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US 2011/0300460 A1Published application
Fuel cell stack flow hood air flow using an air distribution device
AssigneeCeres Intellectual Property Company Limited
InventorsPaul Barnard, Neville Haidar, Matthew Harrington
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention is concerned with improved fuel cell stack assemblies, and methods of operation of a fuel cell stack assembly, particularly with improved gas flow and thermal management.
Claims17
An intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell stack assembly comprising:
- (i) a base plate;
- (ii) a hood sealingly attached to said base plate and defining a hood volume between said base plate and said hood;
- (iii) at least one intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell stack mounted upon said base plate and enclosed by said hood;
- (iv) at least one gas inlet defining an at least one gas inlet point into said hood volume;
- and
- (v) a pre-heater located external to said hood volume and in fluid communication with an oxidant source and said at least one gas inlet and adapted to supply oxidant from said oxidant source to said hood volume via said gas inlet,
- each fuel cell stack comprising at least three fuel cell stack layers, each fuel cell stack layer comprising at least one intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell, each fuel cell defining an oxidant inlet end and an exhaust oxidant outlet end,
- said at least one fuel cell stack having:
- (a) at least one open-manifolded gas inlet defining an open-manifold end of said at least one fuel cell stack;
- and
- (b) at least one internally manifolded gas outlet,
- said at least one gas inlet point into said hood volume located remote from said open-manifold end of said at least one fuel cell stack such that in-use oxidant enters said hood volume through said at least one gas inlet and passes around the outside of said at least one fuel cell stack to said at least one open-manifolded gas inlet, direct heat transfer occurring between said oxidant and the external surface of said fuel cell stack layers prior to entry of said oxidant into said open-manifolded gas inlet, said pre-heater being configured such that in-use oxidant from said oxidant source is heated and supplied to said hood volume via said at least one gas inlet at a temperature not more than 100° C. below the in-use operating temperature at the inlet end of the fuel cell nearest the at least one open-manifolded gas inlet,
- wherein said at least one intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell stack defines a height X measured from the fuel cell stack layer closest to said base plate to the fuel cell stack layer furthest from said base plate, and wherein said at least one gas inlet point is located at a height Y above said fuel cell stack layer closest to said base plate, wherein 0.25X<=Y<=0.75X.
10 more elements
A method of operation of an intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell stack assembly, said fuel cell stack assembly comprising:
- (i) a base plate;
- (ii) a hood sealingly attached to said base plate and defining a hood volume between said base plate and said hood;
- (iii) at least one intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell stack mounted upon said base plate and enclosed by said hood;
- (iv) at least one gas inlet defining an at least one gas inlet point into said hood volume;
- and
- (v) a pre-heater located external to said hood volume and in fluid communication with an oxidant source and said at least one gas inlet and adapted to supply oxidant from said oxidant source to said hood volume via said gas inlet,
- each fuel cell stack comprising at least three fuel cell stack layers, each fuel cell stack layer comprising at least one intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell, each fuel cell defining an oxidant inlet end and an exhaust oxidant outlet end
- said at least one fuel cell stack having:
- (a) at least one open-manifolded gas inlet defining an open-manifold end of said at least one fuel cell stack;
- and
- (b) at least one internally manifolded gas outlet,
- said at least one gas inlet point into said hood volume located remote from said open-manifold end of said at least one fuel cell stack,
- wherein said at least one intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell stack defines a height X measured from the fuel cell stack layer closest to said base plate to the fuel cell stack layer furthest from said base plate, and wherein said at least on gas inlet point is located at a height Y above said fuel cell stack layer closest to said base plate, wherein 0.25X<=Y<=0.75X,
- said method comprising the steps of passing oxidant into said hood volume through said at least one gas inlet, passing it around the outside of said at least one fuel cell stack to said at least one open-manifolded gas inlet, direct heat transfer occurring between said oxidant and the external surface of said fuel cell stack layers prior to entry of said oxidant into said open-manifolded gas inlet, said pre-heater being configured such that in-use oxidant from said oxidant source is heated and supplied to said hood volume via said gas inlet at a temperature not greater than 100° C. below the in-use operating temperature at the inlet end of the fuel cell nearest the open-manifolded gas inlet.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.