Provided is a method of operating a fuel cell system equipped with a fuel cell stack, a liquid hydrogen storage unit configured to store liquid hydrogen, a boil-off gas recovery unit configured to recover boil-off gas generated from the liquid hydrogen storage unit, and a hydrogen concentration estimation unit configured to estimate the hydrogen concentration at a hydrogen electrode in the fuel cell stack in a standby state, the method including: in a case in which a hydrogen concentration at a hydrogen electrode in the fuel cell stack in a standby state has become less than a predetermined value, supplying boil-off gas recovered by the boil-off gas recovery unit to the hydrogen electrode in the fuel cell stack.

A fuel cell module includes a first area where an exhaust gas combustor and a start-up combustor are provided, an annular second area around the first area and where a reformer and an evaporator are provided, an annular third area around the second area and where a heat exchanger is provided, and an annular heat recovery area around the third area as a passage of oxygen-containing gas for recovery of heat radiated from the third area toward the outer circumference.

A fuel cell apparatus may include a stack, a reformer configured to generate reformed gas, a burner, a water supply tank configured to store cooling water, a burner air blower configured to draw in external air and then to blow the air, a vertex tube configured to convert the air into heated air and cooled air, a three-way valve configured to supply the air from the burner air blower selectively to the vertex tube or the burner, a first heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the air discharged from the vertex tube and the cooling water, a second heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the air discharged from the vertex tube and the reformed gas, and a four-way valve configured to supply the heated air and the cooled air to the first and second heat exchangers.

A high-temperature fuel cell system includes a reformer that reforms a hydrocarbon-based raw fuel to generate a reformed gas containing hydrogen, a fuel cell that generates power by using the reformed gas and an oxidant gas, and a burner that heats the reformer. The burner includes an anode-off-gas gathering portion that has an anode-off-gas ejection hole and at which an anode off-gas discharged from an anode of the fuel cell gathers. The anode-off-gas gathering portion surrounds a first cathode-off-gas passing area through which a cathode off-gas discharged from a cathode of the fuel cell passes. The anode-off-gas ejection hole is formed such that the anode off-gas ejected upward from the anode-off-gas ejection hole approaches the cathode off-gas passing upward through the first cathode-off-gas passing area. The anode off-gas ejected from the anode-off-gas ejection hole and the cathode off-gas that has passed through the first cathode-off-gas passing area are burned.

A high-temperature fuel cell system includes a fuel cell that includes an anode and a cathode and that generates power by using a fuel gas and an oxidant gas, a fuel-gas path along which the fuel gas flows, an oxidant-gas path along which the oxidant gas flows, an anode-off-gas path along which an anode off-gas flows, a cathode-off-gas path along which a cathode off-gas flows, a combustion space in communication with the anode-off-gas path and the cathode-off-gas path and in which the anode off-gas and the cathode off-gas are burned, a flue-gas path along which a flue gas flows, a cathode-off-gas branch portion disposed on the cathode-off-gas path between the combustion space and the cathode and at which some of the cathode off-gas is branched from the cathode-off-gas path, and a first heat exchanger that enables heat exchange between the oxidant gas, the flue gas, and the cathode off-gas.

The present invention provides a methanol solid oxide fuel cell and a power generation system comprising the same, wherein the fuel cell is a tubular SOFC cell stack, the tubular SOFC cell stack comprises a plurality of tubular SOFC single cells, and a side wall of an inner pipe of the tubular SOFC single cell at a fuel inlet is of a porous layer structure; an inner wall of the inner pipe is coated with a methanol pyrolysis catalyst layer, and the thickness of the catalyst layer gradually increases along a moving direction of the fuel in the inner pipe. The methanol solid oxide fuel cell can effectively relieve carbon deposition of the anode of the methanol SOFC, and can ensure that the temperature of the whole cell is more uniform and the cell performance is more stable.

A power producing system adapted to be integrated with a flue gas generating assembly, the flue gas generating assembly including one or more of a fossil fueled installation, a fossil fueled facility, a fossil fueled device, a fossil fueled power plant, a boiler, a combustor, a furnace and a kiln in a cement factory, and the power producing system utilizing flue gas containing carbon dioxide and oxygen output by the flue gas generating assembly and comprising: a fuel cell comprising an anode section and a cathode section, wherein inlet oxidant gas to the cathode section of the fuel cell contains the flue gas output from the flue gas generating assembly; and a gas separation assembly receiving anode exhaust output from the anode section of the fuel cell and including a chiller assembly for cooling the anode exhaust to a predetermined temperature so as to liquefy carbon dioxide in the anode exhaust, wherein waste heat produced by the fuel cell is utilized to drive the chiller assembly.

A high-temperature operating fuel cell system includes a reformer that produces a reformed gas from air and a raw material, an air supplier that supplies the air to the reformer, a fuel cell that generates electricity with the reformed gas and air, a combustor in which unutilized portions of the reformed gas and the air burn, a combustion exhaust gas path of a combustion exhaust gas, a depurator including a combustion catalyst for freeing the combustion exhaust gas of toxic substances, a heater that heats the combustion catalyst, and a controller. At start-up in a case of having detected an abnormal stoppage in which a purge operation is impossible, the controller first controls the heater so that the combustion catalyst is heated to a predetermined temperature and then controls the air supplier so that the high-temperature operating fuel cell system is purged by supplying the air to the reformer.

The present invention relates to a burner system for providing thermal energy comprising an evaporator device for evaporating a liquid alcohol fuel, a burner air supply means, a burner device for burning a fuel mixture comprising vaporized fuel and burner air to provide an exhaust gas stream, a functions device for controlling the thermal energy of the exhaust gas flow, wherein the burner device provides the thermal energy for evaporation in the evaporator device during operation.

An apparatus of power generation is provided. The apparatus uses a stack of dense solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). The exhaust gas generated by a burner of the apparatus enters into the SOFC stack for heating. At the same time, the SOFC stack is heated by the thermal radiation and heat transfer of the burner as well as the thermal convection of gases between the anode and the cathode. Thus, the SOFC stack is heated to reach an operating temperature for generating power without any additional electroheat device. The present invention has a simple structure, flexible operation. Moreover, it increased efficiency, reduced pollutant emission with lowered costs of equipment and operation.