Fuel cell system with a combined fuel evaporation and cathode gas heater unit, and its method of operation A fuel cell system, in which the cathode gas heater and the evaporator are combined in a single compact first heat exchange unit which includes a first housing inside which thermal energy is transferred from the first coolant to both the cathode gas and the fuel.

Provided is a method of generating hydrogen efficiently using a renewable resource as a raw material.

A method of producing hydrogen according to the present disclosure is a method in which hydrogen is generated from a saccharide in the presence of a solvent and the following catalyst: catalyst which contains at least one metal element selected from the metal elements in Groups 8, 9, and 10.

The catalyst is preferably a complex or salt of the metal element, and particularly preferably a complex including the at least one metal element selected from the metal elements in Groups 8, 9, and 10 and at least one ligand selected from pentamethylcyclopentadienyl, cyclopentadienyl, p-cymene, and 1,5-cyclooctadiene.

As the solvent, it is preferable to use at least one selected from an organic acid and an ionic liquid.

The saccharide may be a lignin-saccharide complex, and is preferably cellulose.

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack, a fuel inlet conduit configured to provide a fuel to a fuel inlet of the fuel cell stack, an electrochemical pump separator containing an electrolyte, a cathode, and a carbon monoxide tolerant anode, a fuel exhaust conduit that operatively connects a fuel exhaust outlet of the fuel cell stack to an anode inlet of the electrochemical pump separator, and a product conduit which operatively connects a cathode outlet of the electrochemical pump separator to the fuel inlet conduit.

A method of continuously performing one or more heat-consuming processes, where at least one heat-consuming process is electrically heated. The maximum temperature in the reaction zone of the heat-consuming process is higher than 500° C., at least 70% of products of the heat-consuming process are continuously processed further downstream and/or fed to a local energy carrier network, and the electrical energy required for the heat-consuming process is drawn from an external power grid and from at least one local power source. The local power source is fed by at least one local energy carrier network and by products from the heat-consuming process. The local energy carrier network stores natural gas, naphtha, hydrogen, synthesis gas, and/or steam as energy carrier, and has a total capacity of at least 5 GWh. The local energy carrier network is fed with at least one further product and/or by-product from at least one further chemical process.

Fixed point applications of producing hydrogen from hydrocarbons and using such are described. A feedstock including natural gas is introduced to a plasma reformer, and H2 is generated from the feedstock. The plasma reformer can be integrated into a number of locations for various purposes. For example, reformers can be integrated into buildings for onsite generation of H2 , either for storage, distribution as fuel, or for generating electricity for onsite needs to alleviate strain on the energy grid. Likewise, legacy natural gas distribution points or fuel stations can be converted to H2 distribution points, or further used as electricity distribution points by way of an H2 fuel cell. Likewise, reformers can be integrated into natural gas distribution networks to self-energize nodes or stations in the network via H2 fuel cells.

Producing hydrogen and carbon from hydrocarbons in a single-step process is described. A feedstock including natural gas or other light (e.g., <C5) hydrocarbons is introduced to a plasma reformer. The plasma reformer typically includes a non-thermal plasma. The plasma separates hydrogen from the carbon of the feedstock, yielding H2 and carbon black. The carbon is separated from the H2, and the H2 is further used as fuel (e.g., generating electricity via fuel cell) either contemporaneously or at a later time, stored, pressurized, or dispensed to a vehicle. Excess electricity generated form the H2 is stored in a battery, and excess is either stored or pressurized. Carbon black is further condensed to reduce volume for storage or transport.

A fuel reformer module (8005) for initiating catalytic partial oxidation (CPOX) to reform a hydrocarbon fuel oxidant mixture (2025, 3025) to output a syngas reformate (2027) to solid oxide fuel cell stack (2080, 5040). A solid non-porous ceramic catalyzing body (3030) includes a plurality of catalyst coated fuel passages (3085). A thermally conductive element (9005, 10005, 11005, 13005), with a coefficient of thermal conductivity of 50 W/m° K or greater is thermally conductively coupled with the catalyzing body. A first thermal sensor (8030) is thermally conductively coupled with the thermally conductive element. A second thermal sensor is thermally conductively coupled with a surface of the fuel cell stack. A control method independently modulates an oxidant input flow rate, based on first thermal sensor signal values, a hydrocarbon fuel input flow rate, based on second thermal sensor signal values.

Provided is an operation management system configured to manage delivery of a raw material from a raw material production base where the raw material including a hydride is produced to a plurality of dehydrogenation bases where the raw material is subjected to a dehydrogenation reaction to obtain a hydrogen-containing gas. The operation management system includes: an information acquisition unit configured to acquire first information on a dehydrogenation status in the plurality of dehydrogenation bases; and a delivery plan creation unit configured to create a delivery plan for delivering the raw material to the plurality of dehydrogenation bases on the basis of the first information.

A method that combines a fuel cell with a Gas Recovery Unit (GRU) to a methanol plant to produce methanol at near zero GHG emissions. The fuel cell generates steam, carbon dioxide and electricity. A GRU unit condenses, separates, recovers, pressurizes and reheats the fuel cell anode exhaust stream. The GRU prepares a stream of natural gas and steam to feed the fuel cell anode and a stream of carbon dioxide and air to feed the fuel cell cathode. The GRU also prepares streams of carbon dioxide and steam as reactants for the stoichiometric mixture with natural gas to produce synthesis gas in an electric catalytic reformer at a methanol plant. The electric catalytic reformer uses electricity, steam and/or carbon dioxide reactants produced by the fuel cell to produce synthesis gas for conversion to methanol with low GHG emissions.

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for processing ammonia. The system may comprise one or more reactor modules configured to generate hydrogen from a source material comprising ammonia. The hydrogen generated by the one or more reactor modules may be used to provide additional heating of the reactor modules (e.g., via combustion of the hydrogen), or may be provided to one or more fuel cells for the generation of electrical energy.