Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus – product – and – Having magnetic field feature
Patent
1998-09-02
2000-06-06
Nuzzolillo, Maria
Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus, product, and
Having magnetic field feature
429 17, 429 19, 429 20, 429 34, H01M 804, H01M 818, H01M 200
Patent
active
060716347
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to an electric power generation system comprising a plurality of fuel cells electrically connected one to another, for example as a stack of fuel cells.
According to the invention an electric power generation system comprises a plurality of fuel cells electrically connected one to another, said fuel cells comprising anodes and cathodes, a plurality of first passage means associated with and defined at least in part by said anodes, a plurality of second passage means associated with and defined at least in part by said cathodes, said first passage means being divided into at least a first group of said first passage means and a second group of said first passage means, third passage means connected to inlets to the first passage means in the first group for said third passage means to supply fuel gas to the first group, fourth passage means to receive anode exhaust gas from said first group of first passage means and supply that anode exhaust gas in first and second streams in which said first stream is supplied to the third passage means for supply with said fuel gas to the first group of the first passage means and the second stream being supplied to inlets to the second group of the first passage means as fuel.
The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is diagrammatic illustration of a plan view of an embodiment of an electric power generation system according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of the fuel cell stack on line II--II in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of the fuel cell stack on line III--III in FIG. 1, and
FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of another embodiment of an electric power generation system according to the invention.
In the drawings like references refer to like or comparable parts.
With reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 an electric power generation system 2 comprises a plurality or stack 4 of cross-flow fuel cells 6 electrically connected one to another in known manner for their electromotive forces to be additive. Each fuel cell comprises an electrolyte 8, an anode 10, and a cathode 12. Associated with the cathodes 12 are passages 14, hereincalled cathode passages.
Oxidising gas, for example air from atmosphere, is supplied by a pump or blower 16 to a supply path 18 feeding an inlet manifold 20 supplying the oxidising gas to the cathode passages 14. The supply path 18 comprises a gas heating arrangement 21 comprising burner means to burn a gaseous fuel supplied thereto to heat the oxidising gas which in the case of air provides some oxygen to support combustion of the gaseous fuel which heats the remaining oxygen supplied to the cathode passages 14.
Cathode exhaust gas leaves the cathode passages 14 through a cathode exhaust manifold 22 feeding an outlet path 24 comprising an heat exchanger 26 in which heat is extracted from the cathode exhaust gas and added to fuel gas as described below.
Associated with the anodes 10 are passages (hereincalled anode passages) which, related to each fuel cell 6, are divided into two groups; the anode passages in one group are identified as anode passages 28a and those in the other group are identified as anode passages 28b, said groups being divided the one from the other for the purpose of illustration in this specification by an imaginary partition 30.
Although the fuel required at the anodes 10 is hydrogen, it should be understood that the expression fuel gas used herein embraces both hydrogen and gaseous raw material from which hydrogen fuel is derived, for example any hydrocarbon, in the course of operating the system.
The fuel cells 6 may be of the solid oxide type having a solid oxide electrolyte 8 or may be of a molten carbonate type having a molten carbonate electrolyte.
The stack 4 of fuel cells is maintained at desired temperature and pressure appropriate to the electrolyte 8 and the nature of the fuel gas, initially supplied from a fuel gas supply 32 to a supply path 34 feeding an inlet manifol
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patent: 4490442 (1984-12-01), Maru et al.
patent: 4983471 (1991-01-01), Reichner et al.
patent: 5047299 (1991-09-01), Shockling
patent: 5143800 (1992-09-01), George et al.
The effect of fuel cell operating conditions on DIR-MCFC system selection. J. of Power Sources 61, pp. 213-218, 1996.
BG plc
Dove Tracy
Nuzzolillo Maria
LandOfFree
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