Fuelcell Energy, Inc.

Joseph M Daly

Fred C Jahnke

Sai P Katikaneni

Mohammad Farooque

Matthew Lambrech

Ramakrishnan Venkataraman

Robert S Fournier

William J Snyder

Dennis R Farrenkopf

Stephen Jolly

Ling Chen

Andrew Skok

Jeffrey Brown

Eric Nuhfer

Allen Adriani

Matthew Crowley

Kazim Naqvi

Anthony John Leo

Thomas J Voytek

William Livingood

Matti A Lilback

Steven A Koehler

Anthony J Leo

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell module having an anode having an anode inlet configured to receive anode feed gas and an anode outlet configured to output anode exhaust into an anode exhaust conduit. The fuel cell module further includes a cathode having a cathode inlet configured to receive cathode feed gas and a cathode outlet. The fuel cell system also includes an anode exhaust processing system fluidly coupled to the anode exhaust conduit and a gas injection system disposed downstream of the anode inlet and upstream of the anode exhaust processing system. The gas injection system is configured to inject a gas within the anode exhaust conduit to prevent an under-pressurization condition of the anode.

System for rebalancing a pressure differential in a fuel cell using gas injection

A method for controlling a carbon dioxide utilization in a fuel cell assembly includes: measuring a voltage across the fuel cell assembly; determining an estimated carbon dioxide utilization of the fuel cell assembly based on at least the measured voltage across the fuel cell assembly by determining an expected voltage of the fuel cell assembly based on at least a temperature of the fuel cell assembly, a current density across the fuel cell assembly, a fuel utilization of the fuel cell assembly, and a cathode oxygen utilization of the fuel cell assembly; determining the estimated carbon dioxide utilization based on a comparison between the measured voltage and the determined expected voltage; comparing the determined estimated carbon dioxide utilization to a predetermined threshold utilization; and upon determining that the determined estimated carbon dioxide utilization is higher than the predetermined threshold utilization, reducing the carbon utilization of the fuel cell assembly.

System including fuel cell assembly voltage monitor

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 method for manufacturing a heat exchanger includes: providing a porous material that has a porosity of about 30% to about 80%; forming an oxide layer on a surface of the porous material by heat treating the porous material at a temperature in a range of 600&#xb0; C. to 900&#xb0; C. for a time period in a range of 8 hours to 12 hours in air; and integrating the porous material into a cold side flow passage of the heat exchanger.

Heat exchanger with porous material

A system for capturing carbon dioxide in flue gas includes a fuel cell assembly including at least one fuel cell including a cathode portion configured to receive, as cathode inlet gas, the flue gas generated by the flue gas generating device or a derivative thereof, and to output cathode exhaust gas and an anode portion configure to receive an anode inlet gas and to output anode exhaust gas, a fuel cell assembly voltage monitor configured to measure a voltage across the fuel cell assembly, and a controller configured to receive the measured voltage across the fuel cell assembly from the fuel cell assembly voltage monitor, determine an estimated carbon dioxide utilization of the fuel cell assembly based on the measured voltage across the fuel cell assembly, and reduce the carbon dioxide utilization of the fuel cell assembly when the determined estimated carbon dioxide utilization is above a predetermined threshold utilization.

A heat exchanger includes a porous material in a cold side flow passage. The porous material is configured to distribute a liquid phase throughout the cold side flow passage through capillary action.

A fuel cell system includes at least one fuel cell module and at least one relational water seal configured to limit a magnitude of a pressure differential in the fuel cell system in an anode under-pressurization situation in which the second pressure exceeds the first pressure by at least a first predetermined amount. The fuel cell module includes a fuel cell assembly having one or more fuel cells arranged in a stack configuration, an anode inlet manifold, an anode outlet manifold having a first pressure, a cathode inlet manifold having a second pressure, and a cathode outlet manifold.

System for rebalancing a pressure differential in an anode exhaust system of a fuel cell with a relational water seal

A pre-processing assembly and method for processing fuel feedstock containing oxygen and hydrocarbons having higher and lower hydrocarbon content for a fuel cell, wherein the pre-processing assembly has a deoxidizing bed for reducing oxygen in the fuel feedstock and a pre-reforming bed for reducing higher hydrocarbon content in the fuel feedstock and wherein the deoxidizing bed and the pre-reforming bed are disposed within a common reaction vessel such that the fuel feedstock first passes through the deoxidizing bed and thereafter through the pre-reforming bed. The pre-reforming assembly may further include a propane processor bed for processing propane and propylene in the fuel feedstock, where the propane processor bed is disposed within the common reaction vessel with the deoxidizing bed and the pre-reforming bed.

Pre-processing assembly for pre-processing fuel feedstocks for use in a fuel cell system

A monitoring assembly for use in a fuel cell system for detecting sulfur-containing compounds in fuel. The monitoring assembly comprises an indicator assembly for passing the fuel therethrough, the indicator assembly including an indicator material and a housing for housing said indicator material, wherein the housing is adapted to be placed on-line in one of a main path receiving substantially all the fuel and a bypass path receiving only a portion of the fuel in the fuel cell system and the indicator material is such that when the housing is placed on-line in the fuel cell system at least one physical property of the indicator material changes when the indicator material is exposed to sulfur-containing compounds in the fuel of the fuel cell system, and the indicator assembly being additionally adapted to allow detection of the change in the physical property of the indicator material.

On-line monitoring assembly for detection of sulfur breakthrough in a desulfurizer assembly and sulfur breakthrough detection method

A sulfur breakthrough monitoring assembly for use in a fuel utilization system for detecting sulfur-containing compounds in desulfurized fuel, said monitoring assembly comprising: a heater for heating desulfurized fuel to a predetermined temperature, the predetermined temperature being between 450&#xb0; C. and 600&#xb0; C., a sulfur breakthrough detector adapted to receive heated fuel from the heater and including at least a reforming catalyst bed for reforming the heated fuel and a plurality of temperature sensors including a first temperature sensor for sensing temperature of the heated fuel before the fuel is conveyed through the reforming catalyst bed and a second temperature sensor for sensing temperature in the reforming catalyst bed, and a controller for determining whether concentration of the sulfur-containing compounds in the fuel exceeds a first predetermined concentration based on temperature outputs from the first and second temperature sensors.

Sulfur breakthrough detection assembly for use in a fuel utilization system and sulfur breakthrough detection method

A water transfer assembly for use in a fuel cell system having an anode and a cathode, the anode being adapted to receive fuel and to output anode exhaust and the cathode being adapted to receive oxidant gas and to output cathode exhaust, the water transfer assembly comprising a first cooling assembly adapted to receive the cathode exhaust and to quench cool the cathode exhaust to recover a first portion of water including non-volatile contaminants from the cathode exhaust and to output cleansed cathode exhaust and the first water portion, and a second cooling assembly adapted to receive the cleansed cathode exhaust and to recover a second water portion from the cleansed cathode exhaust, the second water portion being suitable for humidifying the fuel supplied to the anode.

Water recovery assembly for transferring water from fuel cell cathode exhaust

A humidifier assembly for humidifying fuel for use in a fuel cell system, comprising a water heater adapted to receive recycled water and to generate heated water using cathode exhaust, and a fuel saturator adapted to receive deaerated cleansed water, at least a portion of the deaerated cleansed water comprising the heated water, and fuel and to humidify the fuel with a first portion of the deaerated cleansed water, the fuel saturator tower outputting humidified fuel for use in the fuel cell system and a second portion of the deaerated cleansed water for use as recycled water in the water heater.

Fuel humidifier assembly for use in high temperature fuel cell systems

A water recovery assembly for use in a fuel cell system having an anode and a cathode, the anode being adapted to receive fuel and output anode exhaust, the water recovery assembly comprising a first cooling assembly adapted to receive and quench cool the anode exhaust and to recover a first portion of water including electrolyte from the anode exhaust, and to output quenched anode exhaust and the first portion of water, and a second cooling assembly adapted to receive the quenched anode exhaust and to recover a second portion of water from the quenched anode exhaust, the second portion of water being suitable for humidifying the fuel supplied to the anode.

Water recovery assembly for use in high temperature fuel cell systems

A fuel cell system for receiving input fuel, input water and input oxidant comprising a humidifying assembly for combining the input fuel with input water to produce humidified fuel, a fuel cell having an anode for receiving the humidified fuel and a cathode for receiving the input oxidant, and a power load controller for controlling a power load on the fuel cell system based on a power output set point and changes in the detected load. If the load drops from a high load to a low load and ability to ramp to a high target power output is thereafter restored, the controller is adapted to perform a rapid load recovery procedure by controlling the power output of the fuel cell system to increase from a power output corresponding to the low load to the high target power output corresponding to the high load at a first predetermined rate if all of one or more predetermined conditions are satisfied, and is also adapted to perform a standard load recovery procedure by controlling the power output to increase at a second predetermined rate which is lower than the first predetermined rate, if at least one predetermined condition is not satisfied.

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Bethel, CT, United States of America

Joseph M Daly