Energy plant

Abstract

Energy plant (1, 30, 40), comprising at least one reactor (2) for the chemical conversion of reactants to products, wherein the conversion supplies energy, in particular in the form of electrical energy, and conveying means (9, 21) for conveying a reactant stream containing the reactants into the reactor (2) and / or a product stream containing the products out of the reactor (2), wherein the conveying means (9, 21) are designed to be drivable by a fuel stream containing a fuel, wherein the fuel stream is different from the product stream, wherein it comprises conduit means (10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 25, 22) for recirculating the product stream into the reactor (2), wherein the reactor (2) is designed as a fuel cell (2), in particular a fuel cell (2) with a proton-conducting membrane, characterized in that it comprises two control valves (13, 22), in particular three-way valves, which can be switched in such a waythat the conduit means (10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 25, 22) form a recirculation circuit closed to the environment on one side of a cathode of the reactor (2).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an energy plant comprising at least one reactor for the chemical conversion of reactants to products, wherein the conversion supplies energy, in particular in the form of electrical energy, and conveying means for conveying a reactant stream containing the reactants into the reactor and / or a product stream containing the products out of the reactor, wherein the conveying means are designed to be drivable by a fuel stream containing a fuel.

[0002] A conventional energy system is known, for example, from US 2004 / 0150366 A1. The energy system according to US 2004 / 0150366 A1, which is referred to therein as a power generation system 10, comprises a solid oxide fuel cell 16. The solid oxide fuel cell 16 is operated with a hydrocarbon fuel and air. The exhaust gas exiting the solid oxide fuel cell 16 flows through an air heat exchanger 26, where heat is transferred from the exhaust gas to the air to heat the air before entering the solid oxide fuel cell 16. The exhaust gas then flows through an oxidizer system 14 (COPX) to heat the hydrocarbon fuel before entering the solid oxide fuel cell 16. Subsequently, the exhaust gas finally flows around the turbine 28 of a turbocharger 11, so that a compressor 12 of the turbocharger 28 is driven by the exhaust gas in order to compress the air flowing into the energy system.

[0003] However, the efficiency of such an energy system or that of an analogously designed energy system with another fuel cell, such as a fuel cell with a proton-conducting membrane, is noticeably lower than the maximum achievable efficiency, where efficiency is defined as the ratio between the energy supplied by it and the energy supplied to it for this purpose.

[0004] A fuel cell system with a compressor for the supply air is known from DE 10 2013 001 209 A1.

[0005] DE 10 2015 001 352 A1 discloses a fuel cell system with a storage tank in fluid communication with an air inlet line.

[0006] DE 10 2014 002 323 A1 relates to a fuel cell system in which a cathode recirculation line branches off from the exhaust air line in front of the exhaust air turbine in the flow direction of the exhaust air, wherein the exhaust air turbine and the recirculation conveyor device are in mechanical drive connection.

[0007] DE 10 2004 037 141 A1 discloses a central drive for the media supply of a fuel cell system.

[0008] The present invention is therefore based on the object of improving a generic energy plant such that it supplies energy, in particular electrical energy, with a higher efficiency, wherein the efficiency is defined by the ratio of useful work to a unit volume of the reactant stream fed to the reactor.

[0009] The object of the invention is achieved with regard to the generic energy plant by an energy plant having the feature combination of one of patent claims 1, 2 or 3.

[0010] In the energy plant according to patent claim 1, the object is achieved in that the drive material stream is different from the product material stream. Advantageously for the efficiency of the energy plant according to the invention, a drive material stream with a kinetic energy that is, for example, higher than that of the product material stream than that which prevails, for example, when the product material stream exits the reactor can be used, so that the conveying means can transfer a corresponding differential energy from the drive material stream to the reactant material stream in order to increase its flow velocity. This makes it possible, in particular, to achieve optimal compression of the reactant material stream in the reactor during start-up operation of the energy plant according to the invention by means of externally supplied energy from a gaseous drive material stream, so that the efficiency of the energy plant according to the invention is thereby improved.

[0011] Within the scope of the invention, the fuel stream can be, for example, exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine, exhaust air from an air conditioning system, bleed air from a jet engine, ram air from an air intake system for an internal combustion engine, or gas from a natural or synthetic gas source, or mixtures thereof. The reactant stream can be, for example, ambient air, which typically contains reactants in the form of oxygen.

[0012] Furthermore, the product stream can also be considered as a reactant stream if it still contains reactants and is fed to the reactor.

[0013] The energy plant according to claim 1 comprises conduits for recirculating the product stream into the reactor. Such recirculation is associated with a number of advantages. Firstly, unused reactants are returned to the reactor, so that the corresponding reaction yield and thus the efficiency of the energy plant according to the invention can be increased. Surprisingly, the reactor can then also be hermetically sealed from the fuel stream and thus from the surrounding environment, so that the reactor can even be operated in a reactant-free environment. Furthermore, in the case of gaseous reactants, a higher gas flow can be achieved in the reactor, so that the products are advantageously discharged from the reactor more reliably.

[0014] An energy plant according to patent claim 1 comprises the reactor in the form of a fuel cell, for example with a first inlet for oxygen and a second inlet for hydrogen as well as an oxygen source. The fuel cell has an inlet side and an outlet side as well as an anode side and a cathode side. The reactants (here oxygen and hydrogen) are fed to the fuel cell on the inlet side, and the corresponding reaction product (water) is removed on the outlet side. The oxidation of hydrogen takes place on the anode side, and the reduction of oxygen on the cathode side, with protons on the cathode side combining to form water through the reduction of oxygen (2H+ + 2e- + 1 / 2 O2 → H2O). Water is produced by conducting the protons through a membrane.The first inlet for oxygen is connected to the inlet side of the cathode side of the fuel cell, and the second inlet for hydrogen is connected to the inlet side of the anode side of the fuel cell. The energy system according to the invention accordingly has a cathode-side connection, wherein the cathode-side connection is a connection between the outlet side of the cathode side of the fuel cell and the inlet side of the cathode side of the fuel cell. The oxygen source is connected to the cathode-side connection in order to compensate for the proportion of oxygen converted during oxidation by means of an oxygen gas stream by adding oxygen. According to this embodiment, the energy system according to the invention further has an anode-side connection, wherein the anode-side connection is a connection between the outlet side of the anode side of the fuel cell and the inlet side of the anode side of the fuel cell.The cathode-side connection thus serves to recirculate the oxygen not converted in the fuel cell, while the anode-side connection serves to recirculate the hydrogen not converted in the fuel cell.

[0015] The energy plant according to claim 2 comprises supply means for supplying the product stream with the reactants as needed, wherein the supply means are connected to the conduit means. Thus, for example, during recirculation of the product stream into the reactor, the increasing depletion of reactants in the product stream with increasing number of recirculation cycles can be advantageously compensated.

[0016] The energy plant according to the invention is further improved if the conveying means comprise at least one turbomachine with a drive train comprising a drive device, in particular a turbine, and an output device, in particular a compressor or a pump, wherein the drive device can be arranged in the drive material stream and the output device in the reactant material stream and / or the product material stream. Advantageously for the efficiency of the energy plant according to the invention, the output device serves to compensate for pressure losses in the reactor by transferring kinetic energy of the drive material stream via the drive device to the output device and thus to the product material stream in the event of recirculation of the product material stream into the reactor and / or to the reactant material stream.Particularly preferably, the output device is arranged in the reactant stream and / or the product stream in such a way that condensation of the reactant stream and / or the product stream in the output device is avoided. According to this embodiment, the turbomachine is designed, for example, as a turbocharger with a compressor and a turbine, wherein the turbine and the compressor are coupled to one another by a turbine shaft.

[0017] According to a further preferred embodiment of the energy system according to the invention, the turbomachine comprises at least one electric motor, wherein the electric motor is coupled to the drive train either as a generator or as a motor. It is already known from the prior art that an electric motor can drive a compressor to compress a material flow if the kinetic energy of a gas flow driving the compressor is insufficient for the required compression of the material flow. According to this embodiment, however, if necessary, excess energy of the drive material flow is fed into the energy system according to the invention in the form of electrical energy using generator operation of the electric motor, which is advantageous for efficiency.The supplied electrical energy is then provided, for example, for the operation of optional peripheral devices of the energy system according to the invention, which can be, for example, coolant pumps or recirculation pumps. Surprisingly, depending on whether the electric motor is coupled to the drive train of the turbomachine as a generator or motor, the reactant flow and, in the case of recirculation of the product flow into the reactor, the product flow can be regulated. This means that, as needed, excess kinetic energy of the drive flow can be converted into electrical energy, while in the case of a deficit in kinetic energy, the turbomachine can be driven by the electric motor. Nevertheless, the invention is not limited to such an electric motor.Rather, any machine which, depending on its operating mode, can be driven by the turbomachine or can be driven by it to provide electrical energy is considered within the scope of the invention.

[0018] If the energy plant according to the invention comprises at least one moisture exchanger for exchanging moisture between the fuel stream and the product stream and / or between the fuel stream and the reactant stream and / or at least one heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the fuel stream and the product stream and / or between the fuel stream and the reactant stream, the product stream or the reactant stream can advantageously have a temperature and humidity that is optimal for the operation of the reactor and thus of the energy plant according to the invention.

[0019] Dehumidification of the product stream is particularly important when recirculating the product stream into the reactor, since recirculation can typically lead to increased moisture input into the reactor. Surprisingly, the moisture exchanger prevents corresponding power losses in the energy system according to the invention. This is particularly advantageous for a reactor designed as a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell, since a critical moisture content should prevail in the reactor to ensure the stability of the polymer electrolyte membrane and thus the service life of the fuel cell.

[0020] The energy plant according to claim 3 comprises second conveying means for conveying a coolant stream containing a coolant and / or a heating stream containing a heating stream into and / or out of the reactor, wherein the second conveying means are designed to be drivable by the drive stream. This is particularly advantageous for temperature control of the reactor, since the second conveying means improve the circulation of the coolant stream and / or heating stream.

[0021] In an improved embodiment, the energy plant according to the invention comprises second conduit means for recirculating the heating fuel flow or the cooling fuel flow into the reactor and / or a second heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the fuel flow and the heating fuel flow or between the fuel flow and the cooling fuel flow. This makes it possible, for example, to quickly bring the reactor to its optimal operating temperature during start-up operation, which in turn further improves the efficiency of the energy plant according to the invention.

[0022] The energy plant according to the invention is further improved if it comprises a condenser that can be arranged in the product stream for dewatering the product stream as needed and / or a separator that can be arranged in the product stream for cleaning the product stream as needed. The product stream is then dewatered upon exiting the reactor and flowing through the condenser, which is beneficial for the efficiency of the energy plant according to the invention. The separator can be, for example, a centrifugal separator for removing condensed water from the product stream, after which the efficiency of the energy plant according to the invention is further improved.

[0023] Finally, it is advantageous if the reactor is designed as a fuel cell, in particular a fuel cell with a proton-conducting membrane. The chemical reaction of a fuel with oxygen can then be used in the reactor to generate electrical energy. For this purpose, the fuel cell advantageously contains membrane-electrode assemblies as a core component, each of which is designed as a composite of an ion-conducting, in particular proton-conducting, membrane and an electrode (anode and cathode) arranged on either side of the membrane.

[0024] The invention is described by way of example in a preferred embodiment with reference to a drawing, wherein further advantageous details can be taken from the figures of the drawing.

[0025] Functionally identical parts are provided with the same reference symbols. Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of an energy system according to the invention according to a first embodiment with a first valve circuit; Fig. 2 shows a schematic view of the energy system according to the invention according to Fig. 1 with a second valve circuit; Fig. 3 shows a schematic view of an energy plant according to the invention according to a second embodiment; and Fig. 4 shows a schematic view of an energy plant according to the invention according to a third embodiment.

[0026] Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of an energy system 1 according to the invention according to a first embodiment with a first valve circuit. The energy system 1 is intended to be used to generate electrical energy for operating a vehicle, aircraft, ship, submarine, single-family home, power plant, or the like (not shown). The essential component of the energy system 1 is a fuel cell 2, which is designed as a PEM fuel cell. This has a cathode 3 and an anode 4. Hydrogen is supplied to the anode 4 through an access line 109, wherein the access line 109 is connected to a compressed gas storage device (not shown here).Hydrogen not consumed at the anode 4 returns to an area at the inlet of the anode 4 via recirculation lines 5 and a recirculation pump 6 and is fed back to the anode 4, mixed as needed with fresh hydrogen from the compressed gas reservoir (not shown here). To maintain the hydrogen concentration required for optimal operation of the anode 4 in the anode circuit thus formed, impurities in the recirculated hydrogen are removed using a schematically illustrated drain valve 7 and drain lines 8. The fuel cell 2 further comprises a heat exchanger 29 for regulating its temperature.

[0027] Ambient air is supplied to the cathode 3 of the fuel cell 2 as an oxygen supplier via a compressor 9 and an access line 10. The compressor 9 compresses the ambient air, which is supplied to it on its inlet side via lines 11 and 12. The lines 11 and 12 are connected to one another by means of a control valve 13 shown schematically here, with the control valve 13 being switched accordingly in the embodiment of the energy system 1 shown here. After the compressor 9, the ambient air flows into an enthalpy exchanger 14, in which the humidity and temperature of such cathode supply air are adjusted via a secondary media flow from a turbine 21, by ensuring the water vapor transfer through the enthalpy exchanger 14. Depending on the position of valves 13 and 22, the relatively humid cathode-side exhaust air and / or the ambient air from a branch line 26 can be used as the secondary media flow.The ambient air then flows to the cathode 3 of the fuel cell 2. Here, at least a portion of the oxygen contained in the ambient air is reacted in the fuel cell 2 with the hydrogen supplied on the anode side. This produces electrical energy and water. Oxygen-depleted exhaust air carries the water out of the fuel cell 2 and then flows through an exhaust air line 15 into a condenser 16, in which the exhaust air is cooled to such an extent that at least a portion of the water vapor it contains condenses. The exhaust air then flows through an exhaust air line 17 into a centrifugal separator 18, in which at least a portion of the condensed water is removed from the exhaust air.The exhaust air, which still has a higher pressure and a higher temperature than the ambient air in line 11, flows through exhaust air lines 19 and 20 and then into a turbine 21, wherein the exhaust air lines 19 and 20 are connected to one another by means of a control valve 22 shown schematically here, in that the control valve 22 is switched accordingly in the embodiment of the energy system 1 shown here. In the area of the turbine 21, at least part of the kinetic energy present in the exhaust air is recovered and can be made available to drive the compressor 19. Downstream of the turbine 21, the expanded exhaust air enters the environment through an exhaust air line 23, wherein the exhaust air previously flows through the enthalpy exchanger 14.Alternatively or additionally, the ambient air can be supplied to the fuel cell 2 on the cathode 3 side due to a pressure difference between its cathode-side inlet and outlet, so that the compressor 9 and the turbine 21 can be dispensed with.

[0028] The compressor 9 and the turbine 21 together form a turbocharger, which in the energy plant 1 according to the invention is arranged according to the Fig. 1 also comprises an electric motor 24, which provides additional drive power to drive the compressor 9 if the kinetic energy of the exhaust air recovered in the area of the turbine 21 is insufficient to drive the compressor 9 alone. If the kinetic energy of the exhaust air in the area of the turbine 21 is greater than the energy required by the compressor 9, the electric motor 24 can also be operated as a generator to provide electrical power, for example, for peripheral devices of the energy system 1 and / or devices supplied with electrical energy by it.

[0029] At this point it is expressly pointed out that in the case of energy system 1 according to Fig. 1 Energy is recovered from the exhaust air, as is already known from the art, since the control valves 13 and 22 are designed such that the exhaust air of the fuel cell 2 flows through the turbine 21 and the enthalpy exchanger 14. Thus, branch lines 25 and 26, which are connected to the line 11 and the exhaust air line 19, respectively, are blocked off from the lines 11 and 19 by the corresponding switching of the control valves 13 and 22. Since the fuel cell 2 in the energy system 1 according to Fig. 1 is supplied with ambient air on the cathode side, it is not additionally enriched with oxygen from an oxygen pressure gas storage device 27, shown schematically here, which is connected to the line 10 via an oxygen line 28.

[0030] Fig. 2 shows a schematic view of the energy system 1 according to the invention according to Fig. 1 with a second valve circuit. In the energy system 1, however, the control valves 13 and 22 are connected such that the lines 12, 10, 15, 17, and 25 form a recirculation circuit closed to the environment on the cathode 3 side of the fuel cell 2. In the recirculation circuit, the exhaust air from the fuel cell 2 is recirculated with the aid of the compressor 9 and, if necessary, supplied with fresh oxygen from the oxygen pressure gas storage device 27 via the oxygen line 28. With the aid of the enthalpy exchanger 14, excess thermal energy and / or moisture in the recirculated exhaust air, which becomes enriched with heat and / or moisture with an increasing number of recirculation cycles, can be transferred to an exhaust gas flowing through the lines 20, 23, and 26 and the turbine 21, for example from an air conditioning system (not shown here).Depending on the desired operating conditions, active cooling of the exhaust air by the condenser 16 can then be dispensed with. The exhaust gas drives the turbine 21 and thus the compressor 9.

[0031] Fig. Figure 3 shows a schematic view of an energy system 30 according to the invention according to a second embodiment. The energy system 30 is analogous to the energy system 1 from Figures Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, wherein the control valves 13 and 22 are arranged according to Fig. 2 are connected so that the exhaust air is recirculated in a closed recirculation circuit. In the energy system 30, however, the exhaust gas from the exhaust air line 23 flows into a turbine 31. The turbine 31 transfers the corresponding kinetic energy of the exhaust gas to a pump 32, so that the pump 32 is driven by the exhaust gas. The pump 32 conveys a cooling and / or heating medium through lines 33, 34 and 35, whereby the lines 33 and 35 are directly connected to the heat exchanger 29, which is only for reasons of illustration compared to the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 is arranged offset in the fuel cell 2, so that the cooling and / or heating medium absorbs heat from the fuel cell 2 or releases heat to the fuel cell 2 when passing through the heat exchanger 29. Depending on the switching of a valve 37, to which the lines 34 and 37 and the pump 32 are connected, the cooling and / or heating medium flows either from the line 34 through a plate heat exchanger 36, in which it releases the heat absorbed from the fuel cell 2 or absorbs heat required to heat the fuel cell 2 from the exhaust gas, depending on the operating conditions and the exhaust gas, or from the heat exchanger 29 through the line 34 directly back to the pump 32. The exhaust gas flows from the turbine 31 into the heat exchanger 36 and then through a line 39 into the environment.

[0032] The pump 32 and the turbine 31 together form a turbo pump, which in the energy plant 30 according to the invention according to the Fig. 3 also includes an electric motor 38, which provides additional drive power to drive the pump 32 if the kinetic energy of the exhaust gas recovered in the area of the turbine 31 is insufficient to drive the pump 32 alone. If the kinetic energy of the exhaust gas in the area of the turbine 31 is greater than the energy required by the pump 32, the electric motor 38 can also be operated as a generator to provide electrical power, for example, for peripheral devices of the energy system 30 and / or devices supplied with electrical energy by it.

[0033] Fig. Figure 4 shows a schematic view of an energy system 40 according to the invention according to a third embodiment. The energy system 40 is analogous to the energy system 30 from Fig. 3, wherein the control valves 13 and 22 are arranged according to the Fig. 3 are connected so that the exhaust air recirculates in a closed recirculation circuit, with the exhaust gas blocked off from it driving the compressor 9 via the turbine 21. In contrast to the energy system 30, the line 39 of the energy system 40 is connected to a turbine 41. The turbine 41 and thus the exhaust gas drives the recirculation pump 6 to supply the anode 4 with hydrogen. The exhaust gas then flows through a line 42 into the environment.

[0034] The turbine 41 and the recirculation pump 6 together form a second turbo pump, which in the energy plant 40 according to the invention according to the Fig.4 also includes an electric motor 43, which provides additional drive power to drive the recirculation pump 6 if the kinetic energy of the exhaust gas recovered in the area of the turbine 41 is insufficient to drive the recirculation pump 6 alone. If the kinetic energy of the exhaust gas in the area of the turbine 41 is greater than the energy required by the recirculation pump 6, the electric motor 43 can also be operated as a generator to provide electrical power, for example, for peripheral devices of the energy system 40 and / or devices supplied with electrical energy by it. LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS 1 energy plant 2 fuel cells 3 Cathode 4 Anode 5 Recirculation line 6 Recirculation pump 7 Drain valve 8 Drain line 9 compressors 10 Access line 11 Line 12 Line 13 Control valve 14 Enthalpy exchangers 15 Exhaust air duct 16 Capacitor 17 Exhaust air duct 18 centrifugal separators 19 Exhaust air duct 20 exhaust air duct 21 turbines 22 Control valve 23 Exhaust air duct 24 electric motor 25 branch line 26 branch line 27 oxygen pressure gas storage tanks 28 Oxygen line 29 heat exchangers 30 Energy plant 31 turbines 32 Pump 33 Line 34 Line 35 Line 36 plate heat exchangers 37 Valve 38 electric motor 39 Line 40 energy plant 41 turbines 42 Line 43 Electric motor 109 Access line

Claims

[1] An energy plant (1, 30, 40) comprising at least one reactor (2) for the chemical conversion of reactants to products, the conversion providing energy, in particular in the form of electrical energy, and conveying means (9, 21) for conveying a reactant stream containing the reactants into the reactor (2) and / or a product stream containing the products out of the reactor (2), the conveying means (9, 21) being designed to be drivable by a fuel stream containing a fuel, the fuel stream being different from the product stream, and comprising conduit means (10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 25, 22) for recirculating the product stream into the reactor (2), the reactor (2) being designed as a fuel cell (2), in particular a fuel cell (2) with a proton-conducting membrane, characterized byin that it comprises two control valves (13, 22), in particular three-way valves, which can be switched in such a way that the conduit means (10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 25, 22) form a recirculation circuit closed to the environment on one side of a cathode of the reactor (2). [2] Energy plant (1, 30, 40), comprising at least one reactor (2) for the chemical conversion of reactants to products, wherein the conversion supplies energy, in particular in the form of electrical energy, and conveying means (9, 21) for conveying a reactant stream containing the reactants into the reactor (2) and / or a product stream containing the products out of the reactor (2), wherein the conveying means (9, 21) are designed to be drivable by a fuel stream containing a fuel, wherein the fuel stream is different from the product stream, wherein it comprises conduit means (10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 25, 22) for recirculating the product stream into the reactor (2), characterized by that it comprises supply means (27, 28) for supplying the product stream with the reactants as required, wherein the supply means (27, 28) are connected to the line means (10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 25, 22). [3] Energy plant (1, 30, 40), comprising at least one reactor (2) for the chemical conversion of reactants to products, wherein the conversion supplies energy, in particular in the form of electrical energy, and conveying means (9, 21) for conveying a reactant stream containing the reactants into the reactor (2) and / or a product stream containing the products out of the reactor (2), wherein the conveying means (9, 21) are designed to be drivable by a fuel stream containing a fuel, wherein the fuel stream is different from the product stream, characterized by in that it comprises second conveying means (31, 32) for conveying a coolant stream containing a coolant and / or a heating substance stream containing a heating substance into the reactor (2) and / or out of the reactor (2), wherein the second conveying means (31, 32) are designed to be drivable by the drive substance stream. [4] Energy plant (1, 30, 40) according to claim 3, characterized bythat it comprises conduit means (10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 25, 22) for recirculating the product stream into the reactor (2). [5] Energy plant (1, 30, 40) according to one of claims 1, 3 or 4, characterized by that it comprises supply means (27, 28) for supplying the product stream with the reactants as required, wherein the supply means (27, 28) are connected to the line means (10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 25, 22). [6] Energy plant (1, 30, 40) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the conveying means (9, 21) comprise at least one turbomachine (9, 21) with a drive train comprising a drive device (21), in particular a turbine (21), and an output device (9), in particular a compressor (9) or a pump, wherein the drive device (21) can be arranged in the drive material flow and the output device (9) can be arranged in the reactant material flow and / or the product material flow. [7] Energy plant (1, 30, 40) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the turbomachine (9, 21) comprises at least one electric motor (24), wherein the electric motor is optionally coupled to the drive train as a generator or motor, and / or that it comprises at least one moisture exchanger (14) for exchanging moisture between the drive material stream and the product material stream and / or between the drive material stream and the reactant material stream. [8] Energy plant (1, 30, 40) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat it comprises at least one heat exchanger (14) for exchanging heat between the drive material stream and the product material stream and / or between the drive material stream and the reactant material stream and / or that it comprises a condenser (16) which can be arranged in the product material stream for dewatering the product material stream as required and / or a separator (18) which can be arranged in the product material stream for cleaning the product material stream as required. [9] Energy plant (1, 30, 40) according to one of claims 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 or 8, characterized by in that it comprises second conveying means (31, 32) for conveying a coolant stream containing a coolant and / or a heating substance stream containing a heating substance into the reactor (2) and / or out of the reactor (2), wherein the second conveying means (31, 32) are designed to be drivable by the drive substance stream. [10] Energy plant (1, 30, 40) according to claim 3 or 9, characterized bythat it comprises second conduit means (32, 33, 34, 35) for recirculating the heating material flow or the cooling material flow into the reactor (2) and / or a second heat exchanger (36) for exchanging heat between the fuel flow and the heating material flow or between the fuel flow and the cooling material flow. [11] Energy plant (1, 30, 40) according to one of claims 2 to 10, characterized by that the reactor (2) is designed as a fuel cell (2), in particular a fuel cell (2) with a proton-conducting membrane.

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