International Fuel Cells, LLC

Utc Fuel Cells, LLC

United Technologies Corporation

Doosan Fuel Cell America, Inc.

Utc Power Corporation

Clearedge Power Corporation

Hyaxiom, Inc.

International Fuel Cells Co, LLC

Doosan Fuel Cell Amreica, Inc.

John L Preston

Peter F Foley

Derek W Hildreth

Roger R Lesieur

Joshua David Isom

Paul R Hanrahan

Albert P Grasso

Jay Garow

Leonard J Bonville, Jr

Antonio M Vincitore

Donald F Szydlowski

Leslie L VanDine

Bryan F Dufner

Charles L DeGeorge

Jay C Files

Michael T Lines

Richard D Breault

John C Trocciola

Richard A Sederquist

Glenn W Scheffler

Thomas J Corrigan

Stephen G Pixton

Francis J Luczak

Ke Liu

Robert R Fredley

Francis Kocum

Richard J Assarabowski

Richard James Bellows

James Davies

Lynn Hamilton

Lynn Reni

Christopher R Teeling

An ejector receives steam at a primary inlet and natural gas at a secondary inlet. A computer responds to a signal indicating current in the load of a fuel cell as well as a signal indicating temperature of a steam reformer to move a linear actuator to control a needle that adjusts the size of the steam orifice. Reformate is fed to a separator scrubber which cools the reformate to its dew point indicated by a sensor. From that, a controller generates the fuel/carbon ratio for display and to bias a signal on a line regulating the amount of steam passing through an ejector to the inlet of the reformer. Alternatively, the reformate may be cooled to its dew point by a controllable heat exchanger in response to pressure and temperature signals.

Steam/carbon ratio detection and control

An example method of decontaminating a fuel reactant stream for a fuel cell flows the fuel reactant stream through a fluidized ammonia dissolving media, while simultaneously flowing water through the fluidized ammonia dissolving media to separate contaminants from the fuel reactant stream into a separated contaminant and water stream. The separated contaminant and water stream from the fluidized bed is accumulated within an accumulator, circulated through a water-control loop, and decontaminated by flowing the stream through an ion exchange bed secured in fluid communication with the water-control loop. A decontaminated water stream from the ion exchange bed is circulated back through the ammonia dissolving media. A temperature of the fuel reactant stream is controlled upstream of the fuel reactant stream entering the separator scrubber to produce a predetermined temperature of the fuel reactant stream passing through the separator scrubber.

Method of decontaminating a fuel reactant stream for a fuel cell

A reformer system () having a hydrodesulfurizer () provides desulfurized natural gas feedstock to a catalytic steam reformer (), the outflow of which is treated by a water gas shift reactor () and optionally a preferential CO oxidizer () to provide reformate gas () having high hydrogen and moderate carbon dioxide content. To avoid damage to the hydrodesulfurizer from overheating, any deleterious hydrogen reactants, such as the oxygen in peak shave gas or olefins, in the non-desulfurized natural gas feedstock () are reacted () with hydrogen () to convert them to alkanes (e.g., ethylene and propylene to ethane and propane) and to convert oxygen to water in a catalytic reactor () having no sulfide sorbent, and cooled (), below a temperature which would damage the reactor, by evaporative cooling with pressurized hot water (). Hydrogen for the desulfurizer and the hydrogen reactions may be provided as recycle reformate () or from a mini-CPO (), or from other sources.

Fuel processing of feedstocks having components harmful to hydrodesulfurization

A fluidized contaminant separator and water-control loop () decontaminates a fuel reactant stream of a fuel cell (). Water passes over surfaces of an ammonia dissolving media () within a fluidized bed () while the fuel reactant stream simultaneously passes over the surfaces to dissolve contaminants from the fuel reactant stream into a separated contaminant and water stream. A fuel-control heat exchanger () upstream from the scrubber () removes heat from the fuel stream. A water-control loop () directs flow of the separated contaminants and water stream from an accumulator () through an ion exchange bed () which removes contaminants from the stream. Decontaminated water is directed back into the scrubber () to flow through the fluidized bed (). Separating contaminants from the fuel reactant stream and then isolating and concentrating the separated contaminants within the ion exchange material () minimizes costs and maintenance requirements.

Fluidized bed contaminant separator and water-control loop for a fuel reactant stream of a fuel cell

A system and method for operating fuel cell power plantincludes enclosing fuel bearing components, such as fuel cell stackand reformer, into a fuel compartmentseparate from motorized components in a motor compartment, and consuming leaked fuel in the fuel compartmentusing a fuel bearing component such as cell stackand/or burner, thereby reducing fuel emissions from the plant.

System and method for reducing fuel cell power plant emissions

A sodium chloride electrolysis cell () receives a portion of its electrical power () from a phosphoric acid fuel cell () which receives fuel at its anode inlet () from a water cooled catalytic reactor () that converts oxygen in the byproduct output () of the sodium chlorate electrolysis cell to hydrogen and water. A utility grid () may provide through a converter () power to support the electrochemical process in the sodium chlorate electrolysis cell. Temperature of the water cooled catalytic reactor is determined by the vaporization of pressurized hot water, the pressure of which may be adjusted by a controller () and a valve () in response to temperature ().

Apparatus including sodium chlorate electrolysis cell connected by water cooled catalytic reactor to phosphoric acid fuel cell

Fuel processing by a reformer () and a shift reactor () converts hydrocarbon feedstock () and steam () to hydrogen-rich reformate (), such as for use in a fuel cell power plant (). Some of the reformate is recycled through a restriction () to the inlet () of a feedstock pump (), thereby increasing its pressure sufficiently to cause recycle flow through a hydrodesulfurizer () and the secondary inlet () of an ejector () driven by the steam (). Recycle pressure () is maintained by steam pressure through a valve () regulated by a controller ().

Hydrodesulfurizer recycle applied upstream of processor feedstock pressurization

An integrated contaminant separator and water-control loop () decontaminates a fuel reactant stream of a fuel cell (). Water passes over surfaces of an ammonia dissolving means () within a separator scrubber () while the fuel reactant stream simultaneously passes over the surfaces to dissolve contaminants from the fuel reactant stream into the water. An accumulator () collects the separated contaminant stream, and ion exchange material () integrated within the accumulator removes contaminants from the stream. A water-control pump () directs flow of a de-contaminated water stream from the accumulator () through a water-control loop () having a heat exchanger () and back onto the scrubber () to flow over the packed bed (). Separating contaminants from the fuel reactant stream and then isolating and concentrating the separated contaminants within the ion exchange material () minimizes cost and maintenance requirements.

Integrated contaminant separator and water-control loop for a fuel reactant stream

A separator scrubber () and isolation loop () decontaminates a fuel reactant stream of a fuel cell (). Water passes over surfaces of an ammonia dissolving means () within the scrubber () while the fuel reactant stream simultaneously passes over the surfaces to remove contaminants from the fuel reactant into the water. An accumulator () collects the separated contaminants and water, and an isolation loop pump () directs flow of the separated contaminant stream through the isolation loop (). A heat exchanger () and an ion exchange bed () modify the heat of, and remove contaminants from, the separated contaminant stream, and the isolation loop () directs the decontaminated stream back onto the packed bed ()-. Separating contaminants from the fuel reactant stream and then isolating and concentrating the separated contaminants within the ion exchange bed () minimizes cost and maintenance requirements.

Contaminant separator and isolation loop for a fuel reactant stream for a fuel cell

Reformation of natural gas without excessive production of ammonia, even if the natural gas includes as much as 14% nitrogen, is achieved in reformers including tubes () having outer chambers () with catalysts therein, a first stage () of catalyst having between about 10% and about 25% nickel, a second stage () of catalyst having less than 10% nickel, and a final stage () having 2% or less rhodium catalyst of a low concentration.

Reduced generation of ammonia in nickel catalyst of reformer

A hydrogen-rich reformate gas generator (), such as a mini-CPO, POX, ATR or other hydrogen generator provides warm, dry, hydrogen-rich reformate gas to a hydrogen desulfurizer () which provides desulfurized feedstock gas to a major reformer () (such as a CPO) which, after processing in a water-gas shift reactor () and preferential CO oxidizer () produces hydrogen-containing reformate in a line () for use, for instance, as fuel for a fuel cell power plant. The expensive prior art hydrogen blower () is thereby eliminated, thus reducing parasitic power losses in the power plant. The drier reformate provided by the small hydrogen generator to the hydrogen desulfurizer favors hydrogen sulfide adsorption on zinc oxide and helps to reduce sulfur to the parts per billion level.

Hydrogen generator for hydrogen desulfurization of hydrocarbon feeds

Method and apparatus are provided for removing contaminants from a hydrogen processor feed stream, as in a fuel cell power plant (). Inlet oxidant (), typically air, required by a catalytic hydrogen processor () in a fuel processor () for a fuel cell stack assembly () in the power plant (), may contain contaminants such as SOand the like. A cleansing arrangement, which includes an accumulator/degasifier () acting as a scrubber, and possibly also a water transfer device (), receives the inlet oxidant and provides the desired cleansing of contaminants. Water in the water transfer device and in the accumulator/degasifier serves to dissolve the water-soluble contaminants and cleanse them from the oxidant stream. The cleansed oxidant stream (') is then delivered to the hydrogen processor and to the fuel cell assembly, with minimal inclusion of detrimental contaminants such as sulfur.

Method for removal of contaminants from a hydrogen processor feed stream, as in a fuel cell power plant

Method and apparatus for removal of contaminants from a hydrogen processor feed stream, as in a fuel cell power plant

A fuel gas processing system is operable to remove substantially all of the sulfur present in a hydrocarbon fuel supply used to power a fuel cell power plant in a mobile vehicular environment. The power plant fuel can be gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, fuel oil, natural gas, or another fuel which contains relatively high levels of organic sulfur compounds such as mercaptans, sulfides, disulfides, and the like. The hydrocarbon fuel supply is passed through a nickel reactant desulfurizer bed wherein essentially all of the sulfur in the organic sulfur compounds react with the nickel reactant, and are converted to nickel sulfide while the desulfurized fuel continues through the remainder of the fuel processing system. The fuel cell power plant and the processing system can be used to power a mobile vehicle, such an automobile, truck, bus, or the like. An auxiliary supply of hydrogen is provided in order to power the fuel cell power plant during start up of the fuel processing system. A second auxiliary supply of desulfurized fuel is also provided to operate the fuel cell power plant during an interim period until the highest temperature component of the fuel processing system is brought up to operational temperatures during the start up protocol.

System for implementing operation and start-up of a vehicle which is powered by electricity from a fuel cell power plant

A fuel processing system is operable to remove substantially all of the sulfur present in an undiluted hydrocarbon fuel stock supply used to power a fuel cell power plant in a mobile environment, such as an automobile, bus, truck, boat, or the like, or in a stationary environment. The power plant hydrogen fuel source can be gasoline, diesel fuel, naphtha, light hydrocarbon fuels such as butane, propane, natural gas, or other like fuels which contain relatively high levels of organic sulfur compounds such as mercaptans, sulfides, disulfides, and the like. The undiluted hydrocarbon fuel supply is passed through a nickel desulfurizer bed wherein essentially all of the sulfur in the organic sulfur compounds react with the nickel reactant, and are converted to nickel sulfide while the desulfurized organic remnants continue through the remainder of the fuel processing system. The system does not require the addition of steam or a hydrogen source to the fuel stream prior to the desulfurizing step. The system operates at relatively low temperatures and can be used to desulfurize either a liquid or a gaseous fuel stream.

Method for desulfurizing a fuel for use in a fuel cell power plant

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Hebron, CT, United States of America

John L Preston