Voltage lead jumper connected fuel cell columns

摘要

A fuel cell system includes a plurality of fuel cell stacks, and one or more devices which in operation of the system provide an azimuthal direction to one or more anode or cathode feed or exhaust fluid flows in the system.

主权项

1. A fuel cell system, comprising:
a plurality of vertical fuel cell columns, each fuel cell column comprising at least one fuel cell stack, wherein the at least one fuel cell stack comprises a plurality of horizontal fuel cells stacked vertically; a voltage lead jumper which electrically connects top ends of adjacent two of the plurality of vertical fuel cell columns such that the adjacent two vertical fuel cell columns form a column pair in which the columns are electrically connected in series; and an electrical output located on a bottom end of each of the adjacent two vertical fuel cell columns, wherein the electrical outputs comprise current collection rods which extend through a bottom surface of the system and are electrically connected to a power conditioning module or device; wherein each of the plurality of vertical fuel cell columns comprises a plurality of fuel cell stacks, wherein a first fuel cell stack in a first fuel cell column is separated from an adjacent second fuel cell stack in the first fuel cell column by an anode feed/return assembly; wherein the plurality of vertical fuel cell columns comprise solid oxide fuel cell columns and the solid oxide fuel cell columns and the voltage lead jumper are enclosed in a housing; and wherein the voltage lead jumper comprises a flexible, thermally and electrically insulating sleeve enclosing a metal or metal alloy wire and the flexible, thermally and electrically insulating sleeve comprises a plurality of hollow ceramic cylinders which enclose the metal or metal alloy wire and each of the plurality of hollow ceramic cylinders can move with respect to an adjacent one of the plurality of hollow ceramic cylinders to provide flexibility to the sleeve.