Heat reclamation and temperature control for submersible vehicles that utilize fuel cells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9716284-B2
Application number	US-201414319091-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2014
Priority date	Jun 30, 2014
Publication date	Jul 25, 2017
Grant date	Jul 25, 2017

Abstract

Embodiments described herein provide for heat reclamation and temperature control of a SOFC for a submersible vehicle. The vehicle includes a SOFC, a hot box that surrounds the SOFC, a cooling loop, and a Stirling engine. The cooling loop has a heat exchanger and a coolant pump. The heat exchanger thermally couples the cooling loop to the water. The Stirling engine has a first end thermally coupled to an interior of the hot box and a second end thermally coupled to the cooling loop. The coolant pump modifies a rate of heat removal from the second end of the Stirling engine based on a pump control signal. A thermal management controller monitors a temperature of a cathode outlet of the SOFC, and modifies the pump control signal to maintain the temperature of the cathode outlet within a temperature range.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a vehicle that includes a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) and is configured to submerge in water, the vehicle comprising:
a hot box surrounding the SOFC, wherein the SOFC includes a cathode inlet, a cathode outlet, an anode inlet, and an anode outlet;
a cooling loop for the vehicle that includes a heat exchanger and a coolant pump, wherein the heat exchanger thermally couples the cooling loop to the water;
a Stirling engine having a first end thermally coupled to an interior of the hot box and a second end thermally coupled to the cooling loop;
a generator head coupled to a power output shaft of the Stirling engine;
an electrical bus for distributing electricity for the vehicle, wherein the SOFC and the generator head are electrically coupled to the electrical bus;
the coolant pump configured to modify a rate of heat removal from the second end of the Stirling engine based on a pump control signal; and
a thermal management controller that is configured to monitor a temperature of the cathode outlet of the SOFC, and to modify the pump control signal to maintain the temperature of the cathode outlet of the SOFC within a temperature range.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
a cathode blower having an outlet and an inlet, wherein the inlet of the cathode blower is coupled to the cathode outlet of the SOFC;
wherein the cathode blower is configured to modify a rate of cooling provided to the SOFC based on a cathode blower control signal;
wherein the thermal management controller is configured to modify the pump control signal to increase the rate of heat removal from the second end of the Stirling engine, and to modify the cathode blower control signal to reduce the rate of cooling provided to the SOFC responsive to increasing the rate of heat removal from the second end of the Stirling engine.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising:
an oxygen source coupled to the outlet of the cathode blower.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein:
the oxygen source is an oxidizer.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the thermal management controller is configured to monitor at least one of a temperature of the anode inlet of the SOFC and a temperature of the cathode inlet of the SOFC, and to modify the pump control signal to maintain at least one of the temperature of the anode inlet of the SOFC and the temperature of the cathode inlet of the SOFC within a temperature range.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the thermal management controller is configured to monitor at least one of a temperature of the interior of the hot box and a temperature of the anode outlet of the SOFC, and to modify the pump control signal to maintain at least one of the temperature of the interior of the hot box and the temperature of the anode outlet of the SOFC within a temperature range.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the first end of the Stirling engine is thermally coupled to the anode outlet of the SOFC.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
a fuel source; and
a fuel reformer having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the inlet of the fuel reformer is coupled to the fuel source and to the anode outlet of the SOFC;
an anode blower having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the outlet of the anode blower is coupled to the anode inlet of the SOFC, wherein the first end of the Stirling engine couples the outlet of the fuel reformer to the inlet of the anode blower.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein:
the thermal management controller is configured to monitor at least one of a temperature of the inlet of the fuel reformer and a temperature of the outlet of the fuel reformer, and to modify the pump control signal to maintain at least one of the temperature of the inlet of the fuel reformer and the temperature of the outlet of the fuel reformer within a temperature range.

10. An apparatus comprising:
a vehicle that includes a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) and is configured to submerge in water, the vehicle comprising:
a hot box that surrounds the SOFC, wherein the SOFC includes a cathode inlet, a cathode outlet, an anode inlet, and an anode outlet;
a cathode blower having an outlet and an inlet, wherein the inlet of the cathode blower is coupled to the cathode outlet of the SOFC, wherein the cathode blower is configured to modify a rate of cooling provided to the SOFC based on a cathode blower control signal;
a Stirling engine having a first end thermally coupled with an interior of the hot box and a second end coupling the outlet of the cathode blower to the cathode inlet of the SOFC, wherein the cathode blower is configured to modify a rate of heat removal from the second end of the Stirling engine based on the cathode blower control signal;
a generator head coupled to a power output shaft of the Stirling engine;
an electrical bus for distributing electricity for the vehicle, wherein the SOFC and the generator head are electrically coupled to the electrical bus; and
a thermal management controller that is configured to monitor a temperature of the cathode outlet of the SOFC, and to modify the cathode blower control signal to maintain the temperature of the cathode outlet of the SOFC within a temperature range.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:
an oxygen source coupled to the outlet of the cathode blower.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein:
the oxygen source is an oxidizer.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein:
the thermal management controller is configured to monitor at least one of a temperature of the anode inlet of the SOFC and a temperature of the cathode inlet of the SOFC, and to modify the cathode blower control signal to maintain at least one of the temperature of the anode inlet of the SOFC and the temperature of the cathode inlet of the SOFC within a temperature range.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein:
the thermal management controller is configured to monitor at least one of a temperature of the interior of the hot box and a temperature of the anode outlet of the SOFC, and to modify the cathode blower control signal to maintain at least one of the temperature of the interior of the hot box and the temperature of the anode outlet of the SOFC within a temperature range.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein:
the first end of the Stirling engine is coupled to the anode outlet of the SOFC.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:
a fuel source;
a fuel reformer having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the inlet of the fuel reformer is coupled to the fuel source and to the anode outlet of the SOFC; and
an anode blower having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the outlet of the anode blower is coupled to the anode inlet of the SOFC, wherein the first end of the Stirling engine couples the outlet of the fuel reformer to the inlet of the anode blower.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein:
the thermal management controller is configured to monitor at least one of a temperature of the inlet of the fuel reformer and a temperature of the outlet of the fuel reformer, and to modify the cathode blower control signal to maintain at least one of the temperature of the inlet of the fuel reformer and the temperature of the outlet of the fuel reformer within a temperature range.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Marich Michael J
• Mermelstein Joshua M
• Webber Michael

Classifications

• H01M8/0435

  of cathode exhausts · CPC title

• H01M8/04014

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

• Y02E60/525

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H01M8/04716

  of fuel cell exhausts · CPC title

• H01M2250/407

  Combination of fuel cells with mechanical energy generators · CPC title