Air feed tube support system for a solid oxide fuel cell generator
AssigneeSiemens Westinghouse Power Corporation
InventorsVinod B. Doshi, Roswell J. Ruka, Charles A. Hager
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A solid oxide fuel cell generator (12), containing tubular fuel cells (36) with interior air electrodes (18), where a supporting member (82) containing a plurality of holes (26) supports oxidant feed tubes (51), which pass from an oxidant plenum (52″) into the center of the fuel cells, through the holes (26) in the supporting member (82), where a compliant gasket (86) around the top of the oxidant feed tubes and on top (28) of the supporting member (82) helps support the oxidant feed tubes and center them within the fuel cells, and loosen the tolerance for centering the air feed tubes.
Claims12
A solid oxide fuel cell generator comprising:
- hollow, tubular fuel cells with interior air electrodes;
- an oxidant plenum having as its lower enclosure, a lower enclosing insulation member;
- a chamber below the oxidant plenum operating as a combustion/preheater chamber or a vitiated oxidant exhaust chamber;
- and
- oxidant feed tubes;
- where the enclosing insulation member contains a plurality of holes, and supports the oxidant feed tubes which pass from the oxidant plenum, through the chamber below the oxidant plenum and into the center of the fuel cells through the holes in the enclosing insulation member;
- where the lower enclosing insulation member holes are from 20% to 30% larger than the outside diameter of the oxidant feed tubes;
- and where a separate gasket around the top portion of the oxidant feed tubes and on top of the enclosing insulation member has a tight fit with the oxidant feed tube and centers the oxidant feed tubes within the fuel cells.
A solid oxide fuel cell generator consisting essentially of:
- (1) a plurality of electrically connected hollow, tubular, solid oxide fuel cells which can operate on feed fuel and oxidant gases;
- (2) an oxidant plenum within the generator for receiving and distributing feed oxidant to the fuel cells;
- (3) a lower enclosing insulation member as the enclosure for the oxidant plenum having a plurality of holes therethrough;
- (4) a chamber below the oxidant plenum operating as a combustion/preheater chamber or a vitiated oxidant exhaust chamber;
- and
- (5) a plurality of hollow oxidant feed tubes extending from the supported oxidant plenum, through the lower oxidant plenum enclosure holes, then through the chamber below the oxidant plenum and into the inside of the fuel cells;
- wherein the lower oxidant plenum insulation enclosure has at least a flat top surface facing the oxidant plenum and supports the oxidant feed tubes by contact with a separate washer and gasket tube support combination, which is disposed around the outer circumference of the oxidant feed tubes and on top of the flat top surface of the oxidant plenum enclosure insulation member;
- wherein the tube support combination consists of a top, 90% to 95% dense washer bonded to the oxidant feed tubes and a 2% to 15% dense gasket disposed on top of and contracting the flat top surface of the lower oxidant plenum enclosure between the washer and the lower oxidant plenum enclosure;
- and wherein at least the gasket has a tight fit with the oxidant feed tube and has a bottom surface which mates to the flat top surface of the lower oxidant plenum enclosure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.