Fuelcell Energy, Inc.

Texaco Inc.

Fuel Energy, Inc.

Fred C Jahnke

Matthew Lambrech

Joseph M Daly

Mohammad Farooque

Hossein Ghezel-Ayagh

Pinakin S Patel

George P Berntsen

Jeffrey Brown

William J Snyder

Ramakrishnan Venkataraman

Stephen Jolly

Michael L Quatannens

Robert S Fournier

Sanjay C Parab

Anthony John Leo

Matthew Crowley

Pinakin Patel

Paul Steven Wallace

Chao-yi Yuh

Kay Anderson Johnson

Lalit S Shah

Ludwig Lipp

Delome D Fair

Jonathan Malwitz

Carla Juhas

Glenn L Carlson

Anthony M Leo

Kirk Arneson

Kamlesh B Vakil

William P Volk

Dipak C Kothari

Matti A Lilback

Ramakirshnan Venkataraman

Steven A Koehler

Rui Song

Frank J Chimbole, Jr

Gayla D Hamby

Chao-Yi Yuh

Carla Niederhofer

Anthony J Leo

A steam methane reformer-integrated fuel cell system includes at least one fuel cell including an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte matrix. The system includes a steam methane reformer, a water-gas shift reactor, an absorber column, and a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) system. The PSA system is configured to purify the second product stream to output (1) a third product stream of the PSA system having a fourth concentration of hydrogen that is greater than the third concentration of hydrogen and (2) a PSA tail gas. The at least one fuel cell is configured to receive the PSA tail gas from the PSA system as an anode feed gas.

System and method for producing hydrogen using high temperature fuel cells

A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell including: an anode, and a cathode configured to output cathode exhaust, wherein: the fuel cell is configured to generate waste heat; a reformer configured to partially reform a feed gas using the waste heat and output a hydrogen-containing stream; a reformer-electrolyzer-purifier ('REP') including: an REP anode configured to receive a first portion of the hydrogen-containing stream, and an REP cathode; and an indirect reforming unit disposed on the anode, which is configured to further reform the hydrogen-containing stream and output a fuel turn gas.

Hydrogen generation using a fuel cell system with an REP

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell. The fuel cell includes an anode having an anode inlet configured to receive anode feed gas, and an anode outlet configured to output anode exhaust. The fuel cell further includes a cathode having a cathode inlet and a cathode outlet. The fuel cell system further includes an anode blower configured to receive the anode exhaust and output a higher-pressure anode exhaust. The fuel cell system further includes an anode blower recycle line configured to receive a portion of the higher-pressure anode exhaust downstream from the anode blower and to output the portion of the higher-pressure anode exhaust upstream from the anode blower. The fuel cell system further includes a first valve disposed in the blower recycle line, the first valve configured to open when the anode of the fuel cell is under-pressurized.

Fuel cell with protection from pressure imbalance

A steam methane reformer-integrated fuel cell system includes: at least one fuel cell including: an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte matrix separating the anode and the cathode; an anode gas oxidizer (AGO) configured to receive anode exhaust gas from the at least one fuel cell and a preheated air stream such that the anode exhaust gas reacts with the preheated air stream to produce a high-temperature exhaust stream, and configured to provide the high-temperature exhaust stream to the cathode of the at least one fuel cell; and a steam methane reformer configured to utilize heat from the high-temperature exhaust stream output from the AGO and to react methane with steam to produce a first product stream including hydrogen (H), carbon dioxide (CO), and carbon monoxide (CO).

A molten carbonate fuel cell-powered system for capturing carbon dioxide produced by a steam methane reformer system. Tail gas from a pressure swing adsorption system is mixed with exhaust gas from the fuel cell anode, then pressurized and cooled to extract liquefied carbon dioxide. The residual low-COgas is directed to an anode gas oxidizer, to the anode, to the reformer to be burned for fuel, and/or to the pressure swing adsorption system. Low-COflue gas from the reformer can be vented to the atmosphere or directed to the anode gas oxidizer. Reduction in the amount of COreaching the fuel cell allows the fuel cell to be sized according to the power demands of the system and eliminates the need to export additional power output.

Steam methane reforming unit for carbon capture

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell having an anode and a cathode configured to output cathode exhaust. The fuel cell is configured to generate waste heat. The fuel cell system further includes a reformer configured to partially reform a feed gas using the waste heat and output a hydrogen-containing stream. The fuel cell system further includes a reformer-electrolyzer-purifier ('REP') having an REP anode configured to receive a first portion of the hydrogen-containing stream and an REP cathode.

An energy storage system includes: a reformer configured to receive natural gas and steam and to output reformed natural gas; a combustion turbine configured to output heated sweep gas; and a molten carbonate electrolyzer cell ('MCEC') including: an MCEC anode, and an MCEC cathode configured to receive the heated sweep gas from the combustion turbine. The energy storage system is configured such that: when no excess power is available, the combustion turbine receives the reformed natural gas from the reformer, and when excess power is available, the MCEC operates in a hydrogen-generation mode in which the MCEC anode receives the reformed natural gas from the reformer, and outputs MCEC anode exhaust that contains hydrogen.

Energy storage for combustion turbine using molten carbonate electrolyzer cell

An EHS system includes a EHS cell having an anode, a cathode, and a cooling plate disposed proximate at least one of the anode or the cathode, the cooling plate configured to receive water and configured to output steam or a mixture of water and steam. The system further includes a liquid-vapor separator (LVS) configured to receive the steam or the mixture of water and steam from the cooling plate and to separate water and steam. The LVS is configured to output water to the cooling plate.

Heat recovery from an electrochemical hydrogen separation system

A power production system includes a flue gas generator configured to generate a flue gas that includes carbon dioxide and oxygen; a fuel supply; a fuel cell assembly that includes: a cathode section configured to receive the flue gas generated by the flue gas generator, and output cathode exhaust, and an anode section configured to receive fuel from the fuel supply, and output anode exhaust that contains hydrogen and carbon dioxide; a methanator configured to receive the anode exhaust, convert at least a portion of the hydrogen in the anode exhaust to methane, and output methanated anode exhaust; a chiller assembly configured to cool the methanated anode exhaust to a predetermined temperature so as to liquefy carbon dioxide in the methanated anode exhaust; and a gas separation assembly configured to receive the cooled methanated anode exhaust and separate the liquefied carbon dioxide from residual fuel gas.

Methanation of anode exhaust gas to enhance carbon dioxide capture

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell having a cathode and an anode configured to receive a portion of a hhydrocarbon feed and to output an anode exhaust stream comprising carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and water; and an electrolyzer cell having a cathode and an anode. The anode of the electrolyzer cell is configured to receive a first portion of the anode exhaust stream and another portion of the hydrocarbon feed, and to generate a hydrogen stream.

Ultra high efficiency fuel cell power generation system

A steam methane reformer-integrated fuel cell system includes at least one fuel cell having an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte matrix separating the anode and the cathode. The system further includes a steam methane reformer configured to react methane with steam to produce a first product stream including hydrogen (H), carbon dioxide (CO), and carbon monoxide (CO).

A fuel cell system for removing carbon dioxide from anode exhaust gas includes: a fuel cell having an anode configured to output an anode exhaust gas comprising hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and water; an anode gas oxidizer; and an absorption system configured to receive the anode exhaust gas, the absorption system including: an absorber column configured to absorb the carbon dioxide from the anode exhaust gas in a solvent and to output a resultant gas comprising hydrogen and a hydrocarbon that is at least partially recycled to the anode; and a stripper column configured to regenerate the solvent and to output a carbon dioxide-rich stream. The anode gas oxidizer is configured to receive and oxidize an anode gas oxidizer input stream and at least a portion of the carbon dioxide-rich stream. The anode gas oxidizer input stream comprises a portion of the anode exhaust gas.

Low pressure carbon dioxide removal from the anode exhaust of a fuel cell

A fluidized catalytic cracking unit system includes a fluidized catalytic cracking unit assembly comprising a cracking unit; a reformer-electrolyzer-purifier assembly comprising a reformer-electrolyzer-purifier cell, the reformer-electrolyzer-purifier cell comprising an anode section and a cathode section; and a carbon capture assembly. The anode section of the reformer-electrolyzer-purifier assembly is configured to receive an input stream comprising hydrocarbon gases and water. The cathode section of the reformer-electrolyzer-purifier assembly is configured to produce a cathode exhaust stream comprising oxygen and carbon dioxide. The fluidized catalytic cracking unit assembly is configured to receive the cathode exhaust stream and to produce a flue gas comprising carbon dioxide, water, and less than 5 mole % oxygen. The carbon capture assembly is configured to receive the flue gas from the fluidized catalytic cracking unit assembly, to separate the carbon dioxide contained in the flue gas, and to produce a gas stream that comprises at least 90 mole % carbon dioxide.

Fluidized catalytic cracking unit system with integrated reformer-electrolyzer-purifier

An energy storage system includes: a combustion turbine configured to output heated sweep gas; a reformer configured to receive natural gas and steam and to output reformed natural gas; a molten carbonate electrolyzer cell ('MCEC') comprising an MCEC anode and an MCEC cathode, wherein the MCEC is configured to operate in a hydrogen-generation mode in which: the MCEC anode receives the reformed natural gas from the reformer, and outputs MCEC anode exhaust that contains hydrogen, and the MCEC cathode is configured to receive heated sweep gas from the combustion turbine, and to output MCEC cathode exhaust; and a storage tank configured to receive the MCEC anode exhaust that contains hydrogen.

Growing community of inventors

Rye, NY, United States of America

Fred C Jahnke