International Fuel Cells, LLC

Edmund K Parenti, Jr

Paul R Margiott

Glenn W Scheffler

Herbert J Setzer

George T Suljak, Jr

Robert J Misage

The thermal insulation blanket can be used to reduce heat loss from a device both in an ambient air environment, and in the vacuum environment of space. The blanket includes a plurality of goldized film layers with interleaved ceramic fiberglass cloth layers, which provide insulation against radiated heat loss in the space environment. Adjacent to the goldized layer is a felt or foam mat which provides insulation against conduction or convection heat loss in the ambient environment. The film and mat components are enclosed in a PTFE-coated fiber glass cloth envelope.

Thermal insulation blanket

Heat is more efficiently transferred to the catalyst tubes in a fuel cell power plant reformer by mounting sleeves about the individual catalyst tubes. The sleeves define helical hot gas flow paths on the outside of the catalyst tubes. Adjacent flow paths are separated from each other by arcuate ribs between the tubes and sleeves that provide line contact with the outer surface of the tubes for improved heat transfer. The ribs may be formed with circular rods attached to the tubes or sleeves, or by helical grooves with semi-circular configurations formed in the sleeves. Approximately fifty percent greater heat transfer can be achieved using the line contact ribs to form the hot gas flow paths. The sleeves, tubes and ribs are all made of metal.

Reformer tube heat transfer device

A heat exchanger uses the heat from processed fuel gas from a reformer for a fuel cell to superheat steam, to preheat raw fuel prior to entering the reformer and to heat a water-steam coolant mixture from the fuel cells. The processed fuel gas temperature is thus lowered to a level useful in the fuel cell reaction. The four temperature adjustments are accomplished in a single heat exchanger with only three heat transfer cores. The heat exchanger is preheated by circulating coolant and purge steam from the power section during startup of the latter.

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Manchester, CT, United States of America

Edmund K Parenti, Jr