Method and apparatus for burst disk identification

• US 20040197624A1
• Filed: 04/04/2003
• Published: 10/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TEXACO INC. AND TEXACO DEVELOPEMENT CORPORATION
• Original Assignee: TEXACO INC. AND TEXACO DEVELOPEMENT CORPORATION
• Inventors: Wheat, W. Spencer, Mirkovic, Vesna R., Worsley, Ralph S.
• Granted Patent: US 6,979,503 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: N/A
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0244 the reforming step being an autothermal reforming step, e.g. secondary reforming processes
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/066 with fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/1241 Natural gas or methane
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/1276 Mixing of different feed components
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/142 At least two reforming, decomposition or partial oxidation steps in series
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/1619 Measuring the temperature
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/1628 Controlling the pressure
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/1633 Measuring the pressure
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/169 Controlling the feed
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/382 Multi-step processes
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 17/16 with fracturing diaphragm ; Rupture discs
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 37/0091 by measuring fluid parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0618 Reforming processes, e.g. autothermal, partial oxidation or steam reforming
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for identifying an activation of a burst disk. A pressure data or a temperature data relating to a flow is received. A determination is made whether the flow is interrupted based upon the at least one of the pressure data and the temperature data. A burst disk activation is identified in response to determining that the flow is interrupted.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving at least one of a pressure data and a temperature data relating to a flow;

determining whether said flow is interrupted based upon said at least one of said pressure data and said temperature data; and

identifying a burst disk activation in response to determining that said flow is interrupted.

2. The method described in claim 1, wherein receiving said at least one of said pressure data and said temperature data relating to a flow further comprises receiving at least one of a pressure data and a temperature data relating to a reformate flow in a reformer relating to a fuel cell system.

3. The method described in claim 2, wherein receiving said at least one of said pressure data and said temperature data relating to a flow further comprises receiving said at least one of said pressure data and said temperature data relating to a flow between a first mechanical resistance and a second mechanical resistance.

4. The method described in claim 1, wherein determining whether said flow is interrupted further comprises determining whether said pressure data is below a predetermined threshold.

5. The method described in claim 4, wherein determining whether said pressure data is below said predetermined threshold further comprises determining whether said pressure data indicates that the associated pressure is below about 0.5 PSI.

6. The method described in claim 1, wherein determining whether said flow is interrupted further comprises determining whether said temperature data is below a predetermined threshold.

7. The method described in claim 6, wherein determining whether said temperature data is below said predetermined threshold further comprises determining whether said temperature data indicates that the associated temperature is below about 40°

C.

8. The method described in claim 1, wherein determining whether said flow is interrupted further comprises determining whether a voltage drop in a portion of a fuel cell is below a predetermined threshold.

9. The method described in claim 1, wherein identifying a burst disk activation in response to determining that said flow is interrupted further comprises identifying a burst disk that has ruptured.

10. A fuel cell system, comprising

an oxidizer;

a reformer operatively coupled to said oxidize;

a burst disk to activate to provide a release of a reformate compound flowing within said reformer in response to a pressure excursion;

a pressure sensor to provide pressure data associated with the reformate compound flowing within said reformer; and

a controller operatively coupled to said pressure sensor, said controller to detect a pressure excursion based upon said pressure data and to determine whether said burst disk has been activated in response to said pressure excursion.

11. The fuel cell system of claim 10, further comprising a temperature sensor to provide temperature data associated with said flow associated with said reformer.

12. The fuel cell system of claim 11, wherein said controller is further capable of detecting a temperature excursion based upon said temperature data and determining whether said burst disk has been activated in response to said temperature excursion.

13. The fuel cell system of claim 10, wherein said reformer further comprises a first mechanical resistance and a second mechanical resistance and said pressure sensor is adapted to acquire pressure data relating to a flow between said first and second mechanical devices.

14. The fuel cell system of claim 10, wherein said reformer is an auto-thermal reformer.

15. The fuel cell system of claim 10, further comprising a fuel cell operatively coupled to said reformer, said reformer to provide a reformate compound to said fuel cell.

16. The fuel cell system of claim 10, wherein said oxidizer is an anode-tail oxidizer.

17. The fuel cell system of claim 10, further comprising a fuel cell stack operatively coupled to said reformer to receive hydrogen from said reformer, said fuel cell stack comprising one or more fuel cells.

18. The fuel cell system of claim 10, further comprising a voltage detector to detect a voltage drop in a fuel cell associated with said fuel cell system to determine whether an activation of said burst disk has occurred.

19. An apparatus, comprising

a controller operatively coupled to a burst disk, said controller to receive a pressure data, determine whether a pressure excursion has occurred based upon said pressure data, and to determine whether said burst disk has been activated in response to said pressure excursion.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said controller is further adapted to determine whether said burst disk has been activated based on determining whether said pressure data represents a pressure level that is below a predetermined threshold.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said controller is further adapted to receive a temperature data, determine whether a temperature excursion has occurred based upon said temperature data, and to determine whether said burst disk has been activated in response to said temperature excursion.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said controller is further adapted to determine whether said burst disk has been activated based on determining whether said temperature data represents a temperature level that is below a predetermined threshold.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said pressure data further comprises a pressure data relating to a flow between a first mechanical device and second a mechanical device associated with a flow in a reformer.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a voltage detector to detect a voltage drop in a fuel cell associated with said fuel cell system to determine whether an activation of said burst disk has occurred.

25. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving at least one of a pressure data and a temperature data relating to a flow;

means for determining whether said flow is interrupted based upon said at least one of said pressure data and said temperature data; and

means for identifying a burst disk rupture in response to determining that said flow is interrupted.

26. A computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs a method, comprising:

receiving at least one of a pressure data and a temperature data relating to a flow;

determining whether said flow is interrupted based upon said at least one of said pressure data and said temperature data; and

identifying a burst disk rupture in response to determining that said flow is interrupted.

27. The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method described in claim 26, wherein receiving said at least one of said pressure data and said temperature data relating to a flow further comprises receiving at least one of a pressure data and a temperature data relating to a reformate flow in a reformer relating to a fuel cell system.

28. The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method described in claim 27, wherein receiving said at least one of said pressure data and said temperature data relating to a flow further comprises receiving said at least one of said pressure data and said temperature data relating to a flow between a first mechanical resistance and a second mechanical resistance.

29. The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method described in claim 26, wherein determining whether said flow is interrupted further comprises determining whether said pressure data is below a predetermined threshold.

30. The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method described in claim 29, wherein determining whether said pressure data is below said predetermined threshold further comprises determining whether said pressure data indicates that the associated pressure is below about 0.5 PSI.

31. The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method described in claim 26, wherein determining whether said flow is interrupted further comprises determining whether said temperature data is below a predetermined threshold.

32. The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method described in claim 31, wherein determining whether said temperature data is below said predetermined threshold further comprises determining whether said temperature data indicates that the associated temperature is below about 40°

C.

33. The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method described in claim 26, wherein identifying a burst disk activation in response to determining that said flow is interrupted further comprises identifying a burst disk that has ruptured.

34. The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method described in claim 26, wherein determining whether said flow is interrupted further comprises determining whether a voltage drop in a portion of a fuel cell is below a predetermined threshold.