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US 5,527,632 AGranted
Hydrocarbon fuelled fuel cell power system
AssigneeRolls-Royce and Associates Limited
InventorFrederick J. Gardner
Life of this patent
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AssigneeRolls-Royce and Associates Limited
InventorFrederick J. Gardner
Estimating the term…
A hydrocarbon fuelled fuel cell power system comprises a fuel cell stack, a reformer and a hydrogen store. The reformer is arranged periodically to supply reformate, which contains hydrogen, to the fuel cell stack and to the hydrogen store. The hydrogen store is arranged to store the hydrogen from the reformate during the periods that the reformer operates. The hydrogen store is arranged to supply hydrogen to the fuel cell stack during periods of low load demands on the fuel cell stack and is capable of supplying hydrogen rapidly to the fuel cell stack for high load demands on the fuel cell stack. The hydrogen store also supplies hydrogen to the reformer to light up the reformer. The hydrogen store buffers the fast response of the fuel cell stack and the relatively slower response of the reformer during relatively large rapid demands on the fuel cell stack and enables the reformer to be operated in an on/off mode.
A hydrocarbon fuelled fuel cell power system comprising a fuel cell stack having a plurality of anode chambers and a plurality of cathode chambers, a supply of hydrocarbon fuel, a reformer arranged to produce hydrogen from a hydrocarbon fuel, pipe means to supply hydrocarbon fuel from the supply of hydrocarbon fuel to the reformer, pipe means to supply hydrogen from the reformer to the anode chambers of the fuel cell stack, a hydrogen store arranged to store hydrogen produced by the reformer, pipe means to supply hydrogen from the reformer to the hydrogen store, pipe means to supply hydrogen stored in the hydrogen store to the anode chambers of the fuel cell stack, means for periodically starting the reformer, and valve means in the pipe between the supply of hydrocarbon fuel and the reformer for periodically allowing the supply of hydrocarbon fuel to the reformer for a period of time to produce sufficient hydrogen to recharge the hydrogen store with hydrogen or to directly supply the fuel cell stack during an increased load demand on the fuel cell stack and for terminating the supply of hydrocarbon fuel after the period of time, said reformer and said hydrogen store having a common supply pipe to supply hydrogen to the anode chambers of the fuel cell stack, and in which a hydrogen pump is provided to supply hydrogen between the common supply pipe and the hydrogen store, said means for periodically starting the reformer comprising a burner for burning hydrogen to raise the temperature in said reformer to a temperature sufficient for reforming the hydrocarbon fuel, pipe means to supply hydrogen stored in the hydrogen store to said burner, valve means in said pipe means for periodically allowing the supply of stored hydrogen from the hydrogen store to said burner.
A hydrocarbon fuelled fuel cell power system comprising a fuel cell stack having a plurality of anode chambers and a plurality of cathode chambers, a supply of hydrocarbon fuel, a reformer arranged to produce hydrogen from a hydrocarbon fuel, pipe means to supply hydrocarbon fuel from the supply of hydrocarbon fuel to the reformer, pipe means to supply hydrogen from the reformer to the anode chambers of the fuel cell stack, a hydrogen store arranged to store hydrogen produced by the reformer, pipe means to supply hydrogen from the reformer to the hydrogen store, pipe means to supply hydrogen stored in the hydrogen store to the anode chambers of the fuel cell stack, means for periodically starting the reformer and valve means in the pipe between the supply of hydrocarbon fuel and the reformer for periodically allowing the supply of hydrocarbon fuel to the reformer for a period of time to produce sufficient hydrogen to recharge the hydrogen store with hydrogen or to directly supply the fuel cell stack during an increased load demand on the fuel cell stack and for terminating the supply of hydrocarbon fuel after the period of time.
A hydrocarbon fuelled fuel cell power system comprising a fuel cell stack having a plurality of anode chambers and a plurality of cathode chambers, a supply of hydrocarbon fuel, a reformer arranged to produce hydrogen from a hydrocarbon fuel, pipe means to supply hydrocarbon fuel from the supply of hydrocarbon fuel to the reformer, pipe means to supply hydrogen from the reformer to the anode chambers of the fuel cell stack, a hydrogen store arranged to store hydrogen produced by the reformer, pipe means to supply hydrogen from the reformer to the hydrogen store, pipe means to supply hydrogen stored in the hydrogen store to the anode chambers of the fuel cell stack, means for periodically starting the reformer, and valve means in the pipe between the supply of hydrocarbon fuel and the reformer for periodically allowing the supply of hydrocarbon fuel to the reformer for a period of time to produce sufficient hydrogen to recharge the hydrogen store with hydrogen or to directly supply the fuel cell stack during an increased load demand on the fuel cell stack and for terminating the supply of hydrocarbon fuel after the period of time, said reformer and said hydrogen store having a common supply pipe to supply hydrogen to the anode chambers of the fuel cell stack, and in which a hydrogen pump is provided to supply hydrogen between the common supply pipe and the hydrogen store, said means for periodically starting the reformer comprising a burner for burning hydrogen to raise the temperature in said reformer to a temperature sufficient for reforming the hydrocarbon fuel, pipe means to supply hydrogen stored in the hydrogen store to said burner, valve means in said pipe means for periodically allowing the supply of stored hydrogen from the hydrogen store to said burner, said hydrogen pump comprising a proton exchange membrane interface between the hydrogen store and the hydrogen produced by said reformer, the proton exchange membrane having surfaces facing in opposite directions, the proton exchange membrane having electrodes mounted on said oppositely facing surfaces, said electrodes being connected to an electrical source with the electrical potential of the electrical source controlling the flow of hydrogen through said proton exchange membrane.
A hydrocarbon fuelled fuel cell power system comprising a fuel cell stack having a plurality of anode chambers and a plurality of cathode chambers, a supply of hydrocarbon fuel, a reformer arranged to produce hydrogen from a hydrocarbon fuel, pipe means to supply the hydrocarbon fuel to the reformer, pipe means to supply hydrogen from the reformer to the anode chambers of the fuel cell stack, at least one hydrogen store for storing hydrogen, pipe means to supply hydrogen from the reformer to the at least one hydrogen store and pipe means for supplying hydrogen stored in the at least one hydrogen store to the anode chambers of the fuel cell stack to buffer the fast response of the fuel cell stack and the relatively slower response of the reformer during relatively large rapid load demands on the fuel cell stack, another pipe means to supply hydrogen stored in the at least one hydrogen store to the reformer, valve means for periodically allowing the supply of stored hydrogen from the at least one hydrogen store to the reformer, the reformer having means for burning the hydrogen in the reformer to raise the temperature in the reformer to a temperature sufficient for reforming the hydrocarbon fuel, and valve means for periodically supplying hydrocarbon fuel to the reformer for a period of time to produce sufficient hydrogen to recharge the hydrogen store with hydrogen.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.