Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Siemens Energy, Inc.

Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation

Siemens Power Generation, Inc.

Yeda Research and Develpment & Co. Ltd

Fuel Cell Technologies, Ltd

Raymond A George

Prabhakar Singh

Robert Draper

Larry A Shockling

Roswell J Ruka

Stephen E Veyo

Gordon M McAlary

Wojtek Halliop

Arun K S Iyengar

John F Wilson

Robert K Gjertsen

Paolo R Zafred

James E Gillett

Jeffrey T Dederer

Richard E Kothmann

Jacob Karni

Philip Reichner

Pratap K Doshi

Richard A Basel

David Scheiner

Walter J Dollard

Gabriel Seiden

Delmer Q Hoover

Thomas Prevish

Angela Bronson

Prabhu Singh

Gianfranco DiGiuseppe

Arun KS Iyengar

A reactor is provided which comprises: a plurality of reaction units located within a reaction zone, each of the reaction units being adapted to enable carrying out a chemical reaction of one or more raw gases (e.g. at least one of CO2 and H20); ingress means to allow introduction of the one or more raw gases into the reaction zone and to allow distributing the incoming gas to the plurality of reaction units; egress means to allow exit of reaction products from the reaction zone; and a heating system. The reaction units extend essentially along a longitudinal axis of the reaction zone and are arranged in a spaced-apart relationship along a lateral axis of the reaction zone. The heating system comprises a plurality of heating sources extending along the reaction zone, thereby providing at least a part of the energy to carry out the reaction process within the reaction units.

Device and apparatus for carrying out chemical dissociation reactions at elevated temperatures

A fuel cell generator including a housing defining a plurality of chambers including a generator chamber having first and second generator sections. A plurality of elongated fuel cells extend through the first and second generator sections. An oxidant supply supplies oxidant to at least one of the chambers within the housing in order to provide oxidant to one end of each of the fuel cells. A fuel distribution plenum extends transversely to the elongated fuel cells and is located between the first and second generator sections. The fuel distribution plenum distributes fuel to the first and second generator sections in opposing directions within the generator chamber.

Solid oxide fuel cell generator with mid-stack fuel feed

In one embodiment the present invention provides for an anode side gas flow heater for a fuel cell generator that comprises a recirculating anode gas flow, at least one burner, and an energy source. The energy source heats the burner, the anode gas flow passes over the at least one burner and is heated, and the heated anode gas flow is then passed through the anode side of the fuel cell generator, where the fuel cell generator is heated.

Anode gas stack start-up heater and purge gas generator

In one embodiment the present comprises an air inlet, a series of fuel cells, a new fuel inlet, a fuel distributor, a recirculation plenum, and an exhaust. Fresh fuel from the fuel distributorenters the fuel cell stack in a middle-third section of the fuel cell stack, and the fresh fuel is divided into an exhaust fuelflow and a recirculation fuel flow. The exhaust fuel flow passes along a first portion of the series of fuel cells to the exhaust, and the recirculation fuel flow passes along a second portion of the series of fuel cells to the recirculation plenum and mixes with new fuel from the new fuel inlet in the fuel distributor. The recirculation plenum is located at an opposite end of the fuel cell stack from the exhaust, and the fuel-cell stack is of a seal-less design.

Mid-sectional fuel distributor for fuel cells

A fuel cell system including an anode, a cathode, a first passage, and a second passage, wherein the anode is disposed in the first passage and the cathode is disposed in the second passage, an evaporator, fluidly communicating with the first passage, for evaporating an aqueous mixture including at least one oxidizable component to form a gaseous feed, and a controller, communicating with the fuel cell for receiving an anode corrosion indication, and configured to effect deliver the gaseous feed to the first passage to form a first gaseous stream flowing through the first passage in response to the anode corrosion indication within the fuel cell.

Fuel cell system with degradation protected anode

A method of operating a fuel cell including an anode, a cathode, a first passage, and a second passage, wherein the anode is disposed in the first passage and the cathode in the second passage including producing a non-explosive gaseous feed consisting of (i) at least one oxidizable component having a greater tendency to undergo oxidation relative to the anode, and (ii) a remainder which is the predominant component in the gaseous feed consisting essentially of water vapor; and introducing the non-explosive gaseous feed to the first passage to form a first gaseous feed stream flowing through the first passage when the anode realizes a temperature effective to facilitate deteriorative oxidation of the anode in the presence of an oxidizing agent. The non-explosive gaseous feed is provided to mitigate or prevent anode oxidation and the formation of potentially explosive gaseous mixtures.

A solid oxide fuel assembly is made, wherein rows () of fuel cells (), each having an outer interconnection () and an outer electrode (), are disposed next to each other with corrugated, electrically conducting expanded metal mesh member () between each row of cells, the corrugated mesh () having top crown portions and bottom portions, where the top crown portion () have a top bonded open cell nickel foam () which contacts outer interconnections () of the fuel cells, said mesh and nickel foam electrically connecting each row of fuel cells, and where there are no more metal felt connections between any fuel cells.

Combination nickel foam expanded nickel screen electrical connection supports for solid oxide fuel cells

A pressurized fuel cell system (,), operates within a common pressure vessel (,) where the system contains fuel cells (,), a turbine (,) and a generator (,) where preferably, associated oxidant inlet valve (,), fuel inlet valve (,) and fuel cell exhaust valve (,) are outside the pressure vessel.

Single module pressurized fuel cell turbine generator system

A cover and startup gas supply system for a solid oxide fuel cell power generator is disclosed. Hydrocarbon fuel, such as natural gas or diesel fuel, and oxygen-containing gas are supplied to a burner. Combustion gas exiting the burner is cooled prior to delivery to the solid oxide fuel cell. The system mixes the combusted hydrocarbon fuel constituents with hydrogen which is preferably stored in solid form to obtain a non-explosive gas mixture. The system may be used to provide both non-explosive cover gas and hydrogen-rich startup gas to the fuel cell.

Cover and startup gas supply system for solid oxide fuel cell generator

A system is provided for operating a solid oxide fuel cell generator on diesel fuel. The system includes a hydrodesulfurizer which reduces the sulfur content of commercial and military grade diesel fuel to an acceptable level. Hydrogen which has been previously separated from the process stream is mixed with diesel fuel at low pressure. The diesel/hydrogen mixture is then pressurized and introduced into the hydrodesulfurizer. The hydrodesulfurizer comprises a metal oxide such as ZnO which reacts with hydrogen sulfide in the presence of a metal catalyst to form a metal sulfide and water. After desulfurization, the diesel fuel is reformed and delivered to a hydrogen separator which removes most of the hydrogen from the reformed fuel prior to introduction into a solid oxide fuel cell generator. The separated hydrogen is then selectively delivered to the diesel/hydrogen mixer or to a hydrogen storage unit. The hydrogen storage unit preferably comprises a metal hydride which stores hydrogen in solid form at low pressure. Hydrogen may be discharged from the metal hydride to the diesel/hydrogen mixture at low pressure upon demand, particularly during start-up and shut-down of the system.

System for operating solid oxide fuel cell generator on diesel fuel

A hydrocarbon reforming catalyst material comprising a catalyst support impregnated with catalyst is provided for reforming hydrocarbon fuel gases in an electrochemical generator. Elongated electrochemical cells convert the fuel to electrical power in the presence of an oxidant, after which the spent fuel is recirculated and combined with a fresh hydrocarbon feed fuel forming the reformable gas mixture which is fed to a reforming chamber containing a reforming catalyst material, where the reforming catalyst material includes discrete passageways integrally formed along the length of the catalyst support in the direction of reformable gas flow. The spent fuel and/or combusted exhaust gases discharged from the generator chamber transfer heat to the catalyst support, which in turn transfers heat to the reformable gas and to the catalyst, preferably via a number of discrete passageways disposed adjacent one another in the reforming catalyst support. The passageways can be slots extending inwardly from an outer surface of the support body, which slots are partly defined by an exterior confining wall. According to a preferred embodiment, the catalyst support is non-rigid, porous, fibrous alumina, wherein the fibers are substantially unsintered and compressible, and the reforming catalyst support is impregnated, at least in the discrete passageways with Ni and MgO, and has a number of internal slot passageways for reformable gas, the slot passageways being partly closed by a containing outer wall.

Hydrocarbon reforming catalyst material and configuration of the same

A solid oxide fuel cell generator has a pair of spaced apart tubesheets in a housing. At least two intermediate barrier walls are between the tubesheets and define a generator chamber between two intermediate buffer chambers. An array of fuel cells have tubes with open ends engaging the tubesheets. Tubular, axially elongated electrochemical cells are supported on the tubes in the generator chamber. Fuel gas and oxidant gas are preheated in the intermediate chambers by the gases flowing on the other side of the tubes. Gas leakage around the tubes through the tubesheets is permitted. The buffer chambers reentrain the leaked fuel gas for reintroduction to the generator chamber.

Solid oxide fuel cell generator

An electrochemical apparatus (10) is made having a generator section (22) containing electrochemical cells (16), a fresh gaseous feed fuel inlet (28), a gaseous feed oxidant inlet (30), gaseous spent fuel recirculation channels (46), and hot combusted exhaust gas exit channels (45), where the spent fuel recirculation channel (46) passes from the generator chamber (22) to combine with the fresh feed fuel inlet (28) at a circulation and mixing apparatus (50), where a reformable fuel mixture channel (51) passes between the mixing apparatus and reforming chamber (54) containing a reformable material, where a portion of the hot combusted exhaust gas exit channel (45) surrounds the reforming chamber (54), and where the fresh feed fuel inlet has a by-pass channel (62) into the gaseous spent fuel recirculation channel (46), said by-pass channel having valving to control fresh fuel feed flow to the gaseous spent fuel recirculation channel.

Electrochemical cell apparatus having combusted exhaust gas heat

An electrochemical generator apparatus (30) is constructed containing an electrochemical cell assembly which contains a plurality of electrochemical cells or cell bundles (41) and (43) and insulation materials in the form of at least one of porous partition boards (33) between cell bundles, porous generator insulation (44), porous cell support boards (45), porous fuel entry distribution boards (35), and porous fuel conditioner boards (53), where a gaseous fuel (46) containing hydrocarbons will contact the insulation materials, characterized in that at least one of the insulation materials is impregnated with metal atom containing material, where the metal is selected from the group consisting of (A) metals selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ca-Al combinations, Sr-Al combinations, Ce, Ba, and mixtures thereof, and, (A) metals plus Ni. The impregnated insulation materials may also be pre-heated in air so that the oxides are formed prior to their insertion into the generator apparatus. These electrochemical cells are contacted with a hydrocarbon fuel gas and operated at over 700.degree. C. The metal oxides formed are effective in preventing cell assembly deterioration due to carbon deposition from the hydrocarbon fuel and any elemental nickel formed is effective as a fuel reforming medium.

Electrochemical generator apparatus containing modified high temperature

An electrochemical generator apparatus (30) is constructed containing one or more electrochemical cells (10), the cells containing a porous fuel electrode (18), a porous air electrode (14), and solid oxide electrolyte (16) disposed therebetween, where the fuel electrode is impregnated with chemicals which form metal oxides upon heating, where the metal of the oxide is selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ca plus Al, Sr plus Al, Zr, Y, Ce, and their mixtures; and where these electrochemical cells are contacted with a hydrocarbon fuel gas and operated at over 800.degree. C., and where the metal oxides are effective in preventing cell deterioration due to carbon deposition from the hydrocarbon fuel.

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Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America

Raymond A George