US 5,047,299 AGranted

Electrochemical cell apparatus having an integrated reformer-mixer nozzle-mixer diffuser

AssigneeWestinghouse Electric Corp.

InventorLarry A. Shockling

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Abstract

An electrochemical apparatus (10) is made having a generator section (22) containing electrochemical cells (16), a fresh gaseous feed fuel inlet (28), a gaseous feed oxidant inlet (30), and at least one hot gaseous spent fuel recirculation channel (46), where the spent fuel recirculation channel (46), passes from the generator chamber (22) to combine with the fresh feed fuel inlet (28) to form a reformable mixture, where a reforming chamber (54) contains an outer portion containing reforming material (56), an inner portion preferably containing a mixer nozzle (50) and a mixer-diffuser (52), and a middle portion (64) for receiving spent fuel, where the mixer nozzle (50) and mixer-diffuser (52) are preferably both within the reforming chamber (54) and substantially exterior to the main portion of the apparatus, where the reformable mixture flows up and then backward before contacting the reforming material (56), and the mixer nozzle (50) can operate below 400.degree. C.

Claims12

Dependent claims

An electrochemical apparatus comprising:

(1) fresh gaseous feed fuel inlet,
(2) gaseous feed oxidant inlet,
(3) gaseous spent fuel recirculation channel,
(4) separate hot combusted exhaust gas exit channel,
(5) a generator chamber containing a plurality of electrochemical cells, and
(6) a reforming chamber, where the reforming chamber has a top close to the generator chamber, and a bottom close to the fresh gaseous feed fuel inlet, and contains:
(a) an outer portion containing reforming material, which outer portion connects to the generator chamber,
(b) an inner portion containing a mixer-diffuser within a shell barrier, which inner portion connects to the outer portion at the bottom of the reforming chamber, and
(c) a middle portion between the inner and outer portions, connected to the gaseous spent fuel recirculation channel at the top of the reforming chamber and feeding into the mixer-diffuser at the bottom of the reforming chamber, where the mixer-diffuser is within the reforming chamber, a mixer nozzle is near the bottom of the reforming chamber, which mixer nozzle is connected to the fresh gaseous feed fuel inlet, and where the mixer nozzle also feeds into the mixer-diffuser at the bottom of the reforming chamber.

6 more elements

A high temperature electrochemical apparatus, operating on a gaseous oxidant and a fresh gaseous feed fuel, comprising:

(1) fresh gaseous feed fuel inlet,
(2) gaseous feed oxidant inlet,
(3) gaseous spent fuel recirculation channel,
(4) separate hot combusted exhaust gas exit channel,
(5) a generator chamber containing a plurality of electrochemical cells, and
(6) a reforming chamber, where the reforming chamber has a top close to the generator chamber and a cooler bottom close to the fresh gaseous feed fuel inlet, and contains:
(a) an outer portion containing reforming material,
(b) an inner portion containing a mixer-diffuser, and
(c) a middle portion between the inner and outer portions, for receiving hot recirculation gas from the gaseous spent fuel recirculation channel;
where the mixer-diffuser is within the reforming chamber, where hot recirculation gas fed into the middle portion of the reforming chamber mixes with fresh gaseous feed fuel at a mixer nozzle near the bottom of the reforming chamber, and the gaseous mixture expands in the mixer-diffuser as it passes to a top portion of the reforming chamber, and where the expanded gaseous mixture flows back toward the bottom of the reforming chamber around the mixer-diffuser, and then enters the outer portion of the reforming chamber near the bottom of the reforming chamber, and flows through the reforming material.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.