Patent ID: 8852820
Filing Date: 2014-10-07
Classification: H01M,Y02E,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A fuel cell stack module, comprising: a fuel inlet conduit; a fuel outlet conduit; a plurality of fuel cell stacks, wherein the fuel cell stacks are configured to receive a fuel cell stack fuel inlet stream via the fuel inlet conduit and output a fuel cell stack anode exhaust stream to the fuel outlet conduit; a splitter, wherein the splitter is configured to separate a portion of the fuel cell stack anode, exhaust stream from the fuel outlet conduit and recycle the separated portion of the fuel cell stack anode exhaust stream to the fuel cell stack fuel inlet stream in the fuel inlet conduit; an anode tail gas oxidizer (ATO), wherein the ATO is configured to receive the remaining fuel cell stack anode exhaust stream from the splitter and oxidize the fuel cell stack anode exhaust stream and a fuel cell stack cathode exhaust stream to generate an ATO exhaust stream; a base supporting the plurality of fuel cell stacks, wherein the base contains a first heat exchanger located under the fuel cell stacks, the fuel inlet conduit, and the fuel outlet conduit, the first heat exchanger configured to transfer heat to the fuel cell stack fuel inlet stream in the fuel inlet conduit from the ATO exhaust stream; and a metal shell located over the base and the fuel cell stacks, wherein the metal shell contains a second heat exchanger integrated into the metal shell such that the metal shell and the second heat exchanger comprise a single component, the second heat exchanger configured to transfer heat to a fuel cell stack air inlet stream from the ATO exhaust stream.