Fuel cell stacks for ultra-high efficiency power systems
AssigneeZtek Corporation
InventorMichael S. Hsu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for producing electricity with a fuel cell power system. The power system includes an assembly of fuel cell stacks that operate at different temperatures, which vary between two or more of the fuel cell stacks. The fuel cell stack can have multiple temperature regions formed axially along the stack, or a plurality of spatially separated fuel cell stacks can be employed to heat a reactant from an input temperature to a desired temperature. The fuel cell stacks have operating temperatures in the range between about 20° C. and about 2000° C.
Claims150
A fuel cell power system for producing electricity, comprising
- an assembly of fuel cell stacks arranged for operating at different operating temperatures, wherein said operating temperatures vary between two or more of said fuel cell stacks in said assembly, and
- wherein each said fuel cell stacks include means for receiving reactants for electrochemically producing electricity, wherein at least one of said reactants is introduced to said assembly of fuel cell stacks in a manner parallel to the direction of reactant flow.
A method of producing electricity with a fuel cell power system, comprising the steps of
- providing an assembly of fuel cell stacks
- operating at least a portion of said fuel cell stacks at different operating temperatures, wherein said operating temperatures vary between two or more of said fuel cell stacks in said assembly, and
- introducing at least one of fuel and oxidizer reactants to said fuel cell stacks in a parallel manner for electrochemically producing electricity.
A fuel cell power system for producing electricity, comprising
- an assembly of fuel cells arranged for operating at different operating temperatures, wherein one or more of said fuel cells of said assembly includes multiple axially adjacent fuel cell stacks operating at different operating temperatures, and
- wherein each said fuel cell stacks include means for receiving reactants for electrochemically producing electricity.
A method of producing electricity with a fuel cell power system, comprising the steps of
- providing an assembly of fuel cells having multiple axially adjacent fuel cell stacks,
- operating at least some of said fuel cell stacks at different operating temperatures, wherein said operating temperatures vary between two or more of said fuel cell stacks, and
- introducing reactants to said fuel cell stacks for electrochemically producing electricity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.