Ballard Power Systems Corporation

Utc Power Corporation

Clearedge Power Corporation

Hyaxiom, Inc.

Michael T Lines

John L Preston

Kazuo Saito

Thomas Bruce Avis

Ricardo O Brown

Derek W Hildreth

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

The bootstrap start-up system () achieves an efficient start-up of the power plant () that minimizes formation of soot within a reformed hydrogen rich fuel. A burner () receives un-reformed fuel directly from the fuel supply () and combusts the fuel to heat cathode air which then heats an electrolyte () within the fuel cell (). A dilute hydrogen forming gas () cycles through a sealed heat-cycling loop () to transfer heat and generated steam from an anode side () of the electrolyte () through fuel processing system () components () and back to an anode flow field () until fuel processing system components () achieve predetermined optimal temperatures and steam content. Then, the heat-cycling loop () is unsealed and the un-reformed fuel is admitted into the fuel processing system () and anode flow () field to commence ordinary operation of the power plant ().

Solid oxide fuel cell power plant having a bootstrap start-up system

The condenser heat exchanger includes a housing that provides a gaseous stream flowpath and a bottom wall. A gaseous stream contains acid. The housing has a fluid inlet configured to introduce a liquid, such as water. A coolant tube is disposed within the housing in the gaseous stream flowpath and provides a coolant path. Acid condenses on and falls from the coolant tube into a collection area that is provided at the bottom wall near the coolant tube. The collection area is configured to maintain storage of a predetermined amount of fluid that includes the liquid, which dilutes the condensed acid.

Acid dilution device in condenser of phosphoric acid fuel cell

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.

Growing community of inventors

South Windsor, CT, United States of America

Michael T Lines