There is disclose a fuel cell system including at least one fuel cell and a duct to supply oxidant to the cathode of the at least one fuel cell. The duct includes at least one sorbent getter adapted to extract volatile species from the oxidant. The sorbent getter includes at least one member of the group consisting of magnesium oxide, calcium oxide and manganese oxide. The sorbent getter provides the advantage of extracting volatile species from the oxidant stream.

A system and method are provided for increasing efficiency of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system by recapturing water via a condensate extraction system that extracts water from a hot cathode exhaust flow of the SOFC stack. Further, the SOFC system can include a radiant heater which has a fuel inlet, an air intake, and an exhaust outlet independent and separate from the power generating components in the SOFC system. The radiant heater can bring the SOFC stack up to operating temperature quickly and/or maintain near operational mode temperatures of the SOFC stack during a hibernation mode.

A pressurized air supply system includes a turbocharger including a turbine and a compressor, a recuperator for heat exchange between discharged air from the compressor and flue gas exhausted from the turbine, a start-up heater for heating the air, that includes at least either of start-up air or pressurized air from the compressor, which is supplied to discharged air line between the compressor outlet and the recuperator, and a catalytic combustor for supplying, to the turbine, combustion gas which is generated by combustion of fuel with the flowing air heated by the start-up heater.

A fuel cell system for an aircraft includes a hydrogen burner, an oxidizing agent, and a fuel cell. The hydrogen burner has a first inlet suitable for receiving a first oxidizing agent, a second inlet capable of receiving at least hydrogen, and an outlet suitable for delivering a second oxidizing agent and heat. The oxidizing agent conditioning system has an inlet and an outlet, said inlet being suitable for receiving the second oxidizing agent and heat, said outlet being capable of delivering the conditioned second oxidizing agent. The fuel cell has an anode and a cathode, the cathode has a cathode inlet connected to the outlet of the oxidizing agent conditioning system, the cathode inlet receiving the conditioned second oxidizing agent.

A fuel cell system (1) comprising a fuel cell (2), a liquid fuel supply (3) for providing liquid fuel, an evaporator (6) for evaporating the liquid fuel to fuel vapor, a reformer (7) for catalytic conversion of the fuel vapor to syngas for the fuel cell and a burner (8) for heating the reformer (7). The burner (8) comprises a catalytic monolith (21) down-stream of a mixing chamber (31) in which air is mixed with evaporated fuel or rest gas prior to entering the monolith (21). The mixing chamber (31) is surrounded by a sleeve (23), which comprises a plurality of openings (29A, 29B) around the mixing chamber (31) for supply of fuel vapor through the openings (29A, 29B) in the startup phase and for supply of rest gas through the openings (29A, 29B) during normal operation. Optionally, a heat exchanger (17) is provided between the burner (8) and the reformer (7) for reducing the temperature of the exhaust gas from the burner (8) before it reaches the reformer (7). This temperature reduction prevents degradation of the reformer (7) by hot exhaust gas during start-up of the fuel cell system (1).

This present disclosure relates generally to a liquid carbon-neutral energy facility (CNEF) operating as a system and the associated apparatus, methods and processes (methodology) for the generation of Carbon-Neutral Hydrogen (CNH) and Carbon-Neutral Electricity (CNE) in a new facility or alternatively in association with an existing greenfield, oil/gas field, or wholly or partially converted oil refinery and the like, and further relating to the generation and storage of energy and/or electricity by means of chemical potential energy operating as a liquid battery using Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC) compositions.

A coupling system for high-temperature tight coupling of a stack having SOEC/SOFC-type solid oxides is described. The system includes a threaded hollow connector, a smooth hollow connector, and a threaded nut. The threaded hollow connector includes an opening for establishing fluid communication with a gas inlet/outlet pipe and is intended to be attached to the gas inlet/outlet pipe. The smooth hollow connector includes an opening for establishing fluid communication with a gas inlet/outlet pipe of the stack and is intended to be attached to the inlet/outlet pipe. The threaded nut engages with the threaded hollow connector to form a screw/nut system, slides relative to the smooth hollow connector, and includes a first threaded portion and a second smooth portion in sliding contact with the smooth hollow connector.

The present invention relates to a method for heating a fuel cell system (1a; 1b; 1c; 1d) comprising at least one fuel cell stack (2) with an anode portion (3) and a cathode portion (4), and a reformer (5) upstream of the anode portion (3) for steam reforming using a fuel, the reformer (5) comprising a nickel-based catalyst, said method having the following steps: starting a heating process for heating the fuel cell system (1a; 1b; 1c; 1d) with a heating device (6) and conducting a carbon-containing fluid and conducting steam through the nickel-based catalyst of the reformer (5) during the heating process. The invention also relates to a fuel cell system (1a; 1b; 1c; 1d) which is designed to carry out a method according to the invention.

A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell that has a cathode and an anode and generates electricity by reducing a mediator at the cathode; a regenerator that oxidizes, with an oxidant, the mediator reduced by the cathode; a reformer; a combustor that heats the reformer; and a heating medium path that heats the regenerator, wherein through the heating medium path, combustion exhaust discharged from the combustor or a heat medium heated through heat exchange with the combustion exhaust flows.

A direct liquid fuel cell power generation device comprises a direct liquid fuel cell system and a low-temperature auxiliary starting component. A heat exchanger is arranged at a stack cathode inlet. The heat of a fuel solution at a stack anode outlet is used to heat the air. The heat generated by an electronic load for starting is used to heat a condenser. The heat of a methanol solution at a liquid outlet of a gas-liquid separator is used to preheat high-concentration fuel flowing into a refueling pump. Starting and operation in a low-temperature environment can be realized through auxiliary heating of external power supplies such as the low-temperature auxiliary starting component or an in-vehicle cigarette lighter. Organic micromolecule substances such as methanol and ethanol are used as fuel and are subjected to catalytic combustion in a catalytic combustor.