Bloom Energy Corporation
Fuel cell system including Wobbe index detector and method of operating same

Abstract:

A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system and method, the system including a power module configured to receive a fuel from a fuel conduit of the system, the power module including a fuel cell stack, a module conduit fluidly connecting the fuel conduit and the stack, and a fuel control valve (FCV) configured to control a flow rate of the fuel in the module conduit. The system also includes a first detector configured to detect a first Wobbe Index (WI) of the fuel in the fuel conduit, and a controller configured to control the FCV to change the fuel flow rate based on whether the detected first WI indicates a change in the composition of the fuel.