Fuel cell power supply with oxidant and fuel gas switching
This patent describes a continuously operable fuel cell power system operating with reformate hydrogen as the fuel gas and air as an oxidant gas during normal power intervals and including oxidant and fuel gas switching for operating with pure hydrogen and pure oxygen during peak power intervals. The system comprises: (a) a fuel cell stack, (b) means for providing reformate hydrogen as a fuel gas to the stack including means for converting a hydrocarbon to produce hydrogen fuel gas, (c) means for supplying air as an oxidant gas for the fuel cell stack, (d) means for switching the fuel and oxidant gases supplied to the fuel stack from reformate hydrogen and air to pure oxygen as an oxidant and pure hydrogen and air to pure oxygen as an oxidant and pure hydrogen as a fuel gas whenever the power demands from the stack exceeds a predetermined level including: 1. an electrolysis stack for electrolyzing water to produce pure hydrogen and pure oxygen, 2. means to supply an electrolysis current to the electrolysis stack from a portion of the fuel cell stack when the power demand from the stack is below the predetermined level, and 3. means to store the oxygen and hydrogen from the electrolyzer.
- Assignee:
- United Technologies Corp., Hartford, CT
- Patent Number(s):
- US 4657829
- OSTI ID:
- 6459136
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: Filed date 27 Dec 1982
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS
FUEL SUBSTITUTION
OXIDIZERS
AIR
AIR FLOW
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTROLYSIS
FUEL GAS
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN STORAGE
OXYGEN
POWER DEMAND
POWER GENERATION
STACKS
WATER
CURRENTS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ELEMENTS
FLUID FLOW
FLUIDS
FUEL CELLS
FUELS
GAS FLOW
GAS FUELS
GASES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
LYSIS
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
STORAGE
300503* - Fuel Cells- Materials
Components
& Auxiliaries