Ballard Power Systems Ag

Lars Kaufmann

Joachim Blum

Ralf Heuser

Werner Belschner

Paul Kaupmann

A fuel cell system and method of operation in which the fuel cell system has a fuel cell unit with anode and cathode, a media flow path for supplying substantially pure hydrogen to the anode, a media flow path for the cathode, an anode exhaust-gas flow path and a cathode exhaust-gas flow path. A fan for supplying air to the cathode is provided in the flow path of the cathode, and a catalytic burner is arranged in the cathode exhaust-gas flow path. The anode exhaust-gas flow path opens into the catalytic burner and/or into the cathode exhaust-gas flow path upstream of the catalytic burner. The combined, catalytically converted fuel cell exhaust-gas flow is passed into an expansion machine.

Fuel cell system and method for operating the fuel cell system

A fuel cell system includes (1) a heat exchanger for preheating a fuel/water mixture; (2) an evaporator unit for generating a starting-material gas flow from the preheated fuel/water mixture; (3) a gas generation unit for producing a hydrogen-rich gas containing carbon monoxide from the starting-material gas flow; (4) a gas cleaning unit for selective removal of carbon monoxide from the hydrogen-rich gas; (5) a cooling unit for the gas cleaning unit; and (6) at least one fuel cell comprising an anode chamber through which cleaned, hydrogen-rich gas flows, a cathode chamber through which an oxygen-containing medium flows, and a cooling space through which a coolant flows. The heat exchanger, through which the cleaned, hydrogen-rich gas flows, is arranged downstream of the gas cleaning unit. Alternatively, the heat exchanger is arranged downstream of the cooling space and through which the coolant flows.

Fuel cell system having a heat exchanger

In a fuel cell system having a gas generation system for providing hydrogen from a carbon- and hydrogen-containing medium for a fuel cell unit, means are provided for adjusting pressure in the gas generation system and/or mass flow through the fuel cell unit, upstream of the fuel cell unit. In a transition from a part-load range to a full-load range, the pressure can be at least briefly reduced, and in a transition from a full-load range to a part-load range, the pressure can be at least briefly increased.

Fuel cell system and method for operating a fuel cell

A fuel cell arrangement has at least one fuel cell with an anode and a cathode. A compressor arranged in the admission flow path of the cathode supplies air to the cathode, and a reforming unit with a reformer and a thermally coupled heating chamber is arranged in the admission flow path of the anode supplies the anode with a hydrogen-rich medium. A catalytic burner arranged in the cathode off-gas flow path between cathode and an expansion machine is coupled to drive the compressor. The heating chamber of the reforming unit or of an evaporator unit arranged in the admission flow path of the anode is arranged in the cathode off-gas flow path; and the expansion machine is arranged in the cathode off-gas flow path between catalytic burner and the heating chamber.

Fuel cell arrangement and gas supply system and method for operating the same

A fuel cell section system has a media-cooled fuel cell with an anode space and a cathode space. A common delivery device is provided for introducing cooling medium into both the fuel cell and a condenser for condensation of water from outgoing cathode air.

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Kirchheim, Germany

Lars Kaufmann