# US 12,218,390 B2 · Method for heating a fuel cell system and fuel cell system

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 12,218,390 B2
- Document ID: US12218390B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/295,061
- Filed: 2019-11-19
- Published: 2022-03-17
- Granted: 2025-02-04
- Earliest claimed: 2018-11-19
- Assignees: AVL List GmbH
- Applicants: AVL List GmbH
- Inventors: Nikolaus Soukup; Martin Hauth; Michael Seidl; Stefan Weissensteiner
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12218390B2

## CPC

- H01M 8/04268: {Heating of fuel cells during the start-up of the fuel cells}
- H01M 8/04022: {Heating by combustion}
- H01M 8/04097: {with recycling of the reactants (H01M8/04119, H01M8/04104 take precedence)}
- H01M 8/04373: {of auxiliary devices, e.g. reformers, compressors, burners}
- H01M 8/04776: {at auxiliary devices, e.g. reformer, compressor, burner}
- H01M 8/0618: {Reforming processes, e.g. autothermal, partial oxidation or steam reforming}
- H01M 8/0625: {in a modular combined reactor/fuel cell structure}
- H01M 2008/1293: {Fuel cells with solid oxide electrolytes}
- H01M 2250/10: Fuel cells in stationary systems, e.g. emergency power source in plant
- Y02B 90/10: Applications of fuel cells in buildings
- Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for heating a fuel cell system (1a; 1b; 1c; 1d) comprising at least one fuel cell stack (2) with an anode portion (3) and a cathode portion (4), and a reformer (5) upstream of the anode portion (3) for steam reforming using a fuel, the reformer (5) comprising a nickel-based catalyst, said method having the following steps: starting a heating process for heating the fuel cell system (1a; 1b; 1c; 1d) with a heating device (6) and conducting a carbon-containing fluid and conducting steam through the nickel-based catalyst of the reformer (5) during the heating process. The invention also relates to a fuel cell system (1a; 1b; 1c; 1d) which is designed to carry out a method according to the invention.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for heating a fuel cell system (1a; 1b; 1c; 1d) comprising at least one fuel cell stack (2) with an anode portion (3) and a cathode portion (4) as well as a reformer (5) upstream of the anode portion (3) for steam reforming using a fuel, the reformer (5) comprising a nickel-based catalyst, said method having the steps:
starting a heating process for heating the fuel cell system (1a; 1b; 1c; 1d) with a heating device (6), and
feeding a carbon-containing fluid in an anode gas supply line (8)
upstream of a fluid delivery device (9) feeding steam from a steam supply line (10) into the anode gas supply line (8) for creating from the steam and the carbon-containing fluid a fuel/steam mixture in an anode gas supply line (8),
conducting the fuel/steam mixture from the fluid delivery device (9), via the anode gas supply line (8), through the nickel-based catalyst of the reformer (5) during the heating process,
wherein the fuel is used as carbon-containing fluid during the heating process in a fuel quantity of between 5% and 20% of the fuel quantity used during steam reforming in normal operation of the fuel cell system (1a; 1b; 1c; 1d).

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the steam is conducted through the nickel-based catalyst as soon as a pre-definable threshold temperature in the fuel cell system (1a; 1b; 1c; 1d) is reached.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the fuel is methane, natural gas or LPG used as carbon-containing fluid.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the heating device (6) has a heat exchanger on the reformer (5) and an afterburner (7) for combusting cathode exhaust gas and/or anode exhaust gas from the at least one fuel cell stack (2), wherein afterburner exhaust gas is fed to a hot side of the heat exchanger downstream of the afterburner (7) in order to heat up the reformer (5) during the heating process.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein a fluid delivery device (9) for delivering the fuel to the reformer (5) is arranged upstream of the reformer (5) in the anode gas supply line (8), wherein a hot side of an exhaust gas heat exchanger (11) is arranged in the steam supply line (10) and the steam is, during the heating process, conducted through the steam supply line (10) and the hot side of the exhaust gas heat exchanger (11), fed into the anode gas supply line (8) downstream or upstream of the fluid delivery device (9) and mixed with the fuel.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

A fuel cell system (1a; 1b; 1c; 1d) which is designed to carry out a method according to claim 1, comprising at least one fuel cell stack (2) with an anode portion (3) and a cathode portion (4) as well as a reformer (5) upstream of the anode portion (3) for steam reforming a fuel, the reformer (5) comprising a nickel-based catalyst.