The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 18, 2000
Filed:
Apr. 15, 1997
Valerie A Maston, Springfield, MA (US);
Raymond M Smith, Windsor, CT (US);
Paul A Grubb, Ellington, CT (US);
Theodore S Malinowski, South Windsor, CT (US);
Leslie L VanDine, Manchester, CT (US);
Richard A Sederquist, Newington, CT (US);
International Fuel Cells Corporation, South Windsor, CT (US);
Abstract
A control system and method for controlling a fuel processing system operational to produce a gas for a downstream process from a fuel, wherein the fuel processing system uses a plurality of fuel processing elements, a fuel input and a waste gas input, each of the fuel processing elements having an individual output and the plurality of fuel processing elements having a collective output, and wherein the downstream process has a waste gas output and a dynamic gas load demand. The control system includes a device for receiving communication from the downstream process indicative of the dynamic load demand and a device for controlling the collective output level of the gas in response to the dynamic load demand. The device for controlling is operative to at least one of substantially equally distribute the dynamic load demand among the plurality of fuel processing elements such that the individual outputs from each of the fuel processing elements are substantially equal to each other for forming the collective output and most efficiently distribute the dynamic load among the plurality of fuel processing elements such that at least one of the individual outputs contributes to the collective output.