SOFC hot box components
View Patent ↗Various hot box fuel cell system components are provided, such as heat exchangers, steam generator and other components.
1. A fuel cell system comprising:
a cathode recuperator uni-shell comprising a monolithic assembly comprising a single plate, a top enclosure, and a bottom enclosure, wherein the cathode recuperator uni-shell is configured so that a first fluid flows on one side of the single plate and a second fluid flows on an opposite side of the single plate;
a column of solid oxide fuel cell stacks; and
column support which provides internal compression to the column of solid oxide fuel cell stacks;
wherein the cathode recuperator uni-shell rests on the column support which provides internal compression to the column of solid oxide fuel cell stacks; and
wherein the column support comprises ceramic baffle plates on sides of the column of solid oxide fuel coil stacks and a ceramic leaf spring located over the column of solid oxide fuel stacks on which the uni-shell rests.
2. The fuel cell system of claim 1 , wherein the single plate comprises a cylindrical corrugated fin plate.
3. The fuel cell system of claim 1 , wherein the top enclosure comprises a finger plate or end cap and the bottom enclosure comprises a finger plate of end cap.
4. The fuel cell system of claim 1 , wherein the first fluid comprises a fuel cell stack cathode exhaust stream and the second fluid comprises a fuel cell stack cathode inlet air stream.
5. The fuel cell system of claim 1 , wherein the cathode exhaust stream comprises an anode tail oxidizer exhaust stream.
6. The fuel cell system of claim 1 , further comprising an expansion bellows in a cylinder supporting the cathode recuperator uni-shell.