FUEL CELL PLANT WITH UTILIZATION OF THE CATHODE HEFUEL CELL PLANT WITH UTILIZATION OF THE CATHODE HEAT, AND PROCESS FOR OPERATING IT AT, AND PROCESS FOR OPERATING IT

摘要

It is current pratice in a high-temperature fuel cell plants to divide the cathode exhaust gas in particular into two partial streams, one of which is recirculated into the cathodes and the other used for heating, in which branching takes place by relatively sophisticated technical means directly a the gas outlets at about the operating temperature of the fuel cells. In order to simplify these means, all the cathode exhaust gas is to be taken via a heat exchanger to a branch with two partial lines, in which the first partial line opens into the cathodes via an air-mixing position and the heat exchanger and the second opens into means for raising the temperature. Thus the branching of the hot cathode exhaust gas is avoided and the heat of all the cathode exhaust gas is used to heat the partial cathode exhaust gas flow taken back into the cathodes. The invention is applicable especially and preferably to fuel cells with an operating temperature of over 600 DEG C. Such fuel cells are carbonate melt and solid electrolyte types.