Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US9941525B2/en
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 23:35:05+00:00

Document:
This application is a Divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/344,232, filed Jan. 5, 2012, and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/430,255, filed Jan. 6, 2011, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
An embodiment relates to a cathode exhaust steam generator including a steam generator coil located in a hot box between an inner lid and an outer lid of a cathode recuperator heat exchanger of a fuel cell system.
Another embodiment relates to an anode tail oxidizer (ATO) fuel splitter-injector and mixer element including one or more slits configured to inject a first portion of a fuel cell stack anode exhaust stream into the ATO while allowing a remainder of the anode exhaust stream to pass through the splitter-injector without being provided into the ATO and an ATO mixer element comprising vanes configured to swirl an air stream entering the ATO in an azimuthal direction.
Another embodiment relates to a fuel cell system including a plurality of angularly spaced fuel cell stacks arranged to form a ring-shaped structure about a central axis. Each of the fuel cell stacks has a stacking direction extending parallel to the central axis and a cathode outlet in an interior face which faces a middle of the ring-shaped structure. At least some of the plurality of angularly spaced fuel cell stacks are rotated by a non-zero angle about their axis such that interior faces of the plurality of angularly spaced fuel cell stacks do not align radially, to create a swirl to a cathode exhaust stream leaving the interior faces of the fuel cell stacks towards the central axis.
wherein the steam generator coil is located in one horizontal plane and comprises a straight tube, a partially corrugated tube or a fully corrugated tube.
the steam generator coil is in fluid communication with a cathode exhaust outlet of the cathode recuperator to allow conversion of water to steam in the coil using heat of the cathode exhaust stream exiting the cathode recuperator.
3. The fuel cell system of claim 2, wherein the steam generator coil is supported by a horizontal baffle plate which is configured to force a fuel cell stack cathode exhaust stream to pass around the steam generator coil to enhance flow uniformity across the coil.
4. The fuel cell system of claim 3, wherein the baffle plate is configured to force cathode exhaust stream travelling in a substantially vertical direction from the cathode recuperator to flow in a substantially horizontal direction in the steam generator.
5. The fuel cell system of claim 4, wherein the steam generator is configured to force the cathode exhaust stream to flow in an inward radial direction around the steam generator coil.
6. The fuel cell system of claim 3, further comprising support ribs configured to hold the steam generator coil in place.
7. The fuel cell system of claim 2, further comprising a horizontal portion of an air inlet conduit located below the steam generator coil.
a hollow cylinder shaped single corrugated plate or sheet which separates the vertical portion of the air inlet conduit from the vertical portion of the ATO exhaust conduit, and which is located below the steam generator coil.
a cathode exhaust conduit which connects an air exhaust output of the fuel cell stacks to an air exhaust inlet of the ATO.
10. The fuel cell system of claim 9, wherein the cathode exhaust stream exiting the outlet of the cathode recuperator heat exchanger comprises a combusted cathode exhaust stream.
wherein the steam generator coil is supported by a horizontal baffle plate which is configured to force a fuel cell stack cathode exhaust stream to pass around the steam generator coil to enhance flow uniformity across the coil.
European Application No. 12732414.3: Filed Jan. 5, 2012; Office action dated Jul. 17, 2015.
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U.S. Appl. No. 13/344,304, filed Jan. 5, 2012, Specification and drawings.

References: Application No. 61
 Application No. 12732414
 Application No. 12732414
 Application No. 2008
 Application No. 101100717
 Application No. 06800263
 Application No. 105142613
 Application No. 2013
 Application No. 2013