Control system and method for controlling a gas generating system

• Main Authors: SEDERQUIST; RICHARD A, VANDINE; LESLIE L, MASTON; VALERIE A, GRUBB; PAUL A, SMITH; RAYMOND M, MALINOWSKI; THEODORE S
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 18.04.2000
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; ELECTRICITY; INORGANIC CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY; NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS; TRANSPORTING

A control system and method for controlling a fuel processing system operational to produce a gas for a downstream process from a fuel, wherein the fuel processing system uses a plurality of fuel processing elements, a fuel input and a waste gas input, each of the fuel processing elements having an individual output and the plurality of fuel processing elements having a collective output, and wherein the downstream process has a waste gas output and a dynamic gas load demand. The control system includes a device for receiving communication from the downstream process indicative of the dynamic load demand and a device for controlling the collective output level of the gas in response to the dynamic load demand. The device for controlling is operative to at least one of substantially equally distribute the dynamic load demand among the plurality of fuel processing elements such that the individual outputs from each of the fuel processing elements are substantially equal to each other for forming the collective output and most efficiently distribute the dynamic load among the plurality of fuel processing elements such that at least one of the individual outputs contributes to the collective output.