Patent ID: 7572531
Filing Date: 2009-08-11
Classification: H01M,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A hydrocarbon fuel cell plant comprising: a hydrocarbon fuel source, an oxidant source; a reformer receiving a fuel stream of hydrocarbon fuel from the hydrocarbon fuel source and a first oxidant stream from the oxidant source and therein reacting the fuel stream and the first oxidant stream to produce a reformate stream; a fuel cell receiving and reacting the reformate stream from the reformer and a second oxidant stream from the oxidant source to produce a fuel cell exhaust stream; a combustor receiving and combusting the fuel cell exhaust stream to produce a combustor exhaust stream having water vapor therein; and a water transfer assembly configured to repeatedly expose a dry portion of a desiccant matrix to the combustor exhaust stream, thereby absorbing a portion of the water vapor from the combustor exhaust stream to form a wet portion in the desiccant matrix, and further configured to subsequently expose the wet portion to the first oxidant stream and release water vapor from the wet portion into the first oxidant stream and recover the dry portion of the desiccant, without any external source of water vapor being introduced to the first oxidant stream.