Fuel cell arrangement and gas supply system and method for operating the same
AssigneeBallard Power Systems Inc.
InventorLars Kaufmann
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fuel cell arrangement has at least one fuel cell with an anode and a cathode. A compressor arranged in the admission flow path of the cathode supplies air to the cathode, and a reforming unit with a reformer and a thermally coupled heating chamber is arranged in the admission flow path of the anode supplies the anode with a hydrogen-rich medium. A catalytic burner arranged in the cathode off-gas flow path between cathode and an expansion machine is coupled to drive the compressor. The heating chamber of the reforming unit or of an evaporator unit arranged in the admission flow path of the anode is arranged in the cathode off-gas flow path; and the expansion machine is arranged in the cathode off-gas flow path between catalytic burner and the heating chamber.
Claims10
A method of operating a fuel cell system having at least one fuel cell, with one of a reforming unit and an evaporating unit for providing fuel to the at least one fuel cell, said at least one fuel cell having an anode side and a cathode side, said method comprising:
- supplying at least on off-gas from said cathode side to a catalytic burner;
- burning said off-gas in said catalytic burner, thereby heating it to a first temperature;
- routing said heated off-gas from said catalytic burner to an expansion machine, where it is cooled to a second, lower temperature;
- and
- feeding a gas output from said expansion machine to a heating chamber of said reforming or evaporating unit, where it is cooled to a third temperature, lower than said first and second temperatures.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.