Method and fuel cell power system to identify and compensate for fuel composition variations in a fuel cell stack or system
A fuel cell power system and method for identifying and compensating for variations identified in a fuel composition of a fuel cell power system, comprising the fuel cell system components selected from the group consisting of a catalytic oxidizer, a reformer, an exhaust, a fuel cell stack or system, or a combination thereof; and a control device configured to control the fuel cell system components, wherein the control device comprises a computer algorithm to indirectly correlate measurements of the fuel cell system components to a difference in the fuel composition.
1 . A fuel cell system comprising:
a fuel cell stack;
components selected from the group consisting of a catalytic oxidizer, a reformer, and an exhaust system;
sensors configured to measure parameters associated with the components, at least one of the parameters comprising a system voltage of the fuel cell system; and
a control device comprising a microprocessor configured to:
identify at least one variation in a fuel composition of the fuel cell system based, at least in part, on a detected change in the system voltage of the measured parameters, and
control the components to compensate for the at least one variation using a computer algorithm in response to the identified at least one variation indicating a threshold difference in the fuel composition.
2 . The fuel cell system of claim 1 , wherein the components includes the catalytic oxidizer, the sensors includes a voltage sensor and a temperature sensor, wherein the voltage sensor is configured to measure a system voltage and the temperature sensor is configured to measure a temperature of the catalytic oxidizer.
3 . The fuel cell system of claim 1 , wherein the measured parameters associated with the components are a system voltage and a temperature of a reformer.
4 . The fuel cell system of claim 1 , wherein the measured parameters associated with the components are a system voltage and a temperature of an exhaust air.
5 . The fuel cell system of claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured to accept the measured parameters of the components.
6 . The fuel cell system of claim 1 , wherein the computer algorithm of the control device is configured to analyze each of the measured parameters of the components for correlation to differences in the fuel composition.
7 . The fuel cell system of claim 1 , wherein a current flowing through the components, the sensors and the microprocessor remains constant.
8 . The fuel cell system of claim 1 , wherein a current flowing through the components, the sensors and the microprocessor remains within an operational tolerance band.
9 . The fuel cell system of claim 1 , wherein the control device is to generate and transmit a command signal to control the components of the fuel cell system in response to the measured parameters associated with the components indicating a threshold difference in the fuel composition.
10 . The fuel cell system of claim 9 , wherein the control device is to mathematically analyze the measurements of the parameters associated with the components utilizing the computer algorithm.