Patent ID: 6306531
Filing Date: 2001-10-23
Classification: C01B,H01M,Y02E,Y02P

Abstract:
A method of operating a combustor to heat a fuel processor in a fuel cell apparatus in which the fuel processor generates hydrogen from hydrocarbon fuel for supplying a fuel cell, the fuel cell discharging oxygen containing cathode effluent, the method comprising the steps of:(a) providing a fuel stream to the combustor;(b) providing an air flow stream to the combustor, the air flow stream including at least one of a first air source and the cathode effluent from the fuel cell;(c) determining the power input requirement of the fuel processor;(d) determining the output power of the combustor to support the determined power requirement of the fuel processor; and(e) regulating the air flow stream to the combustor to control the temperature of the combustor, by controlling the effective cross sectional area of an output flow orifice of an air flow regulator in response to the constituent makeup of the air stream.