Solid oxide fuel cell
AssigneeShell Oil Company
InventorJozef Peter Paul Huijsmans
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a solid oxide fuel cell having an inlet for fuel, an inlet for air, an outlet for product gas, an outlet for depleted air, a fuel flow path between the inlet for fuel and the outlet for product gas, an air flow path between the inlet for air and the outlet for air, and elements having an upstream part and a downstream part, wherein the upstream part has an anode layer, a cathode layer and an oxygen ion-conductive layer between the anode and the cathode layer, and wherein the downstream part has an oxygen ion- and electron-conductive layer. The invention further relates to a process for the generation of electricity and the production of carbon dioxide from a hydrocarbonaceous fuel using such a fuel cell.
Claims20
A solid oxide fuel cell comprising an inlet for fuel, an inlet for air, an outlet for product gas, an outlet for depleted air, a fuel flow path between the inlet for fuel and the outlet for product gas, an air flow path between the inlet for air and the outlet for air, and a plurality of elements each having an upstream part and a downstream part, wherein the upstream part comprises an anode layer, a cathode layer and an oxygen ion-conductive layer between the anode and the cathode layer, and wherein the downstream part comprises an oxygen ion- and electron-conductive layer.
A process for the generation of electricity and the production of carbon dioxide from a hydrocarbonaceous fuel, wherein, in a solid oxide fuel cell comprising an inlet for fuel, an inlet for air, an outlet for product gas, an outlet for depleted air, a fuel flow path between the inlet for fuel and the outlet for product gas, an air flow path between the inlet for air and the outlet for air, and a plurality of elements each having an upstream part and a downstream part, wherein the upstream part comprises an anode layer, a cathode layer and an oxygen ion-conductive layer between the anode and the cathode layer, and wherein the downstream part comprises an oxygen ion- and electron-conductive layer, the process comprising:
- a) contacting the cathode layer with air;
- and, contacting a hydrocarbonaceous fuel or a partially reformed hydrocarbonaceous fuel with the anode layer;
- b) allowing the cathode and anode reactions to take place in the upstream part of the elements;
- generating electricity and an anode off-gas comprising hydrogen, carbon oxides, water and fuel;
- and, forming partially-depleted air at the cathode side of the elements;
- c) reacting the anode off-gas with oxygen ions at the surface of the oxygen ion- and electron-conductive layer facing the fuel flow path to form a product gas mainly comprising carbon dioxide and water;
- and forming depleted air at the surface of the oxygen ion- and electron-conductive layer facing the air flow path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.