# US 9,435,230 B2 · Fuel cell hybrid system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,435,230 B2 - Document ID: US9435230B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/368,855 - Filed: 2012-12-21 - Published: 2014-12-04 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2011-12-27 - Assignees: Posco Energy Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Posco Energy Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Min Ki Kim; Yin Jeong Cho; Sang Hoon Lee - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9435230B2 ## CPC - F01K 27/02: Plants modified to use their waste heat, other than that of exhaust, e.g. engine-friction heat - F01K 25/08: using special vapours - F02C 1/04: the working fluid being heated indirectly {(in a fluidised-bed combustor F02C3/205)} - F02C 6/18: using the waste heat of gas-turbine plants outside the plants themselves, e.g. gas-turbine power heat plants (using waste heat as source of energy for refrigeration plants F25B27/02; using the waste heat of a gasturbine for steam generation or in a steam cycle see F01K23/10) - H01M 8/04014: Heat exchange using gaseous fluids; Heat exchange by combustion of reactants - H01M 8/04022: {Heating by combustion} - H01M 8/04089: of gaseous reactants - H01M 8/04097: {with recycling of the reactants (H01M8/04119, H01M8/04104 take precedence)} - H01M 8/04111: using a compressor turbine assembly - H01M 8/0618: {Reforming processes, e.g. autothermal, partial oxidation or steam reforming} - H01M 2008/147: {Fuel cells with molten carbonates} - Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells - F01K: STEAM ENGINE PLANTS; STEAM ACCUMULATORS; ENGINE PLANTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ENGINES USING SPECIAL WORKING FLUIDS OR CYCLES (gas-turbine or jet-propulsion plants F02; nuclear power plants, engine arrangements therein G21D) - F02C: GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS (construction of turbines F01D; jet-propulsion plants F02K; construction of compressors or fans F04; generating combustion products of high pressure or high velocity F23R; using gas turbines in compression refrigeration plants F25B11/00) - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract Provided is a fuel cell hybrid system. The fuel cell hybrid system includes a heat engine including a compression unit for compressing an oxidizer supply gas including air and an expansion unit for expanding the oxidizer supply gas to generate mechanical energy, a fuel cell including an anode for receiving a fuel gas, a cathode for receiving the oxidizer supply gas, and a catalytic combustor for burning a non-reaction fuel gas of an anode exhaust gas exhausted from the anode to heat the oxidizer supply gas, a first heat exchanger heat-exchanging the oxidizer supply gas discharged from the compression unit with a cathode exhaust gas exhausted from the cathode, and a second heat exchanger heat-exchanging the oxidizer supply gas discharged from the first heat exchanger with the oxidizer supply gas discharged from the catalytic combustor. The oxidizer supply gas discharged from the second heat exchanger is supplied into the catalytic combustor via the expansion unit, and the oxidizer supply gas discharged from the catalytic combustor is supplied into the cathode via the second heat exchanger. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A fuel cell hybrid system comprising: a heat engine comprising a compression unit for compressing an oxidizer supply gas comprising air and an expansion unit for expanding the oxidizer supply gas to generate mechanical energy; a fuel cell comprising an anode for receiving a fuel gas, a cathode for receiving the oxidizer supply gas, and a catalytic combustor for burning a non-reaction fuel gas of an anode exhaust gas exhausted from the anode to heat the oxidizer supply gas; a first heat exchanger heat-exchanging the oxidizer supply gas discharged from the compression unit with a cathode exhaust gas exhausted from the cathode; and a second heat exchanger heat-exchanging the oxidizer supply gas discharged from the first heat exchanger with the oxidizer supply gas discharged from the catalytic combustor, wherein the oxidizer supply gas discharged from the first heat exchanger is supplied into the catalytic combustor via the second heat exchanger and the expansion unit, and the oxidizer supply gas discharged from the catalytic combustor is supplied into the cathode via the second heat exchanger, and selectively the oxidizer supply gas is directly supplied into the catalytic combustor from an air source for supplying the oxidizer supply gas, in addition to the supply of the oxidizer supply gas into the catalytic combustor from the air source via the heat engine. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The fuel cell hybrid system of claim 1, wherein the first heat exchanger comprises a first internal heat exchanger provided in a stack module constituting the fuel cell and a first external heat exchanger provided outside the stack module. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The fuel cell hybrid system of claim 1, further comprising a first adjusting valve for adjusting a flow rate of the oxidizer supply gas directly supplied from the air source into the catalytic combustor. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The fuel cell hybrid system of claim 1, further comprising a burner for heating the oxidizer supply gas directly supplied from the air source into the catalytic combustor. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The fuel cell hybrid system of claim 1, wherein selectively the oxidizer supply gas is directly supplied from the air source into the oxidizer supply gas discharged from the catalytic combustor, in addition to the supply of the oxidizer supply gas into the catalytic combustor from the air source via the heat engine. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The fuel cell hybrid system of claim 5, further comprising a second adjusting valve for adjusting a flow rate of the oxidizer supply gas directly supplied from the air source into the oxidizer supply gas that is discharged from the catalytic combustor. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The fuel cell hybrid system of claim 1, further comprising a third adjusting valve for adjusting a flow rate of the oxidizer supply gas supplied from the air source into the compression unit. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The fuel cell hybrid system of claim 1, further comprising an organic rankine cycle device comprising a third heat exchanger for heat-exchanging a cathode exhaust gas discharged from the first heat exchanger with a working fluid to heat the working fluid, an expansion turbine for expanding the working fluid heated through the third heat exchanger to generate mechanical energy, a condenser for condensing the working fluid discharged from the expansion turbine, and a pump forcibly transferring the working fluid discharged from the condenser. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The fuel cell hybrid system of claim 8, wherein the organic rankine cycle device further comprises a fourth heat exchanger for heat-exchanging the working fluid discharged from the pump with the working fluid discharged from the expansion turbine. ### Claim 10 (depends on 5) The fuel cell hybrid system of claim 5, further comprising a third adjusting valve for adjusting a flow rate of the oxidizer supply gas supplied from the air source into the compression unit.