초록 ▼

An arrangement and process are provided for regulating the humidification or dew point of inlet air supplied (124, 224, 324, 424) to combustion-supported reaction means (20, 120) of a fuel processing system in a fuel cell power plant (110, 210, 310, 410). In addition to flowing exhaust gas(es) (28,

An arrangement and process are provided for regulating the humidification or dew point of inlet air supplied (124, 224, 324, 424) to combustion-supported reaction means (20, 120) of a fuel processing system in a fuel cell power plant (110, 210, 310, 410). In addition to flowing exhaust gas(es) (28, 128) in heat and energy exchange relation with inlet air through a primary energy recovery device (ERD) (30) of the gas/gas type, a supplemental ERD (50) of the gas/liquid (water) type uses water temperature to passively condense moisture from a gas stream, either of inlet air or of exhaust gas, to regulate the dew point of the air supplied to the combustion-supported reaction means (20, 120). The supplemental ERD (50) may have a gas channel (134) and a water channel (132) separated by an enthalpy exchange barrier (136), and may be relatively upstream or downstream of the primary ERD (30) relative to the flow of inlet air through the latter to regulate dew point indirectly or directly, respectively.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A fuel cell power plant (110, 210, 310 , 410) including in combination, a fuel cell stack assembly ( 12) having an anode region (14), a cathode region (16), and an electrolyte region (18) intermediate the anode and cathode regions; a fuel processing system including combustio

What is claimed is: 1. A fuel cell power plant (110, 210, 310 , 410) including in combination, a fuel cell stack assembly ( 12) having an anode region (14), a cathode region (16), and an electrolyte region (18) intermediate the anode and cathode regions; a fuel processing system including combustion-supported reaction means (20, 120) for receiving a supply of fuel (46, 46', 48) and an oxidant stream (124, 224, 324, 424) and for providing a hydrogen-rich fuel stream ( 22) to the anode region (14); a source of oxidant (26); a primary energy recovery device (30) having adjacent source ( 32) and sink (34) channels separated by an enthalpy exchange barrier (36) for the transfer of heat and moisture therebetween; a further energy recovery device (50) having means (132, 134, 136) for receiving gas and liquid and flowing at least the gas therethrough in proximity with the liquid for the transfer of heat and moisture therebetween to regulate the dew point of the gas; a source of water (52); at least one of the combustion-supported reaction means (20, 120), the cathode region (16), and the anode region (14) having an exhaust flow (42, 44, 48, 148) for providing an exhaust gas stream ( 28, 128); and wherein the oxidant source (26) is operatively connected to flow through at least the sink channel of the primary energy recovery device (30) to provide the oxidant stream (124, 224, 324, 424) supplied to at least the combustion-supported reaction means (20, 120), the exhaust gas stream (28, 128) is operatively connected to flow through at least the source channel of the primary energy recovery device (30), the water source (52) is operatively connected to provide the liquid to the further energy recovery device (50), and the further energy recovery device (50) and one of the source channel (32) and the sink channel (34) of the primary energy recovery device (30) are serially connected (26', 28', 126', 128') for gas flow therethrough, such that the regulation of the dew point of the gas flowing through the further energy recovery device (50) by the water in the further energy recovery device (50) operates to regulate, at least indirectly, the dew point of the oxidant stream (124, 224, 324, 424) supplied to at least the combustion-supported reaction means (20, 120). 2. The fuel cell power plant (110, 210, 310, 410) of claim 1 wherein the further energy recovery device (50) is upstream of the primary energy recovery device ( 30) relative to the gas flow therethrough, the exhaust gas stream ( 28, 128) flows through the further energy recovery device ( 50), and the regulation of the dew point of the oxidant stream ( 124, 224, 324, 424) is indirect. 3. The fuel cell power plant (110, 210, 310, 410) of claim 1 wherein the primary energy recovery device (30) is upstream of the further energy recovery device ( 50) relative to the gas flow therethrough, oxidant from source ( 26) flows through the further energy recovery device (50), and the regulation of the dew point of the oxidant stream (124, 224, 324, 424) is direct. 4. The fuel cell power plant (110, 210, 310, 410) of claim 1 wherein the oxidant stream (124, 224, 324, 424) applied to the combustion-supported reaction means (20, 120) is also applied, in parallel, to the cathode region (16). 5. The fuel cell power plant (110, 210, 310, 410) of claim 1 wherein the combustion-supported reaction means (20) comprises a catalytic steam reformer (40) and separate burner (38), and the burner (38) has an exhaust flow (42). 6. The fuel cell power plant (110, 210, 310, 410) of claim 5 wherein the cathode region (16) has an exhaust flow 44, the cathode exhaust gas flow (44) and the burner exhaust flow (42) being combined to form the exhaust gas stream (28). 7. The fuel cell power plant (110, 210, 310, 410) of claim 1 wherein the combustion-supported reaction means (120) comprises a reformer (120) structured for integral combustion therewithin. 8. The fuel cell power plant (110, 210, 310, 410) of claim 7 wherein the reformer (120) is from the group consisting of an autothermal reformer and a catalytic partial oxidizer. 9. The fuel cell power plant (110, 210, 310, 410) of claim 7 wherein the anode exhaust flow (148 ) comprises a partly-depleted hydrogen gas stream, and the cathode exhaust flow (44) and the anode exhaust flow (148) are combustively reacted in a burner (60) to provide the exhaust gas stream (128). 10. The fuel cell power plant (110, 210, 310, 410) of claim 1 wherein the further energy recovery device (50) comprises adjacent liquid (132) and gas ( 134) channels separated by an enthalpy exchange barrier (136), the gas flows through the gas channel (134), the water flows through the liquid channel (132), and the transfer of heat and moisture therebetween is via the enthalpy exchange barrier (136). 11. The fuel cell power plant (110, 210, 313, 410) of claim 10 wherein the enthalpy exchange barrier (36, 136) in each of the primary energy recovery device ( 30) and the further energy recovery device (50) comprises a fine pore saturator medium. 12. The fuel cell power plant (110, 210, 310, 410) of claim 1 wherein the temperature of the water supplied to the further energy recovery device (50) regulates the dew point of the oxidant stream (124, 224, 324, 424) supplied to at least the combustion-supported reaction means ( 20, 120). 13. A fuel cell power plant (110, 210, 310, 410) including in combination, a fuel cell stack assembly (12) having an anode region (14), a cathode region ( 16), and an electrolyte region (18) intermediate the anode and cathode regions; a fuel processing system including combustion-supported reaction means (20, 120) for receiving a supply of fuel ( 46, 46', 48) and an oxidant stream (124, 224, 324, 424) and for providing a hydrogen-rich fuel stream (22) to the anode region (14); a source of oxidant (26); a primary energy recovery device (30) having adjacent source (32) and sink (34) channels separated by an enthalpy exchange barrier (36) for the transfer of heat and moisture therebetween; a further energy recovery device (50) having adjacent liquid (132) and gas (134) channels separated by a fine pore saturator medium enthalpy exchange barrier (36, 136) for the transfer of heat and moisture therebetween to regulate the dew point of the gas flowing in the gas channel (134) as a function of the liquid; a source of water (52); at least one of the combustion-supported reaction means (20, 120), the cathode region (16), and the anode region (14) having an exhaust flow (42, 44, 48, 148) for providing an exhaust gas stream (28, 128); and wherein the oxidant source (26) is operatively connected to flow through at least the sink channel of the primary energy recovery device (30) to provide the oxidant stream (124, 224, 324, 424) supplied to at least the combustion-supported reaction means (20, 120), the exhaust gas stream (28, 128) is operatively connected to flow through at least the source channel of the primary energy recovery device (30), the water source (52) is operatively connected to flow at a controlled temperature through the liquid channel (132) of the further energy recovery device ( 50), and the gas channel (134) of the further energy recovery device (50) and one of the source channel (32) and the sink channel(34) of the primary enemy recovery device (30) are serially connected (26', 28', 126', 128') for gas flow therethrough, such that the regulation of the dew point of the gas flowing through the further energy recovery device (50) by the temperature of the water in the further energy recovery device (50) operates to regulate, at least indirectly, the dew point of the oxidant stream (124, 224, 324, 424) supplied to at least the combustion-supported reaction means (20, 120). 14. In a fuel cell power plant (110, 210, 310, 410) including in combination, a fuel cell stack assembly (12) having an anode region (14), a cathode region ( 16), and an electrolyte region (18) intermediate the anode and cathode regions; a fuel processing system including combustion-supported reaction means (20, 120) for receiving a supply of fuel ( 46, 46', 48) and an oxidant stream (124, 224, 324, 424) and for providing a hydrogen-rich fuel stream (22) to the anode region (14); a source of oxidant (26); a primary energy recovery device (30) having adjacent source (32) and sink (34) channels separated by an enthalpy exchange barrier (36) for the transfer of heat and moisture therebetween; at least one of the combustion-supported reaction means ( 20, 120), the cathode region (16), and the anode region (14) having an exhaust flow (42, 44,48, 148) for providing an exhaust gas stream (28, 128), the exhaust gas stream (28, 128) being operatively connected to flow through at least the source channel (32) of the primary energy recovery device (30); and wherein the oxidant source ( 26) is operatively connected to flow through at least the sink channel (34) of the primary energy recovery device (30) to provide the oxidant stream (124, 224, 324, 424 ) supplied to at least the combustion-supported reaction means (20, 120), the method of regulating the dew point of the oxidant stream (124, 224, 324, 424) supplied to at least the combustion-supported reaction means (20, 120) comprising the step of: a) passively condensing (50) moisture from a gas stream (28, 128, 26', 126'), the gas stream being one or the other of: i) the oxidant stream (26', 126') downstream of the flow of the oxidant source (26) through the sink channel ( 34) of the primary energy recovery device (30), thereby to effect direct regulation of said dew point; or ii) the exhaust gas stream (28, 128) upstream of the flow of the exhaust gas stream (28', 128') through the source channel (32) of the primary energy recovery device ( 30), thereby to effect indirect regulation of said dew point. 15. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of passively condensing (50) moisture from a gas stream (28, 128, 26', 126') comprises flowing (134) said gas stream in proximity with a liquid (52, 132) in a manner to effect a transfer (136) of heat and moisture between said liquid and gas streams as a function of at least the temperature of said liquid relative to said gas stream. 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the liquid (52) is water and the temperature of said water is regulated to effect the condensation needed to regulate the dew point of the oxidant stream ( 124, 224, 324, 424) supplied to at least the combustion-supported reaction means (20, 120). 17. The method of claim 15 wherein the liquid is water ( 52) and the step of passively condensing moisture from a gas stream comprises flowing (134) the gas stream (28, 128, 26', 126') and flowing (132) the water (52) along respectively opposite sides of a porous enthalpy exchange barrier (136) of a further energy recovery device (50) to effect said transfer of heat and moisture. 18. The method of claim 15 wherein the liquid is water ( 52) and the gas stream from which moisture is passively condensed ( 50) comprises the exhaust gas stream (28, 128) upstream of the flow of the exhaust gas stream (28', 128') through the source channel (32) of the primary energy recovery device ( 30), thereby to effect indirect regulation of said dew point.