Ceres Intellectual Property Company Limited

Ricardo UK Limited

Christopher John Evans

Paul Barnard

Robert Morgan

Anthony J Truscott

Stephen James Watkins

Mark Selby

James Devriendt

Bruce Girvan

Andrew David Noble

Andrew Hazell

Ashu Akoachere

Philippe J F Moulin

Daniel J Bowker

The present invention is concerned with improved fuel cell systems and methods. The present invention provides an intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell (IT-SOFC) system comprising: (i) at least one fuel cell stack comprising at least one intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell, and having an anode inlet, a cathode inlet, an anode off-gas outlet, a cathode off-gas outlet, and defining separate flow paths for flow of anode inlet gas, cathode inlet gas, anode off-gas and cathode off-gas; and (ii) a steam reformer for reforming a hydrocarbon fuel to a reformate, and having a reformer inlet for anode inlet gas, a reformer outlet for exhausting anode inlet gas, and a reformer heat exchanger; and defining: (a) an anode inlet gas fluid flow path from a fuel source to said steam reformer to said at least one fuel cell stack anode inlet; (b) an anode off-gas fluid flow path from said at least one fuel cell stack anode off-gas outlet to a fuel cell system exhaust; (c) a cathode inlet gas fluid flow path from an at least one oxidant inlet to said reformer heat exchanger to said at least one fuel cell stack cathode inlet; and (d) a cathode off-gas fluid flow path from said at least one fuel cell stack cathode off-gas outlet to said fuel cell system exhaust; wherein said reformer heat exchanger is a parallel-flow heat exchanger in fluid flow communication with (i) said at least one oxidant inlet and said at least one fuel cell stack cathode inlet, and (ii) said fuel source and said at least one fuel cell stack anode inlet, and is arranged for exchanging heat between said cathode inlet gas and said anode inlet gas.

Fuel cell stack and steam reformer systems and methods

A boiler unit () housed in an enclosure, the boiler unit () configured to receive a solid state combined heat and power generating device (). The boiler unit () comprises a heating device () to produce heat; and a control unit () to independently control each of the heating device () and the solid state combined heat and power generating device (). The boiler unit () is operable without the solid state combined heat and power generating device () being present.

Boiler unit

A system () for connecting a fuel cell stack to an A.C. grid to provide power thereto is disclosed in which a voltage regulated D.C. bus () is provided to be coupled to the fuel cell stack, a bidirectional inverter () is coupled to the D.C. bus (), and is to be coupled between the D.C. bus () and the A.C. grid. At least one D.C. auxiliary load () of the fuel cell stack is provided coupled to the D.C. bus (). A D.C. to D.C. converter () is provided between the fuel cell stack and the D.C. bus ().

Power supply control for power generator

An engine management system for an internal combustion engine, which has at least one cylinder pressure sensor and at least one engine actuator, includes a data processor arranged to receive and process cylinder pressure data from the cylinder pressure sensor and the actuator controller arranged to control the actuator to optimize engine performance based on the processed data, in which the cylinder pressure data is obtained during a performance optimized engine cycle or cycles. The processor processes the data to construct a cylinder pressure variation function for the engine cycle or cycles and derive control data therefrom for the actuator controller.

Engine management

Growing community of inventors

Brighton, United Kingdom

Christopher John Evans