Method for operating a fuel cell system
US5989739A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 14, 1997 |
| Grant date | Nov 23, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 14, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02E60/50
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The invention relates to a method for operating a fuel cell system consisting of a fuel cell, a reformer for generating a hydrogen-rich gas, and a combustion chamber in which the fuel cell exhaust gases are oxidized to generate the heat energy required in the reformer. According to the invention, in those operating states in which the heat energy supplied to the reformer from the combustion chamber is insufficient, additional amounts of fuel and oxygen are supplied to the reformer, so that additional heat energy is produced directly in the reformer by the oxidation of the fuel. At the same time, during the oxidation of the fuel in the reformer, steam is produced that can be used in steam reformation. Advantageously, adjustment of the additional amount of fuel and the oxygen supplied is performed as a function of the reformer temperature.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.