Upstart Power, Inc.

Matthew Otis

Paul Osenar

Nathan Palumbo

Tyler Samuel Cote

Richard Flathers

Siddhant Singhal

James Pilczak

A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system includes high thermal conductivity materials such as copper to increase thermal energy transfer by thermal conduction. The copper is protected from oxidation by nickel electroplating and protected from thermal damage by providing oxidation resistant liners inside combustion chambers.

Sofc-conduction

A fuel reformer module () for initiating catalytic partial oxidation (CPOX) to reform a hydrocarbon fuel oxidant mixture () to output a syngas reformate () to solid oxide fuel cell stack (). A solid non-porous ceramic catalyzing body () includes a plurality of catalyst coated fuel passages (). A thermally conductive element (), with a coefficient of thermal conductivity of 50 W/m&#xb0; K or greater is thermally conductively coupled with the catalyzing body. A first thermal sensor () is thermally conductively coupled with the thermally conductive element. A second thermal sensor is thermally conductively coupled with a surface of the fuel cell stack. A control method independently modulates an oxidant input flow rate, based on first thermal sensor signal values, a hydrocarbon fuel input flow rate, based on second thermal sensor signal values.

CPOX reactor control system and method

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Allston, MA, United States of America

Matthew Otis