IP Library Granted Patent US 7,700,210
Granted Patent B2
US 7,700,210 · App. 11/125,267 · Granted Apr 20, 2010

Increasing thermal dissipation of fuel cell stacks under partial electrical load

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,700,210
App. No.
11/125,267
Granted
Apr 20, 2010
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of operating a high temperature fuel cell system containing a plurality of fuel cell stacks includes operating one or more of the plurality of fuel cell stacks at a first output power while operating another one or more of the plurality of the fuel cell stacks at a second output power different from the first output power.

Claims (15)

1. A method of operating a high temperature fuel cell system comprising a plurality of fuel cell stacks which comprise a first set of fuel cell stacks containing one or more first stacks and a second set of fuel cell stacks containing one or more second stacks;

wherein the method comprising operating one or more of the plurality of the first set or the one or more of the plurality of the second set of fuel cell stacks at a first output power while operating another one or more of the plurality of the first set or the one or more of the plurality of the second set of fuel cell stacks at a second output power different from the first output power,

wherein providing a same amount of fuel to each of first set of fuel cell stacks and second set of fuel cell stacks; and

providing a load to the first and the second sets of stacks, wherein

the load is repeatedly varied such that the output power of the first set of stacks is alternately higher or lower than the output power of the second set of stacks.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a sum of output powers from the plurality of the first set and the second set of stacks equals to a required output power.

3. The method of claim 2 ,

wherein a combined thermal dissipation in each of the first set and second set of stacks is higher compared to the thermal dissipation when operating all of the first set and the second set of the stacks at a same output power.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein each one of the plurality of stacks is thermally integrated with one or more other stacks, such that each one of the plurality of stacks provides dissipated heat to one or more other stacks or absorbs heat from one or more other stacks.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the load variation frequency on the first and the second sets of stacks is 1 kHz or higher.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the load on the first and on the second sets of stacks is varied by reversing a polarity of current provided to the stacks.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of fuel cell stacks is separately electrically connected to at least one of a power conditioning subsystem and a power control subsystem.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fuel cell stacks comprise a plurality of solid oxide fuel cell stacks.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising operating three or more sets of fuel cell stacks of the plurality of fuel cell stacks at different output powers.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of the stacks are operated at different output powers during a partial system load which is lower than a designed system operating load.

Assignments (4)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 29, 2018
From: U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 047686/0121 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 15, 2015
From: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
To: U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 037301/0093 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Oct 4, 2006
From: ION AMERICA CORPORATION
To: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 018345/0543 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 10, 2005
From: SRIDHAR, K.R.; RUSSELL, IAN; GOTTMANN, MATTHIAS
To: ION AMERICA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 016632/0221 →