Utc Fuel Cells, LLC

William T Unkert

Antonio M Vincitore

Peter F Foley

James R Geschwindt

Richard J Assarabowski

Albert P Grasso

Sean P Breen

Steven A Lozyniak

Leonard A Bach

Joseph B Wysocki

Masaki M Yokose

Benoit Charles Olsommer

A burner assembly includes a catalyzed burner for combusting an anode exhaust stream from a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell power plant. The catalysts coated onto the burner can be platinum, rhodium, or mixtures thereof. The burner includes open cells which are formed by a lattice, which cells communicate with each other throughout the entire catalyzed burner. Heat produced by combustion of hydrogen in the anode exhaust stream is used to produce steam for use in a steam reformer in the PEM fuel cell assembly. The catalyzed burner has a high surface area wherein about 70&#x2013;90% of the volume of the burner is preferably open cells, and the burner has a low pressure drop of about two to three inches water from the anode exhaust stream inlet to the anode exhaust stream outlet. The burner assembly operates at essentially ambient pressure and at a temperature of up to about 1,700&#xb0; F. (927&#xb0; C.). The burner assembly can combust anode exhaust during normal operation of the fuel cell assembly. The burner assembly also includes an adjunct burner which can combust gasoline or anode bypass gas (the latter of which is a reformed fuel gas which is tapped off of the fuel cell stack fuel inlet line) during startup of the fuel cell power plant. Once start up of the fuel cell power plant is achieved, the burner assembly will need only combustion of the anode exhaust by the catalytic burner to produce steam for the reformer.

Steam generator for a PEM fuel cell power plant

In a hydrocarbon fueled reformed gas fuel cell system having a rated power, a process for cooling reformed gas from a fuel processor prior to feeding the reformed gas to a shift converter includes the steps of providing a cooling zone having a hot gas inlet, a cooled gas outlet and a water inlet, feeding the reformed gas at a temperature of between 600 to 900&#xb0; F. to the hot gas inlet, redirecting the reformed gas in the cooling zone so as to provide a swirling recirculating flow of the reformed gas in the cooling zone, atomizing water into droplets and contacting the droplets with the redirected reformed gas so as to cool the reformed gas and vaporize the water, and removing a stream of cooled reformed gas from the cooling zone wherein the reformed gas is at a temperature between 400 to 500&#xb0; F. and the stream is substantially free of water droplets.

Compact precooler and cooling process

A precooler for use in a fuel cell system between a thermal reformer and a shift converter includes an atomizing water inlet in combination with a swirling inducing reformed gas inlet which act to increase the resistance time of the reformed gas in the precooler so as to effectively cool same.

Compact precooler

A keep warm system for a fuel cell, power plant ( ), typically of the PEM type, prevents freeze-sensitive portions of the power plant, such as the cell stack assembly (CSA) ( ) and the water management system ( ), from freezing under extreme cold external temperatures, during extended storage (CSA shut-down) periods. Pre-stored and pressurized fuel, typically hydrogen ( ), normally used to fuel the anode ( ) of the CSA, is used as fuel for a catalytic oxidation reaction at a catalytic burner ( ) to produce heated gas that convectively passes in heat exchange relation with the freeze sensitive portions ( ) of the power plant ( ). The convective flow of the heated gases induces the air flow to the burner ( ), obviating the need for parasitic electrical loads. Thermal insulating means ( ) substantially enclose the freeze-sensitive CSA ( ) and/or the water management system ( ), and the convective flow of the heated gas from the catalytic burner ( ), to improve system thermal efficiency.

Method and apparatus for preventing water in fuel cell power plants from freezing during storage

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Tolland, CT, United States of America

William T Unkert