US 2021/0202968 A1 · SYSTEM INCLUDING FUEL CELL ASSEMBLY VOLTAGE MONITOR

Abstract

A system for capturing carbon dioxide in flue gas includes a fuel cell assembly including at least one fuel cell including a cathode portion configured to receive, as cathode inlet gas, the flue gas generated by the flue gas generating device or a derivative thereof, and to output cathode exhaust gas and an anode portion configure to receive an anode inlet gas and to output anode exhaust gas, a fuel cell assembly voltage monitor configured to measure a voltage across the fuel cell assembly, and a controller configured to receive the measured voltage across the fuel cell assembly from the fuel cell assembly voltage monitor, determine an estimated carbon dioxide utilization of the fuel cell assembly based on the measured voltage across the fuel cell assembly, and reduce the carbon dioxide utilization of the fuel cell assembly when the determined estimated carbon dioxide utilization is above a predetermined threshold utilization.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for capturing carbon dioxide in flue gas generated by a flue gas generating device, the system comprising:

a fuel cell assembly comprising at least one fuel cell comprising:
a cathode portion configured to receive, as cathode inlet gas, the flue gas generated by the flue gas generating device or a derivative thereof, and to output cathode exhaust gas, and
an anode portion configured to receive an anode inlet gas and to output anode exhaust gas;
a fuel cell assembly voltage monitor configured to measure a voltage across the fuel cell assembly;
and
a controller configured to:
receive the measured voltage across the fuel cell assembly from the fuel cell assembly voltage monitor,
determine an estimated carbon dioxide utilization of the fuel cell assembly based on at least the measured voltage across the fuel cell assembly, and
when the determined estimated carbon dioxide utilization is above a predetermined threshold utilization, reduce a carbon dioxide utilization of the fuel cell assembly.

6 more elements

A method for controlling a carbon dioxide utilization in a fuel cell assembly, the method comprising:

measuring a voltage across the fuel cell assembly using a fuel cell assembly voltage monitor;
determining an estimated carbon dioxide utilization of the fuel cell assembly based on at least the measured voltage across the fuel cell assembly by
determining an expected voltage of the fuel cell assembly based on at least a temperature of the fuel cell assembly, a current density across the fuel cell assembly, a fuel utilization of the fuel cell assembly, and a cathode oxygen utilization of the fuel cell assembly;
and
determining the estimated carbon dioxide utilization based on a comparison between the measured voltage across the fuel cell assembly and the determined expected voltage across the fuel cell assembly;
comparing the determined estimated carbon dioxide utilization of the fuel cell assembly to a predetermined threshold utilization;
and
if the determined estimated carbon dioxide utilization of the fuel cell assembly is higher than the predetermined threshold utilization, reducing the carbon utilization of the fuel cell assembly.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System including fuel cell assembly voltage monitor

Life of this patent

System including fuel cell assembly voltage monitor

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20