A direct carbonaceous material to power generation system integrates one or more solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) into a fluidized bed gasifier. The fuel cell anode is in direct contact with bed material so that the H.sub.2 and CO generated in the bed are oxidized to H.sub.2O and CO.sub.2 to create a push-pull or source-sink reaction environment. The SOFC is exothermic and supplies heat within a reaction chamber of the gasifier where the fluidized bed conducts an endothermic reaction. The products from the anode are the reactants for the reformer and vice versa. A lower bed in the reaction chamber may comprise engineered multi-function material which may incorporate one or more catalysts and reactant adsorbent sites to facilitate excellent heat and mass transfer and fluidization dynamics in fluidized beds. The catalyst is capable of cracking tars and reforming hydrocarbons.

Ferritic stainless steel is characterized by including, by mass %: Cr: 12.0% to 16.0%; C: 0.020% or less; Si: 2.50% or less; Mn: 1.00% or less; P: 0.050% or less; S: 0.0030% or less; Al: 2.50% or less; N: 0.030% or less; Nb: 0.001% to 1.00%; one or more of B: 0.0200% or less, Sn: 0.20% or less, Ga: 0.0200% or less, Mg: 0.0200% or less, and Ca: 0.0100% or less; and a balance consisting of Fe and impurities, in which Expression (1) is satisfied.
10(B+Ga)+Sn+Mg+Ca>0.020  (1)

There is described a method for producing hydrogen and generating electrical power. A hydrocarbon fuel source is decomposed into hydrogen and carbon using a hydrocarbon dissociation reactor. The carbon is separated from the hydrogen in a carbon separator. Electrical power is generated from the separated carbon using a direct carbon fuel cell.

To provide a fuel cell device capable of extending the years of service life of a reformer by suppressing thermal runaways. The present invention is a solid oxide fuel cell device, including a fuel cell module having fuel cell units; a reformer disposed above the fuel cell units, for producing hydrogen by a partial oxidation reforming reaction and a steam reforming reaction; a vaporizing chamber disposed adjacent to the reformer; a combustion chamber for heating the vaporization chamber; a water supply device; an electrical generation oxidant gas supply device; and a controller for raising the fuel cell units to a temperature at which electrical generation is possible; whereby over the entire period of the startup step, the reforming oxidant gas supply device and water supply device are controlled so that partial oxidation reforming reactions do not occur independently in the reformer.

A fuel cell system comprising a fuel cell stack, an evaporator for evaporating a mixture of methanol and water to be forwarded through a catalytic reformer for producing portions of free hydrogen. The fuel cell stack being composed of a number of proton exchange membrane fuel cells each featuring electrodes in form of an anode and a cathode for delivering an electric current. The system provides an enhanced system for evaporating the liquid fuel using a pre-evaporator, which partly evaporates the fuel, followed by a nozzle, which atomizes the fuel into a fine mist, before being passed to the final evaporation zone. This configuration ensures minimal fuel accumulation in the system and fast load transition's.

A fuel cell system comprising a fuel cell stack, an evaporator for evaporating a mixture of methanol and water to be forwarded through a catalytic reformer for producing portions of free hydrogen. The fuel cell stack being composed of a number of proton exchange membrane fuel cells each featuring electrodes in form of an anode and a cathode for delivering an electric current. The liquid fuel using a. pre-evaporator, which. partly evaporates the fuel, followed by a. nozzle, which atomizes the fuel into a fine mist, before being passed to the final evaporation zone. This configuration ensures that liquid fuel for producing thermal, neat is converted into a form that facilitates a burner to achieve a quick heating up of the fuel, cell system into production mode.

A system (0) includes an electrical load system (54) with a load network battery (82), and a fuel cell system (1). Operation is simplified, especially during start of the fuel cell system (1) if the fuel cell system (1) has a system battery (56). A system voltage across the system battery (56) can be supplied to electrical system loads (80) of the fuel cell system (1) and, via a load voltage converter (77) and at least one additional voltage converter (86), to the load system (54) and secondary electrical loads (84, 85).

Presented herein is an energy conversion module containing an internal combustion engine, air compressor, fuel delivery system, waste energy collection system and emission control system. Energy input is controlled via a feedback loop containing an air compressor, carburetor and post-combustion oxygen sensor. Emissions are controlled via the use of a high-efficiency catalytic converter and exhaust gas recirculation system via a feedback from post-catalytic oxygen sensors. Waste heat energy is also collected from both the combustion and catalytic processes via a series of heat exchangers and a high-heat capacity medium.

A method of producing oil, gas, and ash fertilizer from a feedstock includes inputting the feedstock into a reaction chamber having a wall, and combusting the feedstock in the reaction chamber. An electrical current flow is induced between the reaction chamber wall and the feedstock so as to cause arcing in the feedstock within the reaction chamber. Ash reaction byproducts migrate downward through the reaction chamber onto ash support structure, which is substantially electrically isolated from the reaction chamber wall. Gas and liquid reaction byproducts migrate upward through the reaction chamber to an upper chamber by a partial vacuum in the upper chamber, and are evacuated therefrom. The oil and gas are then separated from the evacuated gas/liquid products, providing the oil and the gas products. The oil is refinable, the gas is high in energy content, and the ash fertilizer is high in nitrogen.

A method of generating electricity in a body of water includes providing a colony of sulfur-reducing bacteria, a colony of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, and a colony of denitrifying bacteria submerged in the body of water. The colony of sulfur-reducing bacteria can be used to convert at least a portion of sulfates present in the body of water to hydrogen sulfide. The colony of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria can be used to convert the hydrogen sulfide to sulfuric acid, which can react with manganese to produce hydrogen gas. The colony of denitrifying bacteria can be used to convert at least a portion of nitrogen oxides in the body of water to nitrogen gas, which can be bubbled through a portion of water from the body of water to remove dissolved oxygen gas. The hydrogen gas and oxygen gas can be combined in a fuel cell generator to generate electricity.