DYNAMICALLY CONTROLLED HEAT EXCHANGE FOR CASCADING STARTUP OF FUEL CELL GRIDS

摘要

A “Cascading Startup Controller” provides various techniques for quickly and efficiently initializing grids of interconnected fuel cells. In general, the Cascading Startup Controller dynamically controls heat exchange between fuel cells in the grid to produce a cascading startup of the fuel cell grid via an expanding pattern of excess thermal energy routing from hotter fuel cell stacks to cooler fuel cell stacks. This expanding pattern of excess thermal energy routing is dynamically controlled via automated valves of a heat exchange grid coupled to the fuel cell grid to decrease a total startup time for fuel cell stacks in the grid. Additional excess heat beyond that used to heat fuel cells to operational temperatures is then made available for a variety of purposes, including, but not limited to, preheating gas or other fuel for use by the fuel cells, local or community-based heating systems, heat-based energy cogeneration systems, etc.

主权项

1. A fuel cell startup system comprising:
a grid of three or more fuel cell stacks, each fuel cell stack including one or more heat exchange systems for use in heating the fuel cell stack to an operating temperature that allows the fuel cell stack to perform self-sustaining power generation reactions and for use in removing excess heat from the fuel cell stack; the heat exchange systems of each fuel cell stack being coupled to one or more automated valves of a thermal exchange pathway; each valve being automatically controlled to either bypass or connect the heat exchange system of one or more of the fuel cell stacks to the heat exchange systems of one or more neighboring fuel cell stacks via the thermal exchange pathway; initializing a cascading startup of the grid of three or more fuel cell stacks by automatically controlling the valves to cause excess thermal energy to be routed from an increasing number of hotter fuel cell stacks, as additional excess thermal energy becomes available, to one or more cooler fuel cell stacks via the thermal exchange pathway; continuing the cascading startup until a selected number of fuel cell stacks in the grid of three or more fuel cell stacks have reached an operating temperature capable of performing self-sustaining power generation reactions when supplied with reaction fuel; and wherein the cascading startup includes an expanding pattern of excess thermal energy routing from the hotter fuel cell stacks to the cooler fuel cell stacks that is dynamically controlled via the automated valves to decrease a total startup time for the selected number of fuel cell stacks in the grid.