Siemens Energy, Inc.

Arun K S Iyengar

Raymond A George

Robert Draper

Paolo R Zafred

James E Gillett

Richard E Kothmann

Gianfranco DiGiuseppe

A fuel cell generator including a housing defining a plurality of chambers including a generator chamber having first and second generator sections. A plurality of elongated fuel cells extend through the first and second generator sections. An oxidant supply supplies oxidant to at least one of the chambers within the housing in order to provide oxidant to one end of each of the fuel cells. A fuel distribution plenum extends transversely to the elongated fuel cells and is located between the first and second generator sections. The fuel distribution plenum distributes fuel to the first and second generator sections in opposing directions within the generator chamber.

Solid oxide fuel cell generator with mid-stack fuel feed

In one embodiment the present comprises an air inlet, a series of fuel cells, a new fuel inlet, a fuel distributor, a recirculation plenum, and an exhaust. Fresh fuel from the fuel distributorenters the fuel cell stack in a middle-third section of the fuel cell stack, and the fresh fuel is divided into an exhaust fuelflow and a recirculation fuel flow. The exhaust fuel flow passes along a first portion of the series of fuel cells to the exhaust, and the recirculation fuel flow passes along a second portion of the series of fuel cells to the recirculation plenum and mixes with new fuel from the new fuel inlet in the fuel distributor. The recirculation plenum is located at an opposite end of the fuel cell stack from the exhaust, and the fuel-cell stack is of a seal-less design.

Mid-sectional fuel distributor for fuel cells

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Delmont, PA, United States of America

Arun K S Iyengar