Fuel cell system with waste heat recovery for production of high pressure steam
AssigneeFuelCell Energy, Inc.
InventorsFred C. Jahnke, Matthew Lambrech, Pinakin Patel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fuel cell system for generating electrical power and high level heat comprising at least one high temperature fuel cell stack having an anode side and a cathode side and adapted to generate electrical power, and a gas oxidizer/high level heat recovery assembly comprising an oxidizer adapted to oxidize one or more of exhaust output from the at least one high temperature fuel cell stack and a gas derived from the exhaust, and to generate high level heat, and a high level heat recovery system adapted to recover the high level heat generated in the oxidizer.
Claims21
A fuel cell system for generating electrical power and high level heat comprising:
- at least one high temperature fuel cell stack having an anode side and a cathode side and configured to generate electrical power;
- an exhaust recuperator configured to cool anode exhaust output from the anode side of the at least one fuel cell stack, and to pre-heat an input oxidant gas using heat in the anode exhaust;
- a heat exchanger configured to receive the pre-heated input oxidant gas from the exhaust recuperator and to receive cathode exhaust from the cathode side of the at least one high temperature fuel cell stack, and further pre-heat the input oxidant gas using heat in the cathode exhaust output from the cathode side of the at least one high temperature fuel cell stack;
- and
- an anode gas oxidizer/high level heat recovery assembly comprising:
- an anode gas oxidizer configured to oxidize anode gas received from the exhaust recuperator using the input oxidant gas that was pre-heated by both the exhaust recuperator and the heat exchanger, and to output high temperature oxidant gas at a temperature in a range of 537.8 to 1093.3° C. (1000 to 2000° F.), and
- a high level heat recovery system configured to receive the high temperature oxidant gas from the anode gas oxidizer, to recover high level heat from the high temperature oxidant gas, and to output high temperature oxidant gas to the cathode side of the at least one high temperature fuel cell stack.
A method of generating electrical power and high level heat using a fuel cell system comprising the steps of:
- operating at least one high temperature fuel cell stack having an anode side and a cathode side so as to generate electrical power;
- and
- using an exhaust recuperator, cooling the anode exhaust output from the anode side of the at least one high temperature fuel cell stack, and pre-heating an input oxidant gas using at least heat in the anode exhaust,
- using a heat exchanger, receiving the pre-heated input oxidant gas from the exhaust recuperator and receiving cathode exhaust from the cathode side of the at least one high temperature fuel cell stack, and further pre-heating the input oxidant gas using heat in the cathode exhaust output from the cathode side of the at least one high temperature fuel cell stack;
- and
- using an anode gas oxidizer of an anode gas oxidizer/high level heat recovery assembly, oxidizing anode gas received from the exhaust recuperator using the input oxidant gas that was pre-heated by both the exhaust recuperator and the heat exchanger, and outputting high temperature oxidant gas at a temperature in a range of 537.8 to 1093.3° C. (1000 to 2000° F.), and
- using a high level heat recovery system of the anode gas oxidizer/high level heat recovery assembly, receiving the high temperature oxidant gas from the anode gas oxidizer, recovering high level heat from the high temperature oxidant gas, and outputting high temperature oxidant gas to the cathode side of the at least one high temperature fuel cell stack.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.