Fuel cell power plants
OwnerChristopher O'Brien, Michael Leshchiner +3inventors
InventorsChristopher O'Brien, Michael Leshchiner, James Cross, Olga Polevaya, Darryl Pollica
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fuel cell power plant comprises a fuel processor and a fuel cell stack. The fuel cell stack has cooling water directly passing through its anode or cathode compartments. The high humidity cathode exhaust may be used to provide oxygen and steam for the autothermal reaction in the fuel processor, and may also be used in a combustor to generate heat and combustion exhaust. The combustion exhaust can be used to drive a turbine to generate power.
Claims24
A system for producing electricity from fuel, the system comprising:
- a fuel processor, the fuel processor producing hydrogen-containing reformate usable in a fuel cell stack;
- sources of fuel, water, and air;
- a fuel cell stack, the fuel cell stack having anode and cathode compartments;
- a combustor;
- means for sending a first portion of an oxygen-containing cathode exhaust stream to the combustor and a second portion of an oxygen-containing cathode exhaust stream to the fuel processor;
- and
- means for condensing water and storing water.
A system for producing electricity from fuel, the system comprising:
- a fuel processor, the fuel processor producing hydrogen-containing reformate usable in a fuel cell stack;
- sources of fuel, water, and air;
- a fuel cell stack, the fuel cell stack having anode and cathode compartments;
- a combustor that produces a combustor exhaust stream;
- means for sending at least a portion of an oxygen-containing cathode exhaust stream to the combustor;
- means for condensing water and storing water;
- and
- a blower on an exhaust line from the combustor and creating an induction force to mobilize fluids in the system.
A method for producing electricity from fuel, comprising:
- at a fuel processor, producing hydrogen-containing reformate usable in a fuel cell stack;
- providing the reformate to a fuel cell stack to produce electricity and an oxygen-containing cathode exhaust stream;
- and
- providing a first portion of an oxygen-containing cathode exhaust stream to a combustor to produce high-temperature exhaust, and a second portion of the oxygen-containing cathode exhaust stream as an input to the fuel processor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.