Integrated fuel cell system
OwnerDavid Edlund, William Pledgerinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invented system includes a fuel-cell system comprising a fuel cell that produces electrical power from air (oxygen) and hydrogen, and a fuel processor that produces hydrogen from a variety of feedstocks. One such fuel processor is a steam reformer which produces purified hydrogen from a carbon-containing feedstock and water. In the invented system, various mechanisms for implementing the cold start-up of the fuel processor are disclosed, as well as mechanisms for optimizing and/or harvesting the heat and water requirements of the system and/or maintaining the purity of the process water used in the system.
Claims20
A fuel cell system, comprising:
- a fuel cell stack adapted to receive hydrogen gas and an oxidant and to produce an electric current therefrom, wherein the fuel cell stack includes an anode chamber to which the hydrogen gas is delivered and a cathode chamber to which the oxidant is delivered, and further wherein the fuel cell stack is adapted to produce a water stream that is removed from the fuel cell stack;
- and
- a cooling assembly that is adapted to receive and cool the water stream, wherein the cooling assembly includes an ion-exchange bed through which at least a portion of the water stream is passed to remove ions from the water stream.
A method for operating a fuel cell system, the method comprising:
- producing hydrogen gas;
- combusting a fuel stream to produce a heated combustion exhaust stream;
- heating at least a portion of a fuel processor and a heat exchange assembly with the heated combustion exhaust stream;
- producing hydrogen gas in the fuel processor via a steam reforming reaction;
- delivering at least a portion of the hydrogen gas to a fuel cell stack;
- heating a fluid with the heat exchange assembly to produce a heated fluid stream;
- and
- delivering at least a portion of the heated fluid stream to at least one of a residential, commercial, or industrial application.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.