Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.

Osaka Gas Company Limited

Tokyo Gas Company Limited

Toho Gas Co., Ltd.

Hiroyoshi Uematsu

Satoshi Hatori

Kenzo Nakazawa

Hiromasa Morimoto

Tetsuya Hirata

Kazunori Kobayashi

Hideto Ikeda

Toshio Miyauchi

Kenichi Shinozaka

Shigeto Nakagawa

Tomoji Hikita

The molten carbonate fuel cell includes (a) an anode current collector formed to be flat rectangular tubular and having a pair of outer surfaces each formed at the center thereof with a recessed portion for receiving an anode therein, the recessed portion being formed with a plurality of holes through which anode gas is supplied to anode from inside of the anode current collector, (b) a pair of cells each disposed on each of the outer surfaces of the anode current collector, and (c) a pair of cathode current collectors each cooperating with the anode current collector to sandwich each of the cells, therebetween, the cathode current collectors being formed with a plurality of holes through which cathode gas is supplied to cathode from outside of the cathode current collector. The anode current collector, the cells and the cathode current collectors constitute a pair of independent parallel cells. The anode current collector includes an anode gas passage which is connected to the anode current collector and through which an anode gas is to be provided to the inside of the anode current collector, and an anode current terminal formed at an end of the anode current collector perpendicular to the anode gas flow. Each of the cells includes an anode set in the recessed portion of the anode current collector, an electrolyte plate disposed in contact with an outer surface of the anode and extensive over the recessed portion of the anode current collector, and a cathode disposed in contact with an outer surface of the electrolyte plate. The cathode current collectors is connected to each other at ends disposed opposite to the anode current terminal to form shape, and the cathode current collector is formed at a connection point as a cathode current terminal. The above mentioned molten carbonate fuel cell makes it no longer necessary to use a separator for mechanically separating anode and cathode gases, resulting in remarkable cost down.

Molten carbonate fuel cell and power generation system including the same

The method controls a differential pressure of a plate reformer installed in a fuel cell power generation system. In the power generation system, a raw material gas is reformed to a fuel gas in the plate reformer, the fuel gas is fed to an anode of a fuel cell, an anode exhaust gas from the anode is fed to a combustion chamber of the plate reformer a combustion exhaust gas from the combustion chamber is fed to a cathode of the fuel cell together with an air, and part of the air is fed to the combustion chamber. The method includes the steps of placing the plate reformer in a pressure vessel, maintaining a pressure of a cathode exhaust gas to a constant value, feeding part of the air to be fed to the cathode and all of the anode exhaust gas into the combustion chamber to make a pressure of the air and that of the anode exhaust gas substantially the same so as to make a pressure of the reforming chamber and that of the combustion chamber substantially the same, and forming an opening on a line which feeds the air into the combustion chamber to allow the air to enter the pressure vessel so as to make the pressure of the reforming chamber, that of the combustion chamber and that of the pressure vessel substantially the same.

Differential pressure controlling method and apparatus for plate

A method of recovering carbon dioxide gas from the combustion exhaust gas of fossil fuel, using a combustion equipment, wherein fuel gas is supplied to an anode chamber of a molten carbonate fuel cell and oxidizing gas is supplied to a cathode chamber of the fuel cell, the combustion exhaust gas from the combustion equipment is suuplied to the cathode chamber as part of the oxidizaing gas, CO.sub.2 in the combustion exhaust gas is allowed to react with O.sub.2 in the oxidizing gas at the cathode to produce carbonate ion, which is allowed to pass through the electrolyte of the fuel cell and to reach the anode, which the carbonate ion is allowed to react with hydrogen in the fuel gas to produce CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2 O, the anode exhaust gas containing CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2 O generated at the anode is discharged from the anode chamber, H.sub.2 O is separated from the anode discharge gas and high-concentration CO.sub.2 gas is recovered.

Method of and apparatus for utilizing and recovering CO.sub.2 in

The power generation system includes a reformer and two fuel cell stacks. The reformer and the fuel cell stacks are provided in series. Fuel gas produced by the reformer is introduced to a first anode of the first fuel cell stack. Gases discharged from the first anode are directly introduced to a second anode of the second fuel cell stack. Air is introduced to a first cathode of the first fuel cell stack. Gases discharged from the first cathode are cooled by a cooling device and then introduced to a second cathode of the second fuel cell stack. Gases discharged from the second anode and gases discharged from the second cathode are introduced to a heating chamber of the reformer. Gases discharged from the heating chamber are introduced to a steam generator to produce steam used for reformation and then recirculated to the first cathode.

Power generation system using fuel cells

A reformer includes a reforming chamber for reforming raw material and a heating chamber for heating the reforming chamber. Exhaust gas from a cathode chamber of a fuel cell is directly introduced to the heating chamber such that the exhaust gas is combusted, or the exhaust gas from the cathode chamber is introduced to a catalyst combustor together with exhaust gas discharged from the anode chamber such that these gases undergo combustion. Combustion exhaust gas is introduced to the heating chamber and sensible heat of the cathode exhaust gas is effectively used as heat source for a reforming reaction in the reforming chamber.

Power generation system using molten carbonate fuel cells

An LNG cryogenic power generation system using a molten carbonate fuel cell is equipped with a CO.sub.2 separator. The CO.sub.2 separator takes advantages of cryogenic LNG in a manner such that CO.sub.2 among gases discharged from an anode chamber of the fuel cell is liquefied with cryogenic LNG and separated from the anode exhaust gas. Cell reactions take place at a cathode chamber and the anode chamber of the fuel cell to cause power generation as the oxidizing gas which contains CO.sub.2 is fed to the cathode chamber and the fuel gas is fed to the anode chamber. LNG is reformed by a reformer of the fuel cell and the reformed gas is fed to the anode chamber. During the cell reaction, CO.sub.2 of the oxidizing gas fed to the cathode chamber is transferred as carbonate ion to the anode chamber and CO.sub.2 is enriched or concentrated before expelled from the anode chamber. This anode gas is introduced to the CO.sub.2 separator. In the CO.sub.2 separator, CO.sub.2 among the anode gas is liquefied by cryogenic LNG and separated from the anode gas. As a result, the power generation and the CO.sub.2 recovery are carried out at the same time, and an amount of CO.sub.2 discharged to atmosphere is remarkably reduced.

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Yokohama, Japan

Hiroyoshi Uematsu