Fuel Cell Starting Burner with External Preheating Guide
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel cell systems face inefficiencies due to cold air supplied for combustion, leading to cooled starting burners and increased operational costs, with existing solutions failing to effectively address the thermal insulation and preheating challenges.
Innovation Solution
A starting burner design featuring a catalyst with an operating fluid guide section arranged outside the catalyst along its wall, preheating the air before it enters the catalyst, providing thermal insulation and efficient combustion without cooling the catalyst, and potentially eliminating the need for additional ignition means.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If cold air is supplied to the catalyst for combustion, then the starting burner structure is simple, but the catalyst is cooled and combustion efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The starting burner is divided into two functional sections: a first section for thermal insulation and a second section for combustion. The operating fluid guide section is positioned in the first section to receive and preheat air, while the catalyst is located in the second section where preheated air is supplied. This segmentation allows the cold air preheating function to be separated from the combustion function, preventing catalyst cooling while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The operating fluid guide section acts as an intermediary component between the ambient air and the catalyst. It receives cold ambient air, preheats it using the thermal energy from the catalyst wall, and then supplies the preheated air to the catalyst. This intermediary preheating process prevents the direct introduction of cold air to the catalyst, thereby maintaining catalyst temperature and combustion efficiency without requiring complex insulation systems.
2Productivity
If operating fluid guide section is arranged outside the catalyst along the catalyst wall, then thermal insulation is improved and combustion efficiency increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The operating fluid guide section is merged with the catalyst housing structure. The guide section forms an annular space around the catalyst, utilizing the existing catalyst wall as one boundary of the guide section. This merging approach allows the thermal insulation and preheating functions to be integrated into the existing catalyst structure without requiring completely separate components, thereby improving combustion efficiency while minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The catalyst wall serves multiple functions: it acts as the combustion catalyst support, provides thermal insulation for the combustion chamber, and serves as one boundary of the operating fluid guide section for air preheating. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, allowing the starting burner to achieve improved thermal insulation and combustion efficiency without proportionally increasing device complexity.
3Temperature
If bypass air is used to cool the starting burner surroundings, then thermal insulation of the catalyst is maintained, but the starting burner efficiency decreases due to cooling
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using bypass air to cool the catalyst surroundings (conventional approach), this invention inverts the approach by using the catalyst wall itself to preheat the operating fluid. The hot catalyst wall serves as the heat source for preheating the air in the operating fluid guide section, rather than using cold bypass air to cool the system. This inversion eliminates the cooling effect on the catalyst while improving combustion efficiency through preheated air supply.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design enhances the efficiency of the catalyst, reduces operational costs, and allows for a compact, cost-effective starting burner suitable for mobile applications by preheating the operating fluid without negatively affecting combustion, thus improving the overall fuel cell system's heat output and operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the operating fluid can be heated by the catalyst
Implementation Method 2
the operating fluid guide section is configured to guide the operating fluid along the catalyst wall in a direction opposite to a passage direction through the catalyst
Implementation Method 3
efficient combustion in the catalyst
Implementation Method 4
a starting burner for a fuel cell system, in particular for a SOFC system
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention concerns a starting burner (100a; 100b) for a fuel cell system (1000a; 1000b), having a catalyst (10) with a catalyst inlet (11) and a catalyst outlet (12), a catalyst area (13) being formed between the catalyst inlet (11) and the catalyst outlet (12), and the catalyst area (13) being surrounded by a catalyst wall (14) in a passage direction (D) from the catalyst inlet (11) to the catalyst outlet (12), and an operating fluid guide section (20) for supplying an operating fluid (F1) to the catalyst inlet (11), wherein the operating fluid guide section (20) is arranged outside the catalyst (10) at least in sections along the catalyst wall (14). The invention also concerns a fuel cell system (1000) with the starting burner (100a; 100b) and a method for heating a service fluid (F1) in the fuel cell system (1000a; 1000b).