquid fuel using heat from at least at least a cathode exhaust output from the stack in a liquid fuel heat exchanger.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising oxidizing a portion of an anode exhaust output from the stack using the cathode exhaust to form a system exhaust comprising the cathode exhaust and an oxidized anode exhaust.

12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising providing the system exhaust into the liquid fuel heat exchanger to vaporize the liquid fuel.

13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising cooling the system exhaust using air provided to the stack in a cathode recuperator heat exchanger.

14 . The fuel cell system of claim 10 , further comprising mixing the fuel vapor output from the liquid fuel heat exchanger with anode exhaust output from the stack.

15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising providing the fuel vapor mixed with the anode exhaust into the stack.

16 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising heating the fuel vapor using anode exhaust output from the stack in an anode recuperator heat exchanger before the fuel vapor is provided to the stack.

17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising providing the anode exhaust from the anode recuperator heat exchanger to an anode exhaust cooler heat exchanger, and cooling the anode exhaust using air provided to the stack in the anode exhaust cooler heat exchanger.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the anode recuperator heat exchanger and the anode exhaust cooler heat exchanger are located in the hotbox.

19 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the liquid fuel comprises an alcohol fuel.

20 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cells comprise solid oxide fuel cells.

Assignees

• Bloom Energy Corp

Inventors

• Weingaertner David

Classifications

• H01M2008/1293

  Fuel cells with solid oxide electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/1233

  with one of the reactants being liquid, solid or liquid-charged · CPC title

• H01M8/1231 Primary

  with both reactants being gaseous or vaporised · CPC title

• H01M8/1011 Primary

  Direct alcohol fuel cells [DAFC], e.g. direct methanol fuel cells [DMFC] · CPC title

• H01M8/0662

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