Method of operating a fuel cell apparatus
AssigneeKYOCERA Corporation
InventorNaruto Takahashi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Method of operating a fuel cell apparatus in which a reforming reaction in the reforming portion is selected by a controller at the starting time of the apparatus by comparing a first starting temperature of a reforming portion to a temperature T1 at which steam reforming can be performed and comparing a second starting temperature of a vaporizing portion to a temperature T2 at which a predetermined amount of steam can be generated by steam reforming. A reforming reaction starting with an autothermal reforming reaction is performed when the first starting temperature is not lower than T1 and the second starting temperature is lower than T2.
Claims12
A method for controlling a reforming reaction with a fuel cell apparatus, comprising:
- measuring a temperature of a reforming portion in the fuel cell apparatus at the starting time of the fuel cell apparatus;
- measuring a temperature of a vaporizing portion in the fuel cell apparatus at the starting time of the fuel cell apparatus;
- performing a first reforming reaction, at the starting time of the fuel cell apparatus, in which partial oxidation reforming, autothermal reforming and steam reforming are performed in that order as the reforming reaction when the temperature of the reforming portion is lower than T1, where T1 represents a temperature at which the steam reforming can be performed;
- performing a second reforming reaction, at the starting time of the fuel cell apparatus, in which autothermal reforming and steam reforming are performed in that order, without partial oxidation reforming, as the reforming reaction when the temperature of the reforming portion is not lower than T1 and the temperature of the vaporizing portion is lower than T2, where T2 represents a temperature at which a predetermined amount of steam can be generated by the steam reforming;
- and
- performing a third reforming reaction, at the starting time of the fuel cell apparatus, in which steam reforming is performed, without partial oxidation reforming and autothermal reforming, as the reforming reaction when the temperature of the reforming portion is not lower than T1 and the temperature of the vaporizing portion is not lower than T2.
A method for controlling a reforming reaction in a reforming portion of a fuel cell apparatus when the reforming portion is not operating, the method comprising:
- measuring a first starting temperature of a reforming portion of a fuel cell apparatus when the fuel cell apparatus starts operation;
- measuring a second starting temperature of a vaporizing portion of the fuel cell apparatus when the fuel cell apparatus starts operation;
- and
- starting operation of the reforming reaction, when the fuel cell apparatus starts operation, by starting an autothermal reforming reaction, without partial oxidation reforming, when the first starting temperature is not lower than T1 and the second starting temperature is lower than T2, where T1 represents a temperature at which the steam reforming reaction can be performed, and T2 represents a temperature at which a predetermined amount of steam can be generated by the steam reforming.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.