Integrated full processor, furnace, and fuel cell system for providing heat and electrical power to a building
US5985474A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 26, 1998 |
| Grant date | Nov 16, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 26, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S429/901
- WIPO fieldThermal processes and apparatus
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An integrated system includes a fuel cell assembly for supplying electrical power to a building, a furnace having a heating chamber and a heat exchanger for supplying heat to the building, and a reformer for providing a supply of reformate directly to the furnace and the fuel cell assembly. The system may include a controller for apportioning the supply of reformate to the fuel cell assembly and to the furnace in response to heating and electrical power needs of the building. In another embodiment, an integrated system includes a fuel cell assembly for providing electrical power to a building, a reformer/furnace unit comprising a chamber and a heat exchanger for providing heat to a building, and wherein fuel is reformed/oxidized in a fuel-rich environment in said chamber to produce a supply of reformate for said fuel cell assembly, and in a fuel-lean environment in said chamber for releasing heat. The system may also include a controller for operating the chamber between a fuel-rich and a fuel-lean environment in response to heating and electrical power needs of the building.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.