Method of optimizing operating efficiency of fuel cells

• US 8,663,859 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2012
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bloom Energy Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bloom Energy Corporation
• Inventors: Mitlitsky, Fred, Sridhar, K. R., Gottmann, Matthias, Venkataraman, Swaminathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Maples, John S
• Application Number:
  US13/590,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20120321975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 429/430
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2008/1293 Fuel cells with solid oxide electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2008/147 Fuel cells with molten carbonates
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/40 Combination of fuel cells with other energy production systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/405 Cogeneration of heat or hot water
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04007 related to heat exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04052 Storage of heat in the fuel cell system
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04925 Power, energy, capacity or load
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0494 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04992 characterised by the implementation of mathematical or computational algorithms, e.g. feedback control loops, fuzzy logic, neural networks or artificial intelligence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0656 by electrochemical means H01M8/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/1011 Direct alcohol fuel cells [DAFC], e.g. direct methanol fuel cells [DMFC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/184 Regeneration by electrochemical means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/10 Applications of fuel cells in buildings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

A method of operating a fuel cell electrochemical system includes receiving at least one of a cost of electricity and a cost of fuel and adjusting at least one of an operating efficiency and throughput of the fuel cell based on the at least one of the received cost of electricity and the received cost of fuel.

Claims

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

operating a fuel cell at a first operating efficiency to generate electricity, the first operating efficiency being about equal to an optimum efficiency;

intermittently or continuously providing a cost of electricity data and a cost of fuel data to the electrochemical system; and

automatically adjusting the fuel cell operating efficiency to a second operating efficiency different from the first operating efficiency based on the received cost of electricity and cost of fuel data,

wherein the step of automatically adjusting comprises automatically adjusting the operating efficiency below the optimum efficiency when the fuel cell electrochemical system is operating in the fuel cell mode to generate electricity and when the cost of electricity is higher than a predetermined cost of electricity and the cost of fuel is lower than a predetermined cost of fuel.