Systems and processes of operating fuel cell systems

Abstract

The present invention is directed to systems and processes for operating molten carbonate fuel cell systems. A process for operating the molten carbonate fuel cell includes providing a hydrogen-containing stream comprising molecular hydrogen to a molten carbonate fuel cell anode; heating a hydrocarbon stream, at least a majority of which is comprised of hydrocarbons that are liquid at 20° C. and atmospheric pressure, with a heat source comprising an anode exhaust from the molten carbonate fuel cell anode; contacting at least a portion of the heated hydrocarbon stream with a catalyst to produce a steam reforming feed comprising gaseous hydrocarbons, hydrogen, and at least one carbon oxide; separating at least a portion of the molecular hydrogen from the steam reforming feed; and providing at least a portion of the separated molecular hydrogen to the molten carbonate fuel cell anode as at least a portion of the stream comprising molecular hydrogen.

Description

[0001]This application is a division of application Ser. No. 12 / 797,538, filed Jun. 9, 2010, which application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 187,550, filed Jun. 16, 2009, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to fuel cell systems and to processes of operating fuel cells. In particular, the present invention relates to systems and processes of operating molten carbonate fuel cell systems.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Molten carbonate fuel cells convert chemical energy into electrical energy. Molten carbonate fuel cells are useful in that they deliver high quality reliable electrical power, are clean operating, and are relatively compact power generators. These features make the use of molten carbonate fuel cells attractive as power sources in urban areas, shipping vessels, or remote areas with limited access to power supplies.[0004]Molten carbonate fuel cells are formed of...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention describes a process for operating a molten carbonate fuel cell system using a hydrocarbon stream, which is heated and contacted with a catalyst to produce a steam reforming feed. The molecular hydrogen is then separated from the steam reforming feed and provided to the molten carbonate fuel cell as a part of the hydrogen-containing stream. The invention also includes a high temperature hydrogen-separation device that is part of the reformer and fuel cell system. This technology allows for efficient utilization of hydrogen in a molten carbonate fuel cell system, and improved performance and reliability.

Problems solved by technology

In a conventionally operated steam reformer used to supply fuel gas to a molten carbonate fuel cell, however, little hydrogen is produced by the water-gas shift reaction since the steam reformer is operated at a temperature that energetically favors the production of carbon monoxide and hydrogen by the steam reforming reaction.

Operating at such a temperature disfavors the production of carbon dioxide and hydrogen by the water-gas shift reaction.

Fuel gases containing non-hydrogen compounds such as carbon monoxide, however, are less efficient for producing electrical power in a molten carbonate fuel cell than more pure hydrogen fuel gas streams.

Therefore, fuel gas streams containing significant amounts of non-hydrogen compounds are not as efficient in producing electrical power in a molten carbonate fuel cell as fuel gases containing mostly hydrogen.

Certain measures have been taken to recapture the energy of the hydrogen exiting the fuel cell, however, these are significantly less energy efficient than if the hydrogen were electrochemically reacted in the fuel cell.

Doing so, however, is significantly less efficient than capturing the electrochemical potential of the hydrogen in the fuel cell since much of the thermal energy is lost rather than converted by the expander to electrical energy.

Almost 50% of the thermal energy, however, is lost in such heat exchange applications after combustion.

Hydrogen is an expensive gas to use to fire a burner utilized in inefficient energy recovery systems and, therefore, conventionally, the amount of hydrogen used in the molten carbonate fuel cell is adjusted to utilize most of the hydrogen provided to the fuel cell to produce electrical power and minimize the amount of hydrogen exiting the fuel cell in the fuel cell exhaust.

These methods for providing the heat necessary to drive steam reforming reactions and / or water-gas shift reactions are relatively inefficient energetically since a significant amount of thermal energy provided by combustion is not captured and is lost.

The stream may be cooled, for example, through a heat exchanger, however, thermal energy may be lost in the cooling process.

While more efficient than capturing thermal energy provided by combustion, the process is still relatively thermally inefficient since multiple heating, cooling, and / or separation steps are required to produce hydrogen and / or carbon dioxide.

In addition, the reformers do not convert a liquid hydrocarbon feedstock to a lower molecular weight feed for the steam reformer, and insufficient heat is likely provided from the fuel cell to do so.

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