Power system with reformer

• US 20060263656A1
• Filed: 05/18/2005
• Published: 11/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Johnson, Larry L., Willets, Julie A., Meyers, Jerry D.
• Application Number:
  US11/132,013
• Publication Number:
  US 20060263656A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/425
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/30 Fuel cells in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04089 of gaseous reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04208 Cartridges, cryogenic media or cryogenic reservoirs
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04388 of anode reactants at the inlet or inside the fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04664 Failure or abnormal function
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04753 of fuel cell reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0494 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04947 of auxiliary devices, e.g. batteries, capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0612 from carbon-containing material
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/10 Applications of fuel cells in buildings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

The present invention is a power system using a reformer/fuel cell arrangement as the primary source of power. The reformer is operated on either natural gas or propane. A backup source of power comprises a fuel cell which operates on stored hydrogen. The system also includes capacitors which are used to bridge when the system is transferred from the primary source to the backup source.

Claims

1. A system for providing electrical power, said system comprising:

a gas-extraction device for extracting a first source of gas from a first source of fuel;

a first gas-consuming device for noncombustibly using said first source of gas to create a first source of electrical power; and

a storage container for a second source of gas, said second source of gas maintained to be available for noncombustive consumption by one of said first gas-consuming device and a second gas-consuming device for the purpose of providing an alternative source of electrical power.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said first gas-consuming device is a fuel cell.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said one of said first gas-consuming device and said second gas-consuming device is a fuel cell.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said first source of gas is hydrogen.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said second source of gas is hydrogen.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said storage container is a hydrogen tank.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said gas-extraction device is a reformer.

8. The system of claim 1 comprising:

a substitute gas-consuming device which may be automatically substituted for said first gas-consuming device wherein said first gas-consuming device becomes unavailable.

9. The system of claim 1 comprising:

at least one capacitor for maintaining constant power.

10. The system of claim 9 comprising:

at least one capacitor for maintaining constant power.

11. The system of claim 1 comprising:

a circuit for receiving both said first and second electrical sources of power; and

a power-consuming device included in said circuit.

12. The system of claim 11 comprising:

at least one capacitor in said circuit for maintaining constant power regardless of the availability of said first and second sources of said power.

13. The system of claim 11 comprising:

an electrical outlet in said circuit which enables the user to access AC power.

14. The system of claim 13 comprising:

an inverter electrically interposed between said circuit and said outlet.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein said first source of fuel is one of a propane tank and a natural gas utility.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said source of fuel is a propane tank and said system is operable independently without contribution from a utility company.

17. A method of providing electrical power to a power-consuming device, comprising:

incorporating said power-consuming device into a circuit;

incorporating an output of a first fuel cell into said circuit;

extracting hydrogen from a fuel to supply said first fuel cell if needed for providing electrical power to said power-consuming device;

incorporating an output of a second fuel cell into said circuit;

receiving hydrogen from a storage container to supply one of said first fuel cell and a second fuel cell if needed for providing electrical power to said power-consuming device.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising:

including at least one capacitor in said circuit; and

eliminating power drops in said circuit using said at least one capacitor.

19. The method of claim 17, comprising:

executing said receiving step when said extracting step is unperformable.

20. A power system comprising:

a circuit;

a hydrogen extractor operable on one of natural gas and propane;

a first fuel cell for receiving hydrogen from said hydrogen extractor, said first fuel cell having a first DC output included in said circuit;

a hydrogen storage container;

a second fuel cell operable using hydrogen received from said storage container;

said second fuel cell having a second DC output included in said circuit; and

at least one capacitor in said circuit to prevent power drops in said circuit.