Systems and methods for maintaining hydrogen-selective membranes during periods of inactivity
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
H01M-008/04
H01M-008/06
B01D-059/12
출원번호
US-0901987
(2010-10-11)
등록번호
US-8673510
(2014-03-18)
발명자
/ 주소
Pledger, William A.
출원인 / 주소
DCNS SA
대리인 / 주소
Dascenzo Intellectual Property Law, P.C.
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
1인용 특허 :
21
초록▼
The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for maintaining hydrogen-selective membranes during periods of inactivity. These systems and methods may include heating and maintaining at least the hydrogen-selective membrane of a hydrogen-producing fuel processing system in a thermally bu
The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for maintaining hydrogen-selective membranes during periods of inactivity. These systems and methods may include heating and maintaining at least the hydrogen-selective membrane of a hydrogen-producing fuel processing system in a thermally buffered state and/or controlling the chemical composition of the gas streams that may come into contact with the hydrogen-selective membrane. Controlling the chemical composition of the gas streams that may come into contact with the hydrogen-selective membrane may include maintaining a positive pressure of an inert, blanket, reducing, and/or non-oxidizing gas within the membrane separation assembly and/or periodically supplying a reducing gas stream to the membrane separation assembly. These systems and methods may further include periodically supplying a feed stream to a hydrogen-producing region of the hydrogen-producing fuel processing system to produce a mixed gas stream and supplying the mixed gas stream to the membrane separation assembly.
대표청구항▼
1. A method for maintaining hydrogen permeability in a thermally buffered hydrogen-producing fuel processing system that includes a feedstock supply system adapted to supply a feedstock stream, a hydrogen-producing region adapted to produce from the feedstock stream a mixed gas stream containing hyd
1. A method for maintaining hydrogen permeability in a thermally buffered hydrogen-producing fuel processing system that includes a feedstock supply system adapted to supply a feedstock stream, a hydrogen-producing region adapted to produce from the feedstock stream a mixed gas stream containing hydrogen gas as a majority component, and a separation assembly including at least one hydrogen-selective membrane and adapted to separate the mixed gas stream into a product hydrogen stream and a byproduct stream, the method comprising: heating a portion of the thermally buffered hydrogen-producing fuel processing system to a thermally buffered temperature range, wherein the portion of the thermally buffered hydrogen-producing fuel processing system includes at least the hydrogen-selective membrane, and further wherein the thermally buffered temperature range includes a temperature range at which at least a portion of the hydrogen-selective membrane may be oxidized upon exposure to an oxidant;maintaining the portion of the thermally buffered hydrogen-producing fuel processing system in the thermally buffered temperature range during a period of inactivity; andperiodically supplying a non-oxidizing gas stream to the separation assembly during the period of inactivity to maintain the at least one hydrogen-selective membrane in a non-oxidizing environment, wherein the periodically supplying includes periodically supplying responsive to a supply criterion. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermally buffered hydrogen-producing fuel processing system forms a portion of a thermally buffered hydrogen-producing and consuming assembly that further includes a fuel cell stack adapted to receive at least a portion of the product hydrogen stream and produce an electrical output therefrom. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the fuel cell stack is adapted to produce the electrical output to satisfy at least a portion of an applied load from an energy-consuming device. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the thermally buffered hydrogen-producing and consuming assembly is adapted to provide the electrical output to satisfy the applied load when a primary power source is unable to satisfy the applied load. 5. The method of claim 2, wherein the period of inactivity includes a time period in which there is no demand for the electrical output from the fuel cell stack. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the period of inactivity includes a time period in which there is no demand for the product hydrogen stream. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the oxidant includes oxygen gas. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-oxidizing gas stream is a reducing gas stream. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the reducing gas stream includes hydrogen gas. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the period of inactivity includes a period in which the hydrogen-producing region is not producing the mixed gas stream, and further wherein the reducing gas stream includes a portion of the mixed gas stream. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the periodically supplying includes periodically providing the feedstock stream to the hydrogen-producing region to produce the mixed gas stream and providing the mixed gas stream produced by the periodically providing to the separation assembly. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrogen-selective membrane includes at least one of palladium and a palladium alloy. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the heating includes heating to a thermally buffered temperature range that is at least 150° C. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermally buffered temperature range includes a thermally warmed temperature range that is less than a steady state operating temperature range for the portion of the thermally buffered hydrogen-producing fuel processing system. 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermally buffered temperature range includes a thermally primed temperature range that is within a steady state operating temperature range for the portion of the thermally buffered hydrogen-producing fuel processing system. 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the supply criterion includes determining that an elapsed time is greater than a threshold elapsed time. 17. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes stopping the supplying responsive to a stop criteria, and further wherein the stop criteria includes determining that the supplying step has been performed for at least a threshold supplying time. 18. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the thermally buffered hydrogen-producing fuel processing system further includes the hydrogen-producing region, and further wherein the heating and maintaining steps include heating the hydrogen-producing region to the hydrogen-producing region thermally buffered temperature range and maintaining the hydrogen-producing region in the hydrogen-producing region thermally buffered temperature range. 19. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes sorbing oxidant from the portion of the thermally buffered hydrogen-producing fuel processing system during the period of inactivity. 20. A method for maintaining hydrogen permeability of a hydrogen-selective membrane included in a membrane separation assembly that forms a part of a fuel cell system, the fuel cell system further including a hydrogen-producing region adapted to accept a feed stream and produce a mixed gas stream containing hydrogen gas therefrom and supply it to the membrane separation assembly and a fuel cell stack adapted to receive a product hydrogen stream produced by the membrane separation assembly and produce an electrical output therefrom to satisfy an applied load from an energy-consuming device, the method comprising: periodically supplying a non-oxidizing gas stream to the membrane separation assembly during periods in which there is no demand for production of the electrical output from the fuel cell stack to satisfy the applied load from the energy-consuming device; andpurging one or more oxidants from the membrane separation assembly with the non-oxidizing gas stream. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the non-oxidizing gas stream includes a reducing gas stream. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the reducing gas stream includes at least one of the mixed gas stream and hydrogen gas provided from a hydrogen storage device. 23. The method of claim 20, wherein the one or more oxidants includes oxygen gas. 24. The method of claim 20, wherein the fuel cell system is adapted to provide the electrical output when a primary power source is unable to satisfy the applied load. 25. The method of claim 20, wherein the method further includes heating a portion of the fuel cell system to a thermally buffered temperature range, wherein the portion of the fuel cell system includes at least the hydrogen-selective membrane, and further wherein the thermally buffered temperature range includes a temperature range at which at least a portion of the hydrogen-selective membrane may be oxidized upon exposure to oxygen gas. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein the method further includes maintaining the fuel cell system in the thermally buffered temperature range during time periods in which there is no demand for the electrical output from the fuel cell stack. 27. The method of claim 20, wherein the method further includes chemically reducing oxides present on the hydrogen-selective membrane. 28. The method of claim 20, wherein the method further includes sorbing oxidant from within the membrane separation assembly during a period of inactivity. 29. A method for maintaining hydrogen permeability in a thermally buffered hydrogen-producing fuel processing system that includes a feedstock supply system adapted to supply a feedstock stream, a hydrogen-producing region adapted to produce from the feedstock stream a mixed gas stream containing hydrogen gas as a majority component, and a separation assembly including at least one hydrogen-selective membrane and adapted to separate the mixed gas stream into a product hydrogen stream and a byproduct stream, the method comprising: heating a portion of the thermally buffered hydrogen-producing fuel processing system to a thermally buffered temperature range, wherein the portion of the thermally buffered hydrogen-producing fuel processing system includes at least the hydrogen-selective membrane, and further wherein the thermally buffered temperature range includes a temperature range at which at least a portion of the hydrogen-selective membrane may be oxidized upon exposure to an oxidant;maintaining the portion of the thermally buffered hydrogen-producing fuel processing system in the thermally buffered temperature range during a period of inactivity in which the mixed gas stream is not being delivered to the separation assembly; andsorbing oxidant from a retentate side of the separation assembly with a sorbent material during the period of inactivity. 30. The method of claim 29, wherein the method further includes periodically replacing the sorbent material. 31. The method of claim 29, wherein the method further includes periodically recharging the sorbent material. 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the periodically recharging includes delivering a reducing gas stream to the sorbent material to remove sorbed oxidant therefrom. 33. The method of claim 29, wherein the sorbent material includes at least one of cerium, a cerium compound, and a low temperature shift catalyst.
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