US 12,218,390 B2
Method for heating a fuel cell system and fuel cell system
Nikolaus Soukup, Hamburg (DE); Martin Hauth, Graz (AT); Michael Seidl, Graz (AT); and Stefan Weissensteiner, Graz (AT)
Assigned to AVL List GmbH, Graz (AT)
Appl. No. 17/295,061
Filed by AVL List GmbH, Graz (AT)
PCT Filed Nov. 19, 2019, PCT No. PCT/AT2019/060391
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date May 19, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/102837, PCT Pub. Date May 28, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. A 51008/2018 (AT), filed on Nov. 19, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0085392 A1, Mar. 17, 2022
Int. Cl. H01M 8/04223 (2016.01); H01M 8/04014 (2016.01); H01M 8/04089 (2016.01); H01M 8/0432 (2016.01); H01M 8/04746 (2016.01); H01M 8/0612 (2016.01); H01M 8/12 (2016.01)
CPC H01M 8/04268 (2013.01) [H01M 8/04022 (2013.01); H01M 8/04097 (2013.01); H01M 8/04373 (2013.01); H01M 8/04776 (2013.01); H01M 8/0618 (2013.01); H01M 8/0625 (2013.01); H01M 2008/1293 (2013.01); H01M 2250/10 (2013.01)] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for heating a fuel cell system (1a; 1b; 1c; 1d) comprising at least one fuel cell stack (2) with an anode portion (3) and a cathode portion (4) as well as a reformer (5) upstream of the anode portion (3) for steam reforming using a fuel, the reformer (5) comprising a nickel-based catalyst, said method having the steps:
starting a heating process for heating the fuel cell system (1a; 1b; 1c; 1d) with a heating device (6), and
feeding a carbon-containing fluid in an anode gas supply line (8)
upstream of a fluid delivery device (9) feeding steam from a steam supply line (10) into the anode gas supply line (8) for creating from the steam and the carbon-containing fluid a fuel/steam mixture in an anode gas supply line (8),
conducting the fuel/steam mixture from the fluid delivery device (9), via the anode gas supply line (8), through the nickel-based catalyst of the reformer (5) during the heating process,
wherein the fuel is used as carbon-containing fluid during the heating process in a fuel quantity of between 5% and 20% of the fuel quantity used during steam reforming in normal operation of the fuel cell system (1a; 1b; 1c; 1d).