# US 9,520,601 B2 · Heater and method of operating > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,520,601 B2 - Document ID: US9520601B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/013,708 - Filed: 2013-08-29 - Published: 2015-03-05 - Granted: 2016-12-13 - Earliest claimed: 2013-08-29 - Assignees: Delphi Technologies, Inc. - Applicants: Delphi Technologies, Inc. - Inventors: Bernhard A. Fischer; Karl J. Haltiner, Jr.; Charles J. Badura - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9520601B2 ## CPC - H01M 8/04022: {Heating by combustion} - E21B 36/008: {using chemical heat generating means} - E21B 43/2401: {by means of electricity} - E21B 43/243: Combustion in situ - H01M 8/2475: Enclosures, casings or containers of fuel cell stacks - H01M 8/249: comprising two or more groupings of fuel cells, e.g. modular assemblies - Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract A heater includes a heater housing extending along a heater axis. A fuel cell stack assembly is disposed within the heater housing and includes a plurality of fuel cells which convert chemical energy from a fuel into heat and electricity through a chemical reaction with an oxidizing agent. A combustor disposed within the heater housing receives an anode exhaust and a cathode exhaust from the fuel cell stack assembly and combusts a mixture of the anode exhaust and the cathode exhaust to produce a heated combustor exhaust. The combustor includes a combustor exhaust outlet for discharging the heated combustor exhaust into the heater housing. The heater housing is heated by the fuel cell stack assembly and the heated combustor exhaust. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A heater comprising: a heater housing including a space and extending along a heater axis; a fuel cell stack assembly disposed within said heater housing and having a plurality of fuel cells which convert chemical energy from a fuel into heat and electricity through a chemical reaction with an oxidizing agent, said fuel cell stack assembly having 1) a fuel inlet for introducing said fuel to a plurality of anodes of said plurality of fuel cells, 2) an oxidizing agent inlet for introducing said oxidizing agent to a plurality of cathodes of said plurality of fuel cells, 3) an anode exhaust outlet for discharging an anode exhaust comprising unspent fuel from said plurality of fuel cells, and 4) a cathode exhaust outlet for discharging a cathode exhaust comprising unspent oxidizing agent from said plurality of fuel cells; and a combustor disposed within said space of said heater housing in fluid communication with said anode exhaust outlet and said cathode exhaust outlet, said combustor being arranged to combust a mixture of said anode exhaust and said cathode exhaust to produce a heated combustor exhaust; and said combustor including a combustor exhaust outlet which discharges said heated combustor exhaust directly into said space of said heater housing; whereby said heater housing is heated by said fuel cell stack assembly and said heated combustor exhaust. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A heater as in claim 1 wherein said combustor comprises: an anode exhaust chamber for receiving said anode exhaust from said fuel cell stack assembly; and a cathode exhaust chamber for receiving said cathode exhaust from said fuel cell stack assembly. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A heater as in claim 2 wherein said combustor further comprises an anode exhaust passage for communicating said anode exhaust from said fuel cell stack assembly to said anode exhaust chamber. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) A heater as in claim 3 wherein said cathode exhaust chamber is annular in shape and radially surrounds said anode exhaust passage. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) A heater as in claim 4 wherein said combustor further comprises a combustion chamber for receiving said anode exhaust from said anode exhaust chamber and said cathode exhaust from said cathode exhaust chamber, whereby said mixture of said anode exhaust and said cathode exhaust is formed within said combustion chamber. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) A heater as in claim 5 wherein said anode exhaust chamber includes a plurality of anode exhaust mixing passages providing fluid communication from said anode exhaust chamber to said combustion chamber and said cathode exhaust chamber includes a plurality of cathode exhaust mixing passages providing fluid communication from said cathode exhaust chamber to said combustion chamber. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) A heater as in claim 6 wherein said plurality of anode exhaust mixing passages extend radially from said anode exhaust chamber and wherein said plurality of cathode exhaust mixing passages extend axially from said cathode exhaust chamber. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) A heater as in claim 2 wherein said combustor further comprises a combustion chamber for receiving said anode exhaust from said anode exhaust chamber and said cathode exhaust from said cathode exhaust chamber, whereby said mixture of said anode exhaust and said cathode exhaust is formed within said combustion chamber. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) A heater as in claim 8 wherein said anode exhaust chamber includes a plurality of anode exhaust mixing passages providing fluid communication from said anode exhaust chamber to said combustion chamber and said cathode exhaust chamber includes a plurality of cathode exhaust mixing passages providing fluid communication from said cathode exhaust chamber to said combustion chamber. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A heater as in claim 9 wherein said plurality of anode exhaust mixing passages extend radially from said anode exhaust chamber and wherein said plurality of cathode exhaust mixing passages extend axially from said cathode exhaust chamber. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A heater as in claim 1 wherein said fuel cell stack assembly is one of a plurality of fuel cell stack assemblies disposed within said heater housing such that each one of said plurality of fuel cell stack assemblies is positioned axially with respect to every other of said plurality of fuel cell stack assemblies. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) A heater as in claim 11 wherein said combustor is one of a plurality of combustors disposed within said heater housing such that each one of said plurality of combustors is positioned axially with respect to every other of said plurality of combustors. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) A heater as in claim 12 wherein each one of said plurality of combustors is in fluid communication with said anode exhaust outlet and said cathode exhaust outlet of a respective one of said plurality of fuel cell stack assemblies to combust said mixture of said anode exhaust and said cathode exhaust from said respective one of said plurality of fuel cell stack assemblies. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) A heater as in claim 1 wherein said heater is disposed within a bore hole of an oil containing geological formation. ### Claim 15 A method of operating a heater having 1) a heater housing having a space and extending along a heater axis; 2) a fuel cell stack assembly disposed within said heater housing and having a plurality of fuel cells which convert chemical energy from a fuel into heat and electricity through a chemical reaction with an oxidizing agent, said fuel cell stack assembly having a) a fuel inlet for introducing said fuel to a plurality of anodes of said plurality of fuel cells, b) an oxidizing agent inlet for introducing said oxidizing agent to a plurality of cathodes of said plurality of fuel cells, c) an anode exhaust outlet for discharging an anode exhaust from said plurality of fuel cells, and d) a cathode exhaust outlet for discharging a cathode exhaust from said plurality of fuel cells; and 3) a combustor disposed within said space of said heater housing in fluid communication with said anode exhaust outlet and said cathode exhaust outlet; said method comprising: using said fuel cell stack assembly to produce said anode exhaust and said cathode exhaust; communicating said anode exhaust and said cathode exhaust to said combustor; using said combustor to combust said anode exhaust and said cathode exhaust to produce a heated combustor exhaust which is discharged directly into said space of said heater housing; and heating said heater housing with said fuel cell stack assembly and with said heated combustor exhaust.