Abstract: The present invention is directed to a solid oxide fuel cell system for generating electrical power. The system comprises a solid oxide fuel cell, a reforming reactor, a hydrogen separation apparatus, and an anode exhaust conduit. The reforming reactor includes a reforming region in which a feed comprising one or more hydrocarbons may be steam reformed to produce a reformed product gas containing hydrogen. The hydrogen separation apparatus is located in the reforming reactor positioned to separate hydrogen from the reformed product gas produced in the reforming reactor. The hydrogen separation apparatus is operatively connected to the anode of the solid oxide fuel cell to provide hydrogen to the fuel cell as a fuel to be oxidized to produce electricity.

Abstract: An autothermal reformer or a catalytic partial oxidizer (19) receives flow of desulfurized hydrocarbon fuel from a hydrogen desulfurizer (HDS) (15) through an orifice (13a). A differential pressure transducer (13b) provides a signal (24a) to a fuel-flow differential-pressure schedule (13c) to provide a fuel flow signal (24b) which is (25) subtracted from fuel command (26), to provide a valve position signal 30a from a proportional/integral gain (29), being linearized (58) to control the fuel valve (12). The minimum (59) of actual fuel flow (24b) and fuel flow command (59) is applied to an air/fuel schedule (33). The resulting air flow command is compared with actual air flow (41b) to provide an air flow control signal 48a which is linearized (60) after proportional/integral gain (47) to provide air flow command (48b) to a blower (49). Differential pressure (42b) across an orifice (42a) is provided to a schedule (42c) which converts to the actual air flow feedback (41b).