US 11,742,498 B1
Thermal management of a solid oxide fuel cell system
Saurabh Vilekar, Woodbridge, CT (US); Christian Junaedi, Cheshire, CT (US); Eric Edward Allocco, Cheshire, CT (US); and Christopher Howard, Stratford, CT (US)
Assigned to PRECISION COMBUSTION, INC., North Haven, CT (US)
Filed by PRECISION COMBUSTION, INC., North Haven, CT (US)
Filed on Jun. 5, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/893,850.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/859,246, filed on Jun. 10, 2019.
Int. Cl. H01M 8/00 (2016.01); H01M 8/04007 (2016.01); H01M 8/04701 (2016.01)
CPC H01M 8/04074 (2013.01) [H01M 8/04708 (2013.01); H01M 8/04716 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of thermal management of a solid oxide fuel cell system, comprising:
(a) splitting a primary cathode air stream into a first cathode air stream with a first cathode air stream control valve and a second cathode air stream with a second cathode air stream control valve;
(b) passing the first cathode air stream into a cool side of a cathode feed heat exchanger;
(c) feeding from a burner a combustion stream directly into a hot side of the cathode feed heat exchanger and transferring heat from the combustion stream to the first cathode air stream so as to produce a heated first cathode air stream exiting the cathode feed heat exchanger, wherein a burner cooling air stream is fed into the combustion stream downstream of the burner;
(d) bypassing the second cathode air stream around the cathode feed heat exchanger and a preheat exchanger and merging said second cathode air stream into the heated first cathode air stream so as to produce a combined cathode air stream;
(e) feeding the combined cathode air stream into a first side of an equalizer heat exchanger;
(f) feeding an anode fuel stream into a second side of the equalizer heat exchanger; and transferring heat between the first and second sides of the equalizer heat exchanger so as to provide a cathode inlet stream to a solid oxide fuel cell at a cathode inlet stream target temperature and to provide an anode inlet stream to the solid oxide fuel cell at an anode inlet stream target temperature.