Fuel and control for an integrated fuel cell system

The OS/IES (On-Site Integrated Energy System) comprises a phosphoric acid fuel cell driven total energy package that produces electrical energy in the form of AC power (when the DC voltage from the fuel cell is inverted), and heat energy in the form of hot water. The fuel cell prefers a fuel high in hydrogen therefore it becomes necessary to convert as much of the fuel, i.e. natural or pipeline gas into hydrogen as possible using a fuel reformer. Fuel reforming is an endothermic process and in this case waste energy in the form of ''spent'' fuel from the fuel cell is used to supply heat to the reformer. Fuel cell waste heat is also used to raise the steam used in the reforming process. The OS/IES fuel processing system comprises five interrelated subsystems. Each subsystem is controlled independently through a microprocessor but a change in any subsystem function could have an effect on the operation of any or several other subsystems. Thus the controller receives a signal indicating electrical demand and proceeds to balance the subsystems as well as the fuel and air flow to each of the fuel cells. The controller also responds to a number of alarm signals and is capable of starting and stopping the complete OS/IES. It is assisted by a tie to the utility line which can dispense electrical energy for startup or instantaneous load following and accept excess generated power in case of load loss. In this paper we review fuel cell operation and requirements, the components and interactions that make up the reformer system, and the microprocessor control required to integrate the OS/IES