Thermally integrated solid oxide fuel cell system

1. A thermally integrated solid oxide fuel cell system comprising:

(a) a solid oxide fuel cell stack disposed within a stack hotbox;

(b) a heat extractor disposed within the stack hotbox in thermal communication and in the absence of direct fluid communication with the fuel cell stack, the heat extractor comprising a flow path from an inlet to an outlet, the flow path of the heat extractor being circumscribed around a full or partial perimeter of the fuel cell stack;

(c) a fuel reformer-combustor module disposed within the stack hotbox in thermal communication with the fuel cell stack, the module being circumscribed around a full or partial perimeter of the flow path of the heat extractor;

(d) a manifold providing fluid communication from the outlet of the heat extractor to an inlet of a fuel reformer section of the fuel reformer-combustor module.

2. The solid oxide fuel cell system of claim 1 wherein the fuel reformer-combustor module is provided in a tubular shape.

3. The solid oxide fuel cell system of claim 2 wherein the heat extractor is provided in a tubular shape and disposed around the full perimeter of the solid oxide fuel cell stack.

4. The solid oxide fuel cell system of claim 3 wherein the fuel reformer-combustor module is provided in a tubular shape and disposed around a full perimeter of the heat extractor.

5. A thermally-integrated solid oxide fuel cell system comprising:

(a) a solid oxide fuel cell stack disposed within a stack hotbox;

(b) one or more heat extractor tubes disposed within the stack hotbox in thermal communication and in the absence of direct fluid communication with the fuel cell stack, the one or more heat extractor tubes having a flow path from an inlet to an outlet, the one or more heat extractor tubes being circumscribed around a full or partial perimeter of the fuel cell stack;

(c) a steam reformer-combustor module disposed within the stack hotbox in thermal communication with the fuel cell stack and circumscribed around a full or partial perimeter of the heat extractor tubes; the steam reformer-combustor module comprising a shell-and-tube reactor wherein a first tube having a first flow path from a first inlet to a first outlet is nested in concentric arrangement within a second tube of larger diameter having a second flow path from a second inlet to a second outlet, the second flow path comprising an annular space between an inner wall of the second tube and an outer wall of the first tube; and

(d) a manifold providing fluid communication from the outlet of the heat extractor to an inlet of a fuel reformer section of the fuel reformer-combustor module.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the fuel reformer-combustor module further comprises: (i) the first tube (the inner tube) comprises a reforming zone defining a volume within the first tube; (ii) the second tube (the outer tube) comprises a combustion zone defining the annular space between an inner wall of the outer tube and an outer wall of the inner tube; and (iii) the manifold provides a flow path from the outlet of the one or more heat extractor tubes to the first inlet of the first tube, thereby connecting the flow path of the one or more heat extractor tubes to the reforming zone.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the fuel reformer-combustor module further comprises: (i) the first tube (the inner tube) comprises a combustion zone defining a volume within the first tube; (ii) the second tube (the outer tube) comprises a reforming zone defining the annular space between the inner wall of the outer tube and the outer wall of the inner tube; and (iii) the manifold provides a flow path from the outlet of the one or more heat extractor tubes to the second inlet of the second tube, thereby connecting the flow path of the one or more heat extractor tubes to the reforming zone.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein a reforming catalyst is disposed within the reforming zone, the reforming catalyst comprising a mesh substrate having an ultra-short-channel-length and having a Group VIII metal supported thereon.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the mesh substrate comprises a metal substrate, a ceramic substrate, or a cermet substrate.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the mesh substrate has an ultra-short-channel-length ranging in length from 25 microns to 500 microns.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the mesh substrate has from 100 to 1,000 flow channels per square centimeter.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the mesh substrate is configured with a plurality of channels or pores having a diameter ranging from 0.25 mm to 1.0 mm with a void space greater than 60 percent up to 80 percent.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein each channel or pore has a pore size ranging from 5 to 80 pores per inch and a relative density, taken as a density of the structure divided by a density of solid parent material of the struts, ranging from 2 to 15 percent.

14. The system of claim 5 wherein the solid oxide fuel cell stack comprises a plurality of solid oxide fuel cell repeat units connected in series, wherein each solid oxide fuel cell repeat unit comprises a sandwich configuration of the following components: an anode, a solid oxide electrolyte, and a cathode.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein an outlet at the anode of the solid oxide fuel cell stack is fluidly connected to an inlet to a combustor section of the fuel reformer-combustor module.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein an outlet at the anode of the solid oxide fuel cell stack is fluidly connected to the inlet to the fuel reformer section of the fuel reformer-combustor module.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein an outlet at the anode of the solid oxide fell cell stack is fluidly connected to both an inlet to a combustor section of the fuel reformer-combustor module and the inlet to the reformer section of the fuel reformer-combustor module.