Various designs and configurations of and methods of operating fuel cell units, fuel cell systems and combined heat and power systems are provided that permit efficient thermal management of such units and systems to improve their operation.

An energy storage system includes: a combustion turbine configured to output heated sweep gas; a reformer configured to receive natural gas and steam and to output reformed natural gas; a molten carbonate electrolyzer cell (“MCEC”) comprising an MCEC anode and an MCEC cathode, wherein the MCEC is configured to operate in a hydrogen-generation mode in which: the MCEC anode receives the reformed natural gas from the reformer, and outputs MCEC anode exhaust that contains hydrogen, and the MCEC cathode is configured to receive heated sweep gas from the combustion turbine, and to output MCEC cathode exhaust; and a storage tank configured to receive the MCEC anode exhaust that contains hydrogen.

The invention is a power generation system which involves a water-splitting reaction employing metal feedstock to generate heat, hydrogen and metal hydroxide. The heat produced by the power generation system supplies a Heating-Ventilation-Air Conditioning (HVAC) system for heating and cooling building structures, such as homes, kiosks, commercial buildings and greenhouses. The hydrogen gas component produced by the invention is sufficient to fuel a fuel cell vehicle (FCV) and a fuel cell, which provides electricity to an associated building structure. The invention can be located on-site with a building structure and provides a readily available FCV fueling station associated with the building structure where an FCV is located.

A boiler unit (100) housed in an enclosure, the boiler unit (100) configured to receive a solid state combined heat and power generating device (130). The boiler unit (100) comprises a heating device (110) to produce heat; and a control unit (120) to independently control each of the heating device (110) and the solid state combined heat and power generating device (130). The boiler unit (100) is operable without the solid state combined heat and power generating device (130) being present.

A power management server controls a fuel cell system including a power generator. The power management server includes at least one processor. The processor is configured to execute a reception process and control process. The reception process incudes a reception process of receiving a massage including an information element indicating an operation state of the fuel cell system. The control process includes a control process of controlling the fuel cell system which the operation state is a power generating state, in preference to the fuel cell system which the operation state is a starting up state, stopping state, and stop operating state, in a control target period.

A reformer is disclosed in one embodiment of the invention as including a channel to convey a preheated plurality of reactants containing both a feedstock fuel and an oxidant. A plasma generator is provided to apply an electrical potential to the reactants sufficient to ionize one or more of the reactants. These ionized reactants are then conveyed to a reaction zone where they are chemically transformed into synthesis gas containing a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. A heat transfer mechanism is used to transfer heat from an external heat source to the reformer to provide the heat of reformation.

Systems and methods are provided for incorporating molten carbonate fuel cells into a heat recovery steam generation system (HRSG) for production of electrical power while also reducing or minimizing the amount of CO.sub.2 present in the flue gas exiting the HRSG. An optionally multi-layer screen or wall of molten carbonate fuel cells can be inserted into the HRSG so that the screen of molten carbonate fuel cells substantially fills the cross-sectional area. By using the walls of the HRSG and the screen of molten carbonate fuel cells to form a cathode input manifold, the overall amount of duct or flow passages associated with the MCFCs can be reduced.

The present invention is an integrated system of a carbon dioxide capturing processes from the atmosphere and producing electrical energy from the integrated system.

The objective of the current invention is; capturing carbon dioxide from the air through the tree fashioned carbon dioxide capturing system and generating electric power through the integrated systems. To generate electric power at maximum efficiency, and capture carbon dioxide, the present invention comprises different integrated processes, integrated systems, and techniques. The present system comprises; an ionized and non-ionized hydrogen gas turbine system unit, carbon dioxide capturing tree system unit, a hybrid thermoelectric-generator and solid oxide fuel cell system unit, a hybrid hydrogen-chlorine fuel cell and carbon dioxide reactor core system unit.

Furthermore to capture carbon dioxide and generate electric power, the present invention comprises various other alternative embodiments.

A portable sterilization and decontamination system is described. The system includes a fuel cell configured to generate electricity and at least one of water or water vapor and a heating system operatively coupled to the fuel cell, the heating system to convert the energy to heat and provide the heat to a determined volume. The system further includes a humidifying system operatively coupled to the fuel cell, the humidifying system to utilize at least one of the electricity or the at least one of water or water vapor to produce moisture and provide the moisture to the determined volume and a control system operatively coupled to the fuel cell, the heating system and the humidifying system, the control system to monitor and control the fuel cell, the heating system and the humidifying system.

Various designs and configurations of and methods of operating fuel cell units, fuel cell systems and combined heat and power systems are provided that permit efficient thermal management of such units and systems to improve their operation.