Fuel cell system operated on liquid fuels

• US 20070231635A1
• Filed: 04/02/2007
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bloom Energy Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bloom Energy Corporation
• Inventors: Venkataraman, Swaminathan, Weingaertner, David, Ballantine, Arne Watson
• Granted Patent: US 8,822,094 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/410
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2008/1293 Fuel cells with solid oxide electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04097 with recycling of the reactants H01M8/04119, H01M8/04104 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0612 from carbon-containing material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0662 Treatment of gaseous reactants or gaseous residues, e.g. cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack, a heavy hydrocarbon fuel source, and a fractionator configured to separate light ends from heavy ends of a heavy hydrocarbon fuel provided from the heavy hydrocarbon fuel source.

Claims

1. A fuel cell system, comprising:

a fuel cell stack;

a heavy hydrocarbon fuel source; and

a fractionator configured to separate light ends from heavy ends of a heavy hydrocarbon fuel provided from the heavy hydrocarbon fuel source.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the fuel cell stack comprises a SOFC stack.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the heavy hydrocarbon fuel source comprises a jet fuel tank.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the heavy hydrocarbon fuel source comprises a diesel fuel tank.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a reformer which is thermally integrated with the fuel cell stack.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising a burner or a catalytic reactor which is thermally integrated with the reformer.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a first conduit configured to provide the heavy ends from the fractionator to the burner or the catalytic reactor.

8. The system of claim 5, further comprising a second conduit configured to provide the light ends from the fractionator to the reformer.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one element configured to recirculate at least a portion of a fuel cell stack anode exhaust stream into a fuel cell stack fuel inlet stream.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one element configured to separate and recirculate at least a portion of hydrogen from a fuel cell stack anode exhaust stream into a fuel cell stack fuel inlet stream.

11. A fuel cell system, comprising:

a fuel cell stack; and

a first means for separating light ends from heavy ends of a heavy hydrocarbon fuel and for providing the light ends to be used as fuel in the fuel cell stack.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the heavy hydrocarbon fuel comprises diesel fuel or jet fuel.

13. A method of operating a fuel cell system, comprising:

providing a heavy hydrocarbon fuel into a fractionator;

separating light ends from heavy ends of the heavy hydrocarbon fuel in the fractionator; and

providing the light ends to be used as fuel in a fuel cell stack.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the heavy hydrocarbon fuel comprises diesel fuel or jet fuel.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

reforming the light ends in a reformer which is thermally integrated with the fuel cell stack; and

providing a reformate from the reformer to the fuel cell stack.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing the heavy ends from the fractionator to a burner or a catalytic reactor.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the burner or the catalytic reactor is thermally integrated with the reformer.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising recirculating at least a portion of a fuel cell stack anode exhaust stream into a fuel cell stack fuel inlet stream.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising separating and recirculating at least a portion of hydrogen from a fuel cell stack anode exhaust stream into a fuel cell stack fuel inlet stream.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the fuel cell stack comprises a SOFC stack.

21. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing water to a bottom of the fractionator column to provide stripping steam for the fractionator column and for steam reforming.