Saint-gobain Ceramics & Plastics, Inc.

Nuvera Fuel Cells, Inc.

Chunming Qi

Lawrence G Clawson

Mark R Hagan

William F Northrop

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack including at least one fuel cell and a separator. Each fuel cell includes a cathode, an anode and an electrolyte between the cathode and the anode. The separator includes a membrane, and a housing defining an anode exhaust inlet, a recycled gas outlet and an exhaust gas outlet. The anode exhaust inlet and the recycled gas outlet are independently in fluid communication with the anode. The housing and the membrane defines at least in part a first chamber that is in fluid communication with the anode exhaust inlet, and a second chamber. In one embodiment, the membrane is an H-gas permeable membrane, the recycled gas outlet is in fluid communication with the second chamber, and the exhaust gas outlet is in fluid communication with the first chamber. In another embodiment, the membrane is a CO-gas permeable membrane, the recycled gas outlet is in fluid communication with the first chamber, and the exhaust gas outlet is in fluid communication with the second chamber.

Anode exhaust recycle system

A fuel cell system comprises a fuel cell assembly, a carbon-dioxide-removal unit, an anode exhaust conduit connecting the fuel cell assembly and the carbon-dioxide-removal unit, a fuel source, an oxygen source, a fuel conduit connecting, at least in part, the fuel source with the fuel cell assembly, and a recycle conduit connecting the carbon-dioxide-removal unit with at least one of the fuel cell assembly, the fuel conduit and the fuel source. The fuel cell assembly includes at least one fuel cell, each fuel cell including an anode and a cathode. The carbon-dioxide-removal unit removes carbon dioxide that is in a gas phase. The carbon-dioxide-removal unit includes a carbon-dioxide-removing material. The fuel source and the oxygen source are each independently in fluid communication with the fuel cell assembly. The fuel conduit and the recycle conduit are optionally merged into a single recycle-fuel conduit that extends to the fuel cell assembly. The recycle conduit and/or the recycle-fuel conduit directs essentially all gaseous fluid from the carbon-dioxide-removal unit to the fuel cell assembly.

Fuel cell system having recycle fuel conduit in fluid communication with fuel cell assembly and carbon dioxide removal unit

A hydrocarbon fuel processing reactor for generating a hydrogen-enriched reformate from hydrocarbons is disclosed. A plurality of shells are arranged coaxially having a gap defined between each of the successive shells, thereby forming a plurality of coaxial zones. The shells are configured to permit heat transfer from one zone to another. Fluid streams for reactions within the reactor are preheated by heat transfer from adjacent zones.

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Lexington, MA, United States of America

Chunming Qi