IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
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국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
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출원번호 |
US-0168751
(2011-06-24)
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등록번호 |
US-8691463
(2014-04-08)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
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출원인 / 주소 |
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대리인 / 주소 |
Dascenzo Intellectual Property Law, P.C.
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
0 인용 특허 :
49 |
초록
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Thermally primed fuel processing assemblies and hydrogen-producing fuel cell systems that include the same. The thermally primed fuel processing assemblies include at least one hydrogen-producing region housed within an internal compartment of a heated containment structure. In some embodiments, the
Thermally primed fuel processing assemblies and hydrogen-producing fuel cell systems that include the same. The thermally primed fuel processing assemblies include at least one hydrogen-producing region housed within an internal compartment of a heated containment structure. In some embodiments, the heated containment structure is an oven. In some embodiments, the compartment also contains a purification region and/or heating assembly. In some embodiments, the containment structure is adapted to heat and maintain the internal compartment at or above a threshold temperature, which may correspond to a suitable hydrogen-producing temperature. In some embodiments, the containment structure is adapted to maintain this temperature during periods in which the fuel cell system is not producing power and/or not producing power to satisfy an applied load to the system. In some embodiments, the fuel cell system is adapted to provide backup power to a power source, which may be adapted to power the containment structure.
대표청구항
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1. A thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system, comprising: a fuel processing assembly comprising a hydrogen-producing region that contains a reforming catalyst, wherein the hydrogen-producing region is located within a housing that defines an exterior surface and is configured to r
1. A thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system, comprising: a fuel processing assembly comprising a hydrogen-producing region that contains a reforming catalyst, wherein the hydrogen-producing region is located within a housing that defines an exterior surface and is configured to receive a feed stream containing at least a carbon-containing feedstock and water and, when the hydrogen-producing region is at least within a hydrogen-producing temperature range, to produce from the feed stream a mixed gas stream containing hydrogen gas and other gasses;an insulated containment structure including an enclosure, wherein the enclosure includes walls that include inner surfaces that define an internal compartment containing at least the hydrogen-producing region of the fuel processing assembly, wherein the exterior surface of the housing is spaced apart from at least a portion of the inner surfaces, wherein the enclosure includes a feed stream port, which is configured to receive the feed stream into the internal compartment, and further wherein the enclosure includes a product hydrogen port, which is configured to permit at least hydrogen gas from the mixed gas stream to exit the internal compartment;a feed stream conduit that is configured to convey the feed stream from the feed stream port to the fuel processing assembly;a product hydrogen conduit that is configured to convey at least the hydrogen gas from the fuel processing assembly to the product hydrogen port;a heating assembly configured to heat and maintain at least the internal compartment of the insulated containment structure at or above a threshold hydrogen-producing temperature that is within the hydrogen-producing temperature range, wherein the heating assembly is an electrical heater that is configured to receive an air stream and to heat the air stream to generate a heating fluid stream therefrom, and further wherein the enclosure includes an inlet port that is configured to receive the heating fluid stream into the internal compartment and an exhaust port that is configured to permit the heating fluid stream to exit the internal compartment; anda controller configured to selectively control the operation of the thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system to heat and maintain at least the internal compartment of the insulated containment structure at or above the threshold hydrogen-producing temperature during periods in which there is no active demand for the fuel processing assembly to produce the mixed gas stream and the fuel processing assembly is not producing the mixed gas stream such that the hydrogen-producing region will generate the mixed gas stream directly responsive to receipt of the feed stream. 2. A thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel cell system, comprising: the thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system of claim 1; anda fuel cell stack configured to receive an oxidant and a fuel stream, wherein the fuel stream includes hydrogen gas from the mixed gas stream, and further wherein the fuel cell stack is configured to generate a fuel cell power output from the fuel stream and the oxidant to satisfy an applied load from an energy-consuming device when a primary power source that is normally configured to satisfy the applied load is not providing a primary power output to satisfy the applied load. 3. The thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system of claim 1, wherein the thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system is in electrical communication with a primary power source that is normally configured to provide a primary power output to satisfy an applied load, wherein the heating assembly includes an electrical heating assembly and is configured to heat and maintain the internal compartment of the insulated containment structure at or above the threshold hydrogen-producing temperature during periods in which the primary power source is providing the primary power output to satisfy the applied load, and further wherein the heating assembly is configured to be powered by the primary power source when the primary power source is providing the primary power output. 4. The thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system of claim 3, wherein the heating assembly is a first heating assembly that is configured to not generate and provide heat to the internal compartment of the enclosure during periods in which the primary power source is not providing the primary power output, and further wherein the thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system further includes a second heating assembly that is configured to provide heat to the hydrogen-producing region when the primary power source is not providing the primary power output. 5. The thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system of claim 1, wherein the heating assembly is configured to stop heating and maintaining the internal compartment at or above the threshold hydrogen-producing temperature when the fuel processing assembly is producing the mixed gas stream. 6. The thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system of claim 1, wherein the heating assembly is configured to stop heating and maintaining the internal compartment after the fuel processing assembly produces the mixed gas stream. 7. The thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system of claim 4, wherein the second heating assembly is positioned within the enclosure and is configured to receive and combust a gaseous fuel stream to provide heat to at least the hydrogen-producing region of the fuel processing assembly when the fuel processing assembly is producing the mixed gas stream. 8. The thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system of claim 1, wherein the hydrogen-producing region is configured to produce the mixed gas stream from the feed stream directly responsive to receipt of the feed stream and without requiring a startup heating period after an active demand for the thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system to produce the mixed gas stream. 9. The thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system of claim 1, wherein the feed stream includes methanol and the threshold hydrogen-producing temperature is between 200° C. and 350° C. 10. The thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system of claim 1, wherein the fuel processing assembly further comprises a purification region configured to receive at least a portion of the mixed gas stream and to produce a product hydrogen stream therefrom, wherein the product hydrogen stream includes at least one of a greater concentration of hydrogen gas and a lower concentration of at least one of the other gasses present in the mixed gas stream, wherein the purification region is within the internal compartment, wherein the purification region includes at least one hydrogen-selective metal membrane, and further wherein the product hydrogen conduit is configured to convey the product hydrogen stream from the purification region to the product hydrogen port. 11. The thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system of claim 1, wherein the thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system is configured to have a thermally biased response time to produce the mixed gas stream with the fuel processing assembly upon an active demand for the fuel processing assembly to generate the mixed gas stream, wherein the thermally biased response time is shorter than a startup response time of a comparative hydrogen-producing fuel processing system that is not a thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system and that does not include the controller, and further wherein the thermally biased response time is less than 2 minutes. 12. A supplemental power system configured to provide supplemental electrical power to an applied load when a primary power source is unable to satisfy the applied load, the supplemental power system comprising: the thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system of claim 1, wherein the thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system is configured to provide at least a portion of the mixed gas stream to a fuel cell stack that is configured to receive an oxidant and the portion of the mixed gas stream and to produce a fuel cell power output therefrom to satisfy at least a portion of the applied load when the primary power source is unable to satisfy the applied load, and further wherein the controller is configured to control the operation of the supplemental power system. 13. The supplemental power system of claim 12, wherein the controller further includes a detector configured to detect that the primary power source is unable to satisfy the applied load, and further wherein the controller is configured to initiate delivery of the feed stream to the hydrogen-producing region responsive to the detector detecting that the primary power source is at least one of unable to satisfy the applied load or not providing sufficient power to satisfy the applied load. 14. The supplemental power system of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to initiate delivery of the feed stream to the hydrogen-producing region responsive to the primary power source being unable to satisfy the applied load. 15. The supplemental power system of claim 12, wherein the heating assembly is a first heating assembly, wherein the thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system further includes a second heating assembly configured to provide heat to at least the hydrogen-producing region of the fuel processing assembly when the fuel processing assembly is producing the mixed gas stream, wherein the controller is configured to initiate heating by the second heating assembly responsive to the primary power source being unable to satisfy the applied load, and further wherein the primary power source being unable to satisfy the applied load includes at least one of the primary power source not providing any power to the applied load and the primary power source not providing sufficient power to satisfy the applied load. 16. A method for controlling the operation of the thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system of claim 1, the method comprising: heating, during a period in which there is no active demand for the hydrogen-producing region to produce the mixed gas stream containing hydrogen gas as a majority component and in which the hydrogen-producing region is not producing the mixed gas stream, at least the hydrogen-producing region of the fuel processing assembly to at least the threshold hydrogen-producing temperature at which the hydrogen-producing region is configured to produce the mixed gas stream from the feed stream;maintaining the hydrogen-producing region at or above the threshold hydrogen-producing temperature during the period;delivering the feed stream to the hydrogen-producing region directly responsive to an active demand for the mixed gas stream; andproducing the mixed gas stream in the hydrogen-producing region. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the heating does not utilize a portion of the mixed gas stream, wherein the method includes ceasing the heating at least after the producing, wherein the method includes initiating combustion heating of at least the hydrogen-producing region after the producing, and further wherein the combustion heating utilizes a portion of the mixed gas stream as a combustible fuel. 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the method further includes detecting the active demand and initiating the delivering responsive thereto. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the producing includes producing the mixed gas stream within two minutes of the detecting. 20. The method of claim 16, wherein the period is a period in which a primary power source is providing an electrical output to satisfy an applied load, and wherein the method further includes producing, with at least a portion of the mixed gas stream and an oxidant, an electrical output from a fuel cell stack, and further wherein the method further includes satisfying at least a portion of the applied load with the electrical output from the fuel cell stack. 21. The thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to heat and maintain the hydrogen-producing region at or above the threshold hydrogen-producing temperature during periods in which no hydrogen-consuming process is configured to receive the mixed gas stream. 22. The thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system of claim 7, wherein the enclosure further includes an air inlet port, which is configured to receive an air stream that is configured to be supplied to the second heating assembly, wherein the second heating assembly is configured to generate a combustion exhaust stream from the gaseous fuel stream and an air stream, and further wherein the enclosure includes an exhaust port that is configured to permit the combustion exhaust stream to exit the internal compartment. 23. The thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system of claim 4, wherein the second heating assembly is external to the enclosure and is configured to receive and combust a gaseous fuel stream to generate a combustion exhaust stream, wherein the enclosure includes an inlet port that is configured to receive the combustion exhaust stream into the internal compartment and an exhaust port that is configured to permit the combustion exhaust stream to exit the internal compartment. 24. The thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system of claim 1, wherein the system further includes a temperature-modulating structure that is located within the internal compartment and selectively defines a subcompartment within the internal compartment with a temperature that is different from a temperature of a remainder of the internal compartment. 25. The thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system of claim 1, wherein the system further includes a vaporization region that is configured to receive the feed stream and to generate a vaporized feed stream therefrom, wherein the vaporization region is located within the internal compartment, wherein the feed stream conduit is configured to convey the feed stream from the feed stream port to the vaporization region, and further wherein the system includes a vaporized feed stream conduit that is configured to convey the vaporized feed stream from the vaporization region to the hydrogen-producing region. 26. The thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system of claim 1, wherein the heating assembly is configured to maintain the internal compartment within ±25° C. of a selected threshold temperature that is within the hydrogen-producing temperature range. 27. The thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system of claim 10, wherein the purification region is located within the housing. 28. The thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel processing system of claim 10, wherein the purification region is external to the housing, wherein the system further includes a mixed gas stream conduit that is configured to convey the mixed gas stream from the hydrogen-producing region to the purification region, and further wherein the mixed gas stream conduit is located within the internal compartment.
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