Method and apparatus for controlling mass flow rate of recycled anode tail gas in solid oxide fuel cell system
US7562588B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 27, 2006 |
| Grant date | Jul 21, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 29, 2028 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02E60/50
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
In an SOFC stack system, a reformer supplies reformate to the stack. An anode tail gas portion is recycled into the reformer. An inline flowmeter indicates an apparent recycle flow rate. A map of anode tail gas composition as a function of fuel utilization efficiency U, reformer oxygen/carbon ratio O:C, and recycle percentage R is generated on a laboratory test bed at various recycle rates and fuel utilization rates. Compositions are sent through a flowmeter and a Coriolus mass flowmeter provide a Coriolus flow and sensor voltage function across the various compositions and flow rates to create an average curve and an average (reference) voltage at a given flow. A scale factor Z is calculated and used to determine a scaled sensor voltage X for use in an average flow polynomial curve fit equation to calculate tail gas mass flow rate at any flow value indicated by the flow meter.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.