Modine Manufacturing Company

Nartron Corporation

Chevron U.s.a. Inc.

Williams International

Nucellsys Gmbh

Xcellsis Gmbh

Modine Manufacturing

Bloom Energy Corporation

Texaco Development Corporation

Mark G Voss

Michael J Reinke

Jeroen Valensa

Dennis C Granetzke

Alan Paul Meissner

Nicholas Siler

Gregory G Hughes

Jonathan P Wattelet

Liping Cao

Todd M Bandhauer

William O Harvey

James W Powell

Joseph R Stevenson

John F Hurley

Werner Zobel

Edward O Hartel

Peter C Kottal

Michael McGregor

C James Rogers

Frank Vetter

Gregory A Mross

Michael Ehlers

Wolfgang Knecht

Roland Str&auml;hle

Jeffrey Alan Logic

Scot T Alley

Randall L Perrin

Gregory E Peterson

Stephen B Memory

Marc Weisser

Michael J Wilson

Bruno Motzet

Scott R Larrabee

Randolph S Herrick

Andreas Willman

Jon Horek

Richard M DeKeuster

Uwe Benz

Curtis L Krause

Zalman P Saperstein

Roland Strähle

Alois Tischler

Bhaskar Balasubramanian

Kevin Nguyen

Lawrence W Gabbey

J&ouml;rg Soldner

Bryan N Waineo

Yunquan Liu

Andreas F Stolz

Daniela Fischer

Gerhard M Schmidt

Sven Thumm

Stephan Horz

Henry Lukas

Frank Nelson Jarrett

Thomas J Thielen

Michael J Swee

B Joseph Fietkiewicz

Anthony C De Vuono

Thomas Jantschek

Warner Zobel

Hendrikus Theodores Van Hoof

Charles G Gasper

Micheael J Reinke

Kevin H Nguyen

The present invention provides an exhaust gas waste heat recovery heat exchanger including a housing having a working fluid inlet, a working fluid outlet, an exhaust inlet, and an exhaust outlet, an exhaust flow path extending through the housing between the exhaust inlet and the exhaust outlet, and a working fluid flow path extending through the housing between the working fluid inlet and the working fluid outlet and having a first portion and a second portion. A flow of working fluid along the first portion of the working fluid flow path can be substantially counter to a flow of exhaust along the exhaust flow path, and the flow of working fluid along the second portion of the working fluid flow path can be substantially parallel to the flow of exhaust along the exhaust flow path.

Heat recovery system and method

The invention provides a solid oxide fuel cell system including a fuel cell stack having an anode side and a cathode side, an anode tailgas oxidizer for oxidizing an anode exhaust flow from the anode side to produce an oxidized anode exhaust flow, and a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger includes a first inlet for receiving a cathode exhaust flow from the cathode side of the fuel cell stack, a second inlet for receiving the oxidized anode exhaust flow, and a mixing region for combining the cathode exhaust flow and the oxidized anode exhaust flow to produce a combined exhaust flow. An air flow path for supplying air to the fuel cell stack to support an energy-producing reaction in the fuel cell stack extends through the heat exchanger so that heat is transferred from the combined exhaust flow to the air traveling along the air flow path.

Compact air preheater for solid oxide fuel cell systems

An exhaust gas waste heat recovery heat exchanger includes a housing having a working fluid inlet, a working fluid outlet, an exhaust inlet, and an exhaust outlet, an exhaust flow path extending through the housing between the exhaust inlet and the exhaust outlet, and a working fluid flow path extending through the housing between the working fluid inlet and the working fluid outlet and having a first portion and a second portion. A flow of working fluid along the first portion of the working fluid flow path can be substantially counter to a flow of exhaust along the exhaust flow path, and the flow of working fluid along the second portion of the working fluid flow path can be substantially parallel to the flow of exhaust along the exhaust flow path.

An integrated fuel cell unit () includes an annular array () of fuel cell stacks (), an annular cathode recuperator (), an annular anode recuperator (), a reformer (), and an anode exhaust cooler (), all integrated within a common housing structure ().

Integrated solid oxide fuel cell and fuel processor

The present invention provides, among other things, a method of operating a solid oxide fuel cell system including a fuel cell stack. The method can include the acts of combining an exhaust flow from an anode side of the fuel cell stack and an exhaust flow from a cathode side of the fuel cell stack, transferring heat from the combined exhaust flow to a first air flow, and combining a second air flow and the heated first air flow upstream from the fuel cell stack to control a temperature of the combined air flow entering the cathode side of the solid oxide fuel cell.

A fuel cell unit includes a plurality of angularly spaced fuel cell stacks arranged to form a ring-shaped structure about a central axis, each of the fuel cell stacks having a stacking direction extending parallel to the central axis. The fuel cell unit also includes an annular cathode feed manifold surrounding the fuel cell stacks to deliver a cathode feed flow thereto, a plurality of baffles extending parallel to the central axis, each of the baffles located between an adjacent pair of the fuel cell stacks to direct a cathode feed flow from the annular cathode feed manifold and radially inwardly through the adjacent pair, and an annular cathode exhaust manifold surrounded by the fuel cell stacks to receive a cathode exhaust flow therefrom.

Annular or ring shaped fuel cell unit

Relates to a process and apparatus that improves the hydrogen production efficiency for small scale hydrogen production. According to one aspect, the process provides heat exchangers that are thermally integrated with the reaction steps such that heat generated by exothermic reactions, combustion and water gas shift, are arranged closely to the endothermic reaction, steam reformation, and heat sinks, cool natural gas, water and air, to minimize heat loss and maximize heat recovery. Effectively, this thermally integrated process eliminates excess piping throughout, reducing initial capital cost.

Process and apparatus for thermally integrated hydrogen generation system

A catalytic reactor/heat exchange device () is provided for generating a catalytic reaction in a reaction fluid flow () and transferring heat to a cooling fluid flow (). The device includes reaction flow channels () with turbulators () therein. The turbulators () include an initial portion () and a selected portion () that includes a catalytic layer or coating () to initiate the desired catalytic reaction at a location () located downstream from the initial portion (). In some preferred forms, each of the selected portions () of the turbulators () include at least one downstream section () wherein the heat transfer performance has been intentionally reduced to improve performance of the device () during start up conditions.

Catalytic reactor/heat exchanger

A coolant conditioning system is provided for supplying a coolant flow to a fuel processing subsystem. The coolant conditioning system includes a coolant preheater to transfer heat from a reformate flow to the coolant flow, a heater to selectively add heat to the coolant flow in response to the coolant flow dropping below a minimum temperature, at least one outlet flow path to provide a portion of the coolant flow to at least one fuel processing subsystem, and a return flow path to return a remainder of the coolant flow to a storage tank. The coolant conditioning system is dynamically controllable to provide a portion of the coolant flow above a minimum temperature to reduce or prevent condensation of the reformate flow in selected components of the fuel processing subsystem that receive the portion of the coolant flow.

Coolant conditioning system and method for a fuel processing subsystem

An integrated steam reformer/combustor assembly () is provided for use in a fuel processor () that supplies a steam/fuel feed mix () to be reformed in the assembly and a combustor feed () to be combusted in the assembly (). The assembly () includes a housing () defining first and second axially extending, concentric annular passages in heat transfer relation to each other; a first convoluted fin () located in the first passage to direct the feed mix therethrough, the first convoluted fin coated with a catalyst that induces a desired reaction in the feed mix; and a second convoluted fin () located in the second passage to direct the combustor feed therethrough, the second convoluted fin coated with a catalyst that induces a desired reaction in the combustor feed.

Highly integrated fuel processor for distributed hydrogen production

A combustor preheater () is provided for use in a fuel processor () to preheat a combustor feed () by transferring heat from a post water-gas shift reformate flow () to the combustor feed (). The combustor preheater () includes a housing () defining first and second axially extending, concentric annular passages in heat transfer relation to each other; a first convoluted fin () located in the first passage to direct the post water-gas shift reformate flow () therethrough and a second convoluted fin () located in the second passage to direct the combustor feed therethrough.

A recuperative heat exchanger () is provided for use in a fuel processor (), the heat exchanger () transferring heat from a fluid flow () at one stage of a fuel processing operation to the fluid flow () at another stage of the fuel processing operation. The heat exchanger () includes a housing () defining first and second axially extending, concentric annular passages in heat transfer relation to each other; a first convoluted fin () located in the first passage to direct the fluid flow therethrough; and a second convoluted fin () located in the second passage to direct the fluid flow therethrough.

A fuel processing system is provided wherein heat is transferred from a reformate flow () downstream from a water-gas shift () to both a) a combustor feed flow () that is supplied to a combustor (); and b) a water flow () that is supplied to a reformer feed mix () for a steam reformer ().

A hydrogen storage and release device () is provided for storing and releasing hydrogen from a metal hydride () contained in the device () based on heat transfer to or from a coolant flow provided through the device (). The device () includes a housing () and a metal hydride containing a tube bundle located within the housing (), with the exteriors () of the tubes () of the bundle () being reduced over a selected length to provide a free flow area for the coolant flow.

Hydrogen storage and release device

Growing community of inventors

Brighton, MI, United States of America

Mark G Voss