International Fuel Cells, LLC

Utc Fuel Cells, LLC

International Fuel Cells Co, LLC

United Technologies Corporation

Thomas J Corrigan

Roger R Lesieur

Richard A Sederquist

Stanley P Bonk

Donald F Szydlowski

Derek W Hildreth

Robin J Guthrie

Leonard J Bonville, Jr

Carl Anthony Reiser

Paul R Margiott

Glenn W Scheffler

Douglas J Wheeler

John L Preston

Peter F Foley

Leonard J Bonville

Jay Garow

Francis A Kocum

Maria G Lukianoff

Dale W Blake

A gas stream moisture condenser assembly for use in a fuel cell power plant includes a gas stream flow path which is formed from a monolithic open cell foam body. The foam body is preferably formed from a high temperature material such as stainless steel, nickel alloys and iron-aluminum alloys, or from a ceramic material. The foam body includes open cells or pores which are contained within a metal or ceramic lattice. Coolant tubes are in contact with the foam monolith so as to cool the lattice sufficiently to cause moisture in the gas stream to condense on a lattice surrounding the pores of the foam. The condensate migrates from the foam lattice into a reservoir. The condenser can be used to remove water from gas streams, such as a cathode exhaust stream or a mixed burner and cathode exhaust stream, of a fuel cell power plant.

Compact light weight condenser assembly

An integrated manifold system for a fuel cell power plant includes a first fuel cell stack and a second fuel cell stack, wherein a common manifold is adapted to be in fluid communication with the first fuel cell stack and the second fuel cell stack. The common manifold includes a first plenum for diverting a first reactant to each of the first and second fuel cell stacks, and a second plenum for accepting the first reactant as the first reactant is exhausted from each of the first and second fuel cell stacks.

Fuel cell power plant having an integrated manifold system

An integrated fuel cell stack assembly ( ) and selective oxidizer bed assembly ( ) is provided. The fuel cell stack assembly ( ) also includes a number of fuel cells. A fuel inlet manifold ( ) and fuel inlet plenum to cell stack ( ) manifold are arranged in fluid communication with the fuel stack assembly ( ) for supplying to and exhausting from, respectively, the fuel supply in the fuel cells in the fuel stack assembly ( ). The bed resides in said fuel inlet manifold. The bed includes a selective oxidation catalyst with a heat exchange fluid conduit routed therethrough. Oxygen-containing gas is supplied into the bed via the input plenum. The temperature of the internal selective oxidizer bed is controlled by the fluid conduit in the bed to reduce carbon monoxide in the fuel.

Selective oxidizer in cell stack manifold

A fuel cell power plant, generally, has a fuel cell stack for electrochemically converting a hydrocarbon fuel into electricity. In order for the hydrocarbon fuel to be used by the fuel cell stack, it must be steam reformed into a hydrogen-rich process gas. This process gas has a carbon monoxide level that would be detrimental to the fuel cell stack, so the process gas is passed through a shift converter to decrease the carbon monoxide level therein prior to feeding the process gas to the fuel cell stack. In order to decrease the level of carbon monoxide without the need to increase the size of the shift converter catalyst bed, or lower the temperature of the process gas as it enters the shift converter to an undesirably low temperature, the shift converter design that utilizes an upstream adiabatic zone and a downstream actively cooled zone. The actively cooled zone is cooled by a pressurized water coolant which boils as it cools the process gas stream. The coolant entering the shift converter is essentially a single phase water stream, and the coolant exiting the shift converter is a two phase water-steam mixture.

Shift converter

A compact and efficient fuel reformer which is operable to produce a hydrogen-enriched process fuel from a raw fuel such as natural gas, or the like includes a compact array of catalyst tubes which are contained in a heat-insulated housing. The catalyst tube array preferably includes a multitude of catalyst tubes that are arranged in a hexagonal array. The housing includes internal hexagonal thermal insulation so as to ensure even heating of the catalyst tubes. The diameter of the tubes is sized so that spacing between adjacent tubes in the array can be minimized for efficient heat transfer. The interior of each of the catalyst tubes includes a hollow dead-ended central tube which serves as a fines trap for collecting catalyst fines that may become entrained in the fuel stream. The catalyst tubes are also provided with an upper frusto-conical portion which serves to extend the catalyst bed and provide a catalyst reserve. The assembly includes a side-fired startup burner which allows for an improved diffusion burner orifice array at the top of the reformer. The catalyst tubes are supported by side walls of the assembly in a manner that stabilizes the tubes in the assembly. In the assembly, the internal transverse manifold plates are tied together by portions of the tube assemblies so as to form a composite beam that supports the weight of the catalyst tube array.

Hydrocarbon fuel gas reformer assembly for a fuel cell power plant

A process gas selective oxidizer assemblage for use in a fuel cell power plant includes one or more catalyzed selective oxidizer process gas flow fields and one or more adjacent non-catalyzed heat exchanger process gas flow fields. The catalyzed selective oxidizer process gas flow fields may be formed with catalyzed pellets or with a monolithic catalyzed open cell foam component. The heat exchanger process gas flow fields are formed by non-catalyzed monolithic open cell foam components which have coolant fluid passages disposed therein. Planar metal sheets form a common wall between the selective oxidizer process gas flow fields and the heat exchanger process gas flow fields. The use of the open cell foam to form the heat exchanger process gas flow fields provides enhanced heat transfer between the reformate gas and the coolant fluid. The use of the foam components in both the heat exchange process gas flow fields and the selective oxidizer process gas flow fields enables the construction of a more compact and lighter weight selective oxidizer assemblage. The repeating components are placed side-by-side in the assemblage, so that one of the catalyzed process gas flow fields operates at a higher temperature than subsequent catalyzed process gas flow fields. The process gas enters the higher temperature catalyzed flow field after it is admixed with air that is injected into the system just prior to the higher temperature flow field. The process gas-air mixture flows through the first higher temperature catalyzed process gas flow field; thence through a non-catalyzed heat exchanger process gas flow field; thence through a lower temperature catalyzed process gas flow field; thence through another heat exchanger process gas flow field; and so on, until the selectively oxidized process gas exits the assemblage.

Compact selective oxidizer assemblage for a fuel cell power plant

A fuel gas processing system is operable to remove substantially all of the sulfur present in a hydrocarbon fuel supply used to power a fuel cell power plant in a mobile vehicular environment. The power plant fuel can be gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, fuel oil, natural gas, or another fuel which contains relatively high levels of organic sulfur compounds such as mercaptans, sulfides, disulfides, and the like. The hydrocarbon fuel supply is passed through a nickel reactant desulfurizer bed wherein essentially all of the sulfur in the organic sulfur compounds react with the nickel reactant, and are converted to nickel sulfide while the desulfurized fuel continues through the remainder of the fuel processing system. The fuel cell power plant and the processing system can be used to power a mobile vehicle, such an automobile, truck, bus, or the like. An auxiliary supply of hydrogen is provided in order to power the fuel cell power plant during start up of the fuel processing system. A second auxiliary supply of desulfurized fuel is also provided to operate the fuel cell power plant during an interim period until the highest temperature component of the fuel processing system is brought up to operational temperatures during the start up protocol.

System for implementing operation and start-up of a vehicle which is powered by electricity from a fuel cell power plant

A fuel gas reformer assemblage for use in a fuel cell power plant is formed from a composite plate assembly which includes spaced-apart divider plates with interposed monolithic open cell sponge-like members which form gas passages. The monolithic members have a lattice of internal open cells which are both laterally and longitudinally interconnected so as to provide for a diffuse gas flow. The entire surface area of the monolithic components is wash coated with a porous alumina layer, and selected areas of the wash coat are also catalyzed. The reformer assemblage is constructed from a series of repeating sub-assemblies, each of which includes a core of separate regenerator/heat exchanger gas passages. The core in each sub-assembly is sandwiched between a pair of reformer gas passage skins, which complete the subassembly. Adjacent reformer gas/regenerator/reformer gas passage sub-assemblies in the composite plate assembly are separated from each other by burner gas passages. The regenerator/heat exchanger gas passages and the reformer gas passages in each sub-assembly are connected by gas flow return manifolds which form a part of each sub-assembly. The fuel gases flow in one end of the assemblage, through the reformer gas passages, and then reverse their direction of flow in the return manifolds so as to exit the reformer assemblage through the regenerator gas flow passages. The burner gases flow in one end of the reformer assemblage and out the other end.

Compact fuel gas reformer assemblage

A fuel gas catalyst bed for use in a fuel cell power plant is formed from a monolithic open cell foam component, the open cell lattice of which forms gas passages through the catalyst bed. The monolithic component has a lattice of internal open cells which are both laterally and longitudinally interconnected so as to produce a diffuse gas flow pattern through the catalyst bed. All areas of the monolithic component which form the gas flow pattern are provided with an underlying high porosity wash coat layer. The porous surface of the wash coat layer is provided with a nickel catalyst layer, or a noble metal catalyst layer, such as platinum, rhodium, palladium, or the like, over which the gas stream being treated flows. The base foam lattice can be a metal such as aluminum, stainless steel, a steel-aluminum alloy, a nickel alloy, a ceramic, or the like material which can be wash coated. The use of an open cell lattice as the basis of a catalyst bed enables the formation of very compact, light weight and high surface area catalyst bed with excellent gas flow-through characteristics.

Compact and light weight catalyst bed for use in a fuel cell power plant

A fuel cell system, generally, has a fuel processing apparatus for steam reforming a hydrocarbon fuel and steam into a product gas, and a fuel cell stack for converting the product gas into electricity. The fuel processing apparatus is a catalytic reaction apparatus having a furnace and a catalytic reactor. In an effort to increase the efficiency of the catalytic reaction apparatus and decrease the size and/or number of catalytic reactors, the present invention relates to a furnace that utilizes air and fuel pre-heat chambers to increase the flame temperature within the furnace.

Fuel cell power plant furnace

Sulfur and sulfur compounds are removed from a gas stream, such as a hydrocarbon fuel gas stream so as to render the gas stream suitable for use in a fuel cell power plant. Natural gas and recycled hydrogen enters the hydrodesulfurizer assembly at a temperature of about 120.degree. F. The gas stream is heated to a temperature of about 625.degree. F. whereupon it enters a desulfurizing bed formed from a mixture of platinum catalyst deposited on alumina pellets, and a pelletized zinc oxide hydrogen sulfide absorbent. The gas is cooled to an exit temperature of about 525.degree.F. as it passes through the desulfurizer bed. The desulfurizer bed is combined with a shift converter which reduces carbon monoxide in the desulfurized gas stream after the latter has passed through a steam reformer bed.

Method and apparatus for desulfurizing fuel gas

A steam reformer for converting a reactor fuel into a product gas includes a segmented catalyst bed. The steam reformer side walls have a thermal coefficient of expansion which is greater than the thermal coefficient of expansion of the catalyst. By forming low volume catalyst bed segments in the hotter portions of the catalyst bed, slumping and subsequent damage of the catalyst pellets is minimized. The catalyst bed is divided into segments whose volumes are inversely proportional to the temperatures of the various zones in the reformer. The segments are formed by utilizing sequential catalyst support assemblies which include perforated catalyst support members that are differentially spaced apart from each other by support assembly legs having varying lengths. Catalyst support assemblies with shorter length legs are used in the hotter zones of the reformer, and support assemblies with progressively longer length legs are used in the cooler zones of the reformer.

Catalytic reactor designed to reduce catalyst slumping and crushing

The present invention discloses a transport frame for transporting and maintaining a fuel cell stack assembly in a fixed position. The fuel cell stack asembly which is under compression by a top and bottom plate held together by tie rods positioned at the corners of each plate. The top and bottom plates are then mounted to a rigid frame for transporting the fuel cell. The tie rods being attached to mounts in the base plate of the rigid frame and an insulated attachment between the top plate of the fuel cell stack frame and the rigid frame is made. The fuel cell stack assembly being electrically insulated from the rigid frame.

Fuel cell transport frame

The integrated apparatus includes within a single vessel a plurality of components for processing fuel in a fuel cell plant. Along with the gas reformer is an air preheater for the burner and a plenum for supplying the shift converter. The shift converter is also in the vessel with upstream steam and fuel heat exchangers. The shift converter heat exchanger is also included.

Fuel cell power plant fuel processing apparatus

A gas fired reformer includes a plurality of bayonet type reformers, each having a vertical outlet tube posted on a common outlet header. Three outlet header continuation members pass downwardly through the reformer shell to a ground support, at least one of these being a reformer gas outlet line.

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Vernon, CT, United States of America

Thomas J Corrigan