SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELL SYSTEM

摘要

In some examples, a solid oxide fuel cell system including a solid oxide fuel cell; an ejector, wherein the ejector is configured to receive a fuel recycle stream from a fuel side outlet of the solid oxide fuel cell and also receive a primary fuel stream, wherein the ejector is configured such that the flow of the primary fuel stream draws the fuel recycle stream into the ejector and mix the fuel recycle and primary fuel stream to form a mixed fuel stream including methane and higher hydrocarbons; and a higher hydrocarbon reduction unit configured to receive the mixed fuel stream from the ejector and remove a portion of the higher hydrocarbons via a catalytic conversion process to form a reduced higher hydrocarbon fuel stream, wherein a fuel side inlet of the solid oxide fuel cell is configured to receive the reduced higher hydrocarbon fuel stream from a reduction unit.

主权项

1. A solid oxide fuel cell system comprising:
a solid oxide fuel cell including at least one electrochemical cell, a fuel side inlet, a fuel side outlet, an oxidant side inlet and oxidant side outlet; an ejector including a first ejector inlet, second ejector inlet, and ejector outlet, wherein the ejector is configured to receive a fuel recycle stream from the fuel side outlet of the solid oxide fuel cell via the first ejector inlet, wherein the ejector is configured to receive a primary fuel stream via the second ejector inlet, wherein the ejector is configured such that the flow of the primary fuel stream draws the fuel recycle stream into the ejector via the first ejector inlet, wherein the ejector is configured to mix the fuel recycle stream and primary fuel stream to form a mixed fuel stream including methane and higher hydrocarbons; and a higher hydrocarbon reduction unit configured to receive the mixed fuel stream from the ejector outlet and remove at least a portion of the higher hydrocarbons of the mixed fuel stream via a catalytic conversion process to form a reduced higher hydrocarbon fuel stream, wherein the fuel side inlet is configured to receive the reduced higher hydrocarbon fuel stream from the reduction unit outlet, wherein the at least one electrochemical cell is configured to generate electricity from the fuel in the reduced higher hydrocarbon fuel stream via an electrochemical process with a oxidant stream received by the solid oxide fuel cell via the oxidant side inlet, and wherein the reduced higher hydrocarbon fuel stream forms the fuel recycle stream exiting the solid oxide fuel cell via the fuel side outlet.