Electrical and Heat Power Production Using the Products of Air Conversion of Motor Diesel Fuel and Electrochemical Generator for Agricultural Consumers

At present, the production of electricity for agricultural consumers remote from the centralized electrical power grid is carried out using diesel-generator technology with a limited service life of engines and extremely low efficiency of the expensive fuel used. In this chapter, an innovative technology has been considered for the combined electrical and heat power production using the preliminary conversion of diesel fuel into synthesis gas with its subsequent supply to a high temperature electrochemical generator (ECG). Synthesis gas for the operation of the electrochemical generator was produced by air conversion of motor diesel fuels in a catalytic burner reactor. On the basis of heat balances of the burner, ECG and waste-heat boiler-utilizer, electrical efficiency of the solid oxide fuel cells' (SOFC) battery, chemical efficiency of the burner, the temperature at the SOFC anode, the EMF of the planar cell, a portion of hydrogen oxidized at the SOFC anode, specific consumption of diesel fuel for the production of electrical and heat power were calculated.

Highly integrated catalytic burner with laser-additive manufactured manifolds

This paper describes a highly integrated catalytic burner for auxiliary power units based on PEM-fuel cells.

Design of Controller for Ignition Temperature Flameless Catalytic Burners

According to the requirements of the high temperature flameless catalytic combustion burner ignition and intelligent control, the author designed intelligent electronic igniter with microprocessor controlled. Intelligent electronic igniter is controlled by Freescale MC9S08GB60A microcontroller chip and the thermocouple is used as a temperature sensor. It also combined with high-voltage ignition circuit and the solenoid valve control circuit to achieve real-time temperature monitoring of high temperature flameless catalytic burner control ignition, flame cut off valve and other intelligent control.

Operational Characteristic of Planar Steam Reformer Thermally Coupled With Catalytic Burner

High efficiency reforming is a key parameter of high temperature stationary fuel cell system. In this study, a planar heat exchanger steam reformer (PHESR) was integrated with catalytic combustor in order that the unused energy of anode off-gas is delivered for heat of reforming. The PHESR was designed to use the anode-off gas of externally reformed SOFC system because it has an efficiency problem. In the PHESR reactor, the heat is transferred from catalytic burner to reformer that has weak gradient of temperature difference between two reactors. The thermal behaviors of exothermic and endothermic reactions between reactors were investigated experimentally. The parameters of investigation were fuel utilization, inlet temperature, and air excess ratio. Comparison parameter was volume fraction of hydrogen at the exit of reforming side. The temperature gradients in longitudinal direction of two reactors were measured. As expected, temperature differences between two reactors were crucial factors that required optimization. Furthermore, the geometric aspects between the finned and un-finned reactors were also investigated. The results demonstrate that the volume fraction of hydrogen at the exit is closely coupled with the geometric constraints and the operating parameters.

Flow Uniformity of Catalytic Burner for Off-Gas Combustion of Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell

A catalytic combustor is a device to burn off fuel by surface combustion that is used for the combustion of anode off-gas of molten carbonate fuel cells by employing the catalytic combustor. Purified exhaust gas can be recirculated into the cathode channel for CO2 supply to improve thermal efficiency. The design of a catalytic combustor depends on many parameters, but flow uniformity is particularly important during the emergency shut-down of a fuel cell stack. Before the temperature control of a catalytic combustor is activated, the catalytic combustor should burn off more than two times the rated amount of the fuel flow rate. Under overload conditions, assurance of flow uniformity at the inlet of the catalytic combustor can reduce damage to the catalytic burner that can be caused by a local hot zone. In this study, flow uniformity of the catalytic combustor was investigated in two steps: a preliminary step with a model combustor and a main analysis step with a practical 250 kW catalytic combustor. Models of the 0.5 and 5 kW class combustors were used in the preliminary step. In the preliminary step the model combustors were used to determine supporting matters for flow uniformity. The inlet direction of the mixing chamber below the catalytic combustor was also examined in the preliminary step. In the main analysis step the flow uniformity of the scale-up combustor was examined with selected supporting matter and inlet direction into the mixing chamber. Geometric and operating parameters were investigated. In particular, the flow rate under off-design operating conditions was examined.