Author: claimsbot

1. A hybrid fuel cell system comprising:
a high temperature fuel cell having an anode section and a cathode section;
a gas turbine comprising a compressor cycle for compressing a supply gas and an expansion cycle for expanding at least one of heated compressed supply gas and a second gas derived from the compressed supply gas to provide mechanical energy to an induction machine; and
the induction machine for converting mechanical energy to electrical energy and adapted to output an electrical output.
2. A hybrid fuel cell system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the induction machine is adapted to be connected to an electrical grid without synchronizing equipment and wherein the system does not include speed controls for the gas turbine.
3. A hybrid fuel cell system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the gas turbine is an unfired gas turbine and the supply gas comprises one of air and oxidant gas.
4. A hybrid fuel cell system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the induction machine is a three-phase 4-pole induction machine having a predetermined size to match the gas turbine.
5. A hybrid fuel cell system in accordance with claim 4, wherein the high temperature fuel cell is a mega-Watt scale fuel cell power plant and the predetermined size of the induction machine is at least 300 kW.
6. A hybrid fuel cell system in accordance with claim 5, wherein one of:
(a) the high temperature fuel cell comprises a 1.8 mW fuel cell power plant and the predetermined size of the induction machine is 325 kW; and
(b) the high temperature fuel cell comprises a 3.2 mW fuel cell power plant and the predetermined size of the induction machine is 650 kW.
7. A hybrid fuel cell system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the induction machine operates as an induction motor during a heat-up operation of the high temperature fuel cell and operates as an induction generator during a normal operation of the high temperature fuel cell.
8. A hybrid fuel cell system in accordance with claim 7, further comprising balance of plant components, wherein the induction machine provides electrical output to the balance of plant components when the induction machine operates as the induction generator.
9. A hybrid fuel cell system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the induction machine is adapted to connect to an electrical grid and the system further comprising:
a generator output breaker for connecting and disconnecting the induction machine from the electrical grid; and
a controller for controlling opening and closing of the generator output breaker based on at least one of a speed of a rotor of the induction machine and an amount of heat produced by the high temperature fuel cell.
10. A hybrid fuel cell system in accordance with claim 9, wherein:
(a) during a heat-up operation of the high temperature fuel cell, the controller controls the generator output breaker to close if the high temperature fuel cell produces a predetermined amount of waste heat and the speed of the rotor of the induction machine is less than a first predetermined speed, the controller controls the generator output breaker to open if the high temperature fuel cell produces at least the predetermined amount of waste heat and the speed of the rotor is greater than or equal to the first predetermined speed and less than a second predetermined speed, and the controller controls the generator output breaker to close if the speed of the rotor is greater than the second predetermined speed, the second predetermined speed being greater than the first predetermined speed; and
(b) during normal operation of the high temperature fuel cell, the controller controls the generator output breaker to close.
11. A hybrid fuel cell system in accordance with claim 10, wherein the predetermined amount of waste heat is sufficient for operating the gas turbine, the first predetermined speed is 50% of a grid synchronous operating speed of the induction machine and the second predetermined speed is 95% of the grid synchronous operating speed of the induction machine.
12. A hybrid fuel cell system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:
the high temperature fuel cell is adapted to connect to an electrical grid and comprises a plurality of fuel cell stacks;
the induction machine is adapted to connect to the electrical grid; and
the system comprises at least one transformer for connecting the high temperature fuel cell and the induction machine to the electrical grid.
13. A hybrid fuel cell system in accordance with claim 12, wherein the transformer comprises a three-phase transformer for connecting the high temperature fuel cell and the induction machine to the electrical grid, and the system further comprises:
a breaker for connecting the three-phase transformer to the electrical grid and for disconnecting the three-phase transformer from the electrical grid, and
a controller for controlling the opening and closing of the breaker based on one or more of: one or more predetermined conditions of the system, and one or more predetermined conditions of the electrical grid.
14. A hybrid fuel cell system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:
the compressor cycle of the gas turbine compresses the supply gas comprising one or more of oxidant gas and air and outputs compressed supply gas;
the system further comprises at least one heat recovery unit for recovering heat from at least one of cathode exhaust and anode exhaust and for heating the compressed supply gas; and
the expansion cycle expands the heated compressed supply gas and provides mechanical energy to the induction machine.
15. The hybrid fuel cell system in accordance with claim 14, further comprising an oxidizer adapted to receive anode exhaust and expanded supply gas output from the expansion cycle, and to catalytically oxidize the anode exhaust with the expanded supply gas so as to output heated oxidant gas, wherein the compressed supply gas is heated using cathode exhaust in the heat recovery unit and further heated using the heated oxidant gas output from the oxidizer.
16. A hybrid fuel cell system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:
the compressor cycle of the gas turbine compresses the supply gas comprising one or more of oxidant gas and air, and outputs compressed supply gas;
the system further comprises an oxidizer adapted to receive anode exhaust from the high temperature fuel cell and the compressed supply gas and to output the second gas comprising heated compressed oxidant gas; and
the expansion cycle expands the second gas, provides mechanical energy to the induction machine and outputs expanded oxidant gas to the cathode section of the high temperature fuel cell.
17. A hybrid fuel cell system in accordance with claim 16, further comprising at least one heat recovery unit for recovering heat from at least one of cathode exhaust and anode exhaust and further heating the second gas prior to expanding the second gas in the expansion cycle.
18. A method for use with a hybrid fuel cell system comprising a high temperature fuel cell having an anode section and a cathode section, a gas turbine comprising a compressor cycle and an expansion cycle and an induction machine, the method comprising:
providing a supply gas to the gas turbine;
compressing the supply gas in the compressor cycle of the gas turbine;
generating one of heated compressed supply gas and a second gas derived from the compressed supply gas using waste heat from the high temperature fuel cell;
expanding the one of the heated compressed supply gas and the second gas in the expansion cycle of the gas turbine to provide mechanical energy to the induction machine; and
converting mechanical energy to electrical energy using the induction machine.
19. A method in accordance with claim 18, further comprising outputting electrical energy from the induction machine to an electrical grid without using synchronizing equipment, and wherein the hybrid fuel cell system does not include speed controls for the gas turbine.
20. A method in accordance with claim 18, wherein:
the gas turbine is an unfired gas turbine;
the step of providing the supply gas comprises providing at least one of air and oxidant gas; and
said method further comprises providing fuel and oxidant gases to the high temperature fuel cell, wherein the oxidant gas provided to the high temperature fuel cell comprises one gas turbine exhaust and a third gas derived from gas turbine exhaust.
21. A method in accordance with claim 18, wherein the induction machine operates as an induction motor during a heat-up operation of the high temperature fuel cell, and operates as an induction generator during a normal operation of the high temperature fuel cell, and the hybrid fuel cell system comprises balance of plant components, the method further comprising:
outputting electrical power from the induction machine during the normal operation of the high temperature fuel cell and providing at least a portion of the electrical power to balance of plant components.
22. A method in accordance with claim 18, wherein the induction machine is adapted to connect to an electrical grid using a generator output breaker, the method further comprising:
controlling opening and closing of the generator output breaker based on at least one of a speed of a rotor of the induction machine and an amount of heat produced by the high temperature fuel cell.
23. A method in accordance with claim 22, wherein controlling the opening and closing of the generator output breaker comprises at least one of:
(a) during a heat-up operation of the high temperature fuel cell, controlling the generator output breaker to close if the high temperature fuel cell produces a predetermined amount of waste heat and the speed of the rotor of the induction machine is less than a first predetermined speed, controlling the generator output breaker to open if the high temperature fuel cell produces at least the predetermined amount of waste heat and the speed of the rotor is greater than or equal to the first predetermined speed and less than a second predetermined speed, and controlling the generator output breaker to close if the speed of the rotor is greater than the second predetermined speed, the second predetermined speed being greater than the first predetermined speed; and
(b) during normal operation of the high temperature fuel cell, controlling the generator output breaker to close during the normal operation of the high temperature fuel cell.
24. A method in accordance with claim 23, wherein the predetermined amount of waste heat is sufficient for operating the gas turbine, the first predetermined speed is 50% of a grid synchronous operating speed of the induction machine and the second predetermined speed is 95% of the grid synchronous operating speed of the induction machine.
25. A method in accordance with claim 18, further comprising:
catalytically oxidizing anode exhaust and expanded supply gas output from the gas turbine to produce heated oxidant gas,
wherein:
the supply gas comprises one of air and oxidant gas, and
the step of generating comprises heating the compressed supply gas using heat from at least one of anode exhaust and cathode exhaust in a heat recovery unit, and further heating the compressed supply gas using the heated oxidant gas output from the oxidizer.
26. A method in accordance with claim 18, wherein:
the supply gas comprises one of oxidant gas and air;
the step of generating comprises catalytically oxidizing anode exhaust and compressed supply gas to generate the second gas derived from the compressed supply gas and comprising heated compressed oxidant gas; and
the step of expanding comprises expanding the second gas to provide mechanical energy to the induction machine and to provide expanded second gas for use in the cathode section of the high temperature fuel cell.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A hollow roller (1) which is heatable with steam,
which has a roller shell (2) with an inner wall (25), two end walls (3, 4), a centre longitudinal axis (5) and an interior (13),
which is rotatably mounted,
which has a steam supply channel opening into the interior (13) coaxially to the centre longitudinal axis (5) and
which has a siphon pipe (14) which opens into the interior (13) co-axially to the centre longitudinal axis (5), with a suction opening (24) located adjacent to the inner wall (25),

wherein the siphon pipe (14) is formed rigidly and is held in a rotary feed-through (16), which is pivotable relative to the centre longitudinal axis (5) about a pivot angle \u03b1 in such a way that the spacing b of the suction opening (24) from the inner wall (25) is adjustable.
2. A hollow roller (1) according to claim 1, wherein the end wall (4) adjacent to the rotary feed-through (16) is provided with a hollow bearing journal (7), which is rotatably connected to a housing (17) of the rotary feed-through (16) so as to be pivotable about the pivot angle \u03b1 in a steam-tight manner.
3. A hollow roller (1) according to claim 1, wherein the rotary feed-through (16) has a steam supply connecting piece (19), which passes into the steam supply channel formed as a ring channel (22) surrounding the siphon pipe (14).
4. A hollow roller (1) according to claim 1, wherein the rotary feed-through (16) is mounted on pivot bearings (28).
5. A hollow roller (1) according to claim 1, wherein a pivoting adjusting device is provided for the pivoting adjustment of the rotary feed-through (16) with the siphon pipe (14).
6. A hollow roller (1) according to claim 5, wherein the pivot bearing (28) is arranged in a fixed manner.
7. A hollow roller (1) according to claim 4, wherein the pivoting adjusting device is actuatable manually.
8. A hollow roller (1) according to claim 7, wherein the pivoting adjusting device has adjusting screws (31, 32) for pivoting adjustment.
9. A hollow roller (1) according to claim 4, wherein the pivoting adjusting device is actuatable by a motor.
10. A hollow roller (1) according to claim 1, wherein the rotary feed-through (16) with the siphon pipe (14) is adjustable about the centre longitudinal axis (5) about a rotation angle \u03b2.
11. A hollow roller (1) according to claim 10, wherein the rotary feed-through (16) is mounted on a ring disc (45), which is rotatably and fixably supported.
12. A hollow roller (1) according to claim 5, wherein the rotary feed-through (16) is mounted on a ring disc (45), which is rotatably and fixably supported, and wherein the pivot bearings (28) are attached to the ring disc (45).

1. A mobile vehicle in combination with an integrated pet environment, comprising:
a cab engaged to a drive train bearing chassis;
a sleeper compartment including a driver living space;
said sleeper compartment including a mounting floor as well as off duty living space for a driver;
a combination passenger seat and pet rest mounted on said mounting floor within said sleeper compartment;
said combination passenger seat and pet rest consisting of a conventional base affixed to said mounting floor in said cab as well as a tiltable vertical portion engaged to a rearward side of said base;
said base having a horizontal passenger surface;
said vertical portion being tiltable forward from a passenger sitting mode to a pet rest mode;
a back surface of said vertical portion containing a ramp that is engaged by a hinged connection; and
said ramp foldable in down in direction to said mounting floor when said combination passenger seat and pet rest is folded forward in a pet rest mode allowing pet access to sit on said back surface of said combination passenger seat and pet rest.
2. The mobile vehicle of claim 1, wherein:
a side pet guard engaged to said back surface via a hinge;
a front pet guard engaged to an upper portion of said back surface via a hinged connection;
said side pet guard and said front pet guard being foldable upwards to provide vertical fencing surfaces when said combination passenger seat and pet rest is folded forward in said pet rest mode to inhibit an animal on said back surface from approaching a drivers seat in said cab.
3. The mobile vehicle of claim 1, wherein:
a pet care unit installed onto said mounting floor in an area rearward of said drivers seat;
said pet care unit having a slidable gate engaged on a front side between said pet care unit and a drivers seat also mounted to said mounting floor;
said gate slidable across an area between said drivers seat and said combination passenger seat and pet rest act to even further inhibit pet movement between said drivers seat and said combination passenger seat and pet rest.
4. The mobile vehicle of claim 3, wherein:
said pet care unit including a water dispenser as well as a pet food dispenser.
5. A combination passenger seat and pet rest for use in a mobile vehicle with a cab with a mounting floor, comprising:
a conventional base mountable to a mounting floor in a cab;
said base having a horizontal passenger surface;
a tiltable vertical portion engaged to a rearward side of said base;
said vertical portion being tiltable forward from a passenger sitting mode to a pet rest mode;
a back surface of said vertical portion containing a ramp engaged by a hinged connection; and
said ramp foldable in down in direction to a mounting floor when said combination passenger seat and pet rest is folded forward in a pet rest mode allowing pet access to sit on said back surface of said combination passenger seat and pet rest.
6. The combination passenger seat and pet rest of claim 5, wherein:
a side pet guard engaged to said back surface via a hinge;
a front pet guard engaged to an upper portion of said back surface via a hinged connection;
said side pet guard and said front pet guard being foldable upwards to provide vertical fencing surfaces when said combination passenger seat and pet rest is folded forward in said pet rest mode to inhibit an animal on said back surface from approaching a drivers seat in said cab.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A waveform shaping apparatus comprising:
an optical amplifier that is provided with a substrate having layers of quantum dots and that amplifies a signal beam having a wavelength corresponding to a size of the quantum dots;
an amplification saturating unit that saturates an amplification factor for the signal beam going through the optical amplifier if power of the signal beam is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, by applying a positive voltage to the optical amplifier; and
an absorption saturating unit that saturates an absorption factor for the signal beam going through the optical amplifier if power of the signal beam is under a predetermined value, by applying a negative voltage to the optical amplifier.
2. The waveform shaping apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
an applied voltage adjusting unit that adjusts a voltage applied to the optical amplifier based on the power of the signal beam output from the amplification saturating unit or the absorption saturating unit.
3. The waveform shaping apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a power adjusting unit that adjusts power of a signal beam having a predetermined wavelength and to be input to the amplification saturating unit or the absorption saturating unit.
4. The waveform shaping apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the power adjusting unit amplifies the power of the signal beam, having a predetermined wavelength and to be input to the amplification saturating unit, depending on characteristics of the amplification saturating unit.
5. The waveform shaping apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the power adjusting unit is positioned between the amplification saturating unit and the absorption saturating unit, and attenuates the power of the signal beam having a predetermined wavelength and input from the amplification saturating unit depending on characteristics of the absorption saturating unit.
6. The waveform shaping apparatus according to the claim 4, further comprising:
a signal beam amplifying unit that amplifies the power of the signal beam to be input to the amplification saturating unit so as to be equal to or more than a predetermined level.
7. The waveform shaping apparatus according to the claim 5, further comprising:
a signal beam amplifying unit that amplifies the power of the signal beam to be input to the amplification saturating unit so as to be equal to or more than a predetermined level.
8. The waveform shaping apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a pulse width compressing unit that compresses a pulse width of the signal beam to be input to the amplification saturating unit.
9. The waveform shaping apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the amplification saturating unit and the absorption saturating unit are connected in series with respect to a transmission direction of the signal beam.
10. A waveform shaping apparatus comprising:
an optical amplifier that is provided with a substrate having layers of quantum dots and that amplifies a signal beam having a wavelength corresponding to a size of the quantum dots; and
an amplification saturating unit that saturates an amplification factor for the signal beam going through the optical amplifier if power of the signal beam is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, by applying a positive voltage to the optical amplifier.
11. An optical transmission system comprising:
a mesh-topology network having transmission paths for signal beams and optical nodes, and over which terminals exchange data, wherein the optical nodes has a function to switch the transmission paths for the signal beams and separate each of the signal beams into beams at each wavelength; and
a waveform shaping apparatus is provided to at least one of an input terminal of each of the optical nodes that the signal beam is input to and an output terminal thereof that the signal beam is output from, wherein
the waveform shaping apparatus includes
an optical amplifier that is provided with a substrate having layers of quantum dots and that amplifies the signal beam having a wavelength corresponding to a size of the quantum dots,
an amplification saturating unit that saturates an amplification factor for the signal beam going through the optical amplifier if power of the signal beam is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, by applying a positive voltage to the optical amplifier, and
an absorption saturating unit that saturates an absorption factor for the signal beam going through the optical amplifier if power of the signal beam is under a predetermined value, by applying a negative voltage to the optical amplifier.
12. An optical transmission system comprising:
a mesh-topology network having transmission paths for signal beams and optical nodes, and over which terminals exchange data, wherein the optical nodes has a function to switch the transmission paths for the signal beams and separate each of the signal beams into beams at each wavelength; and
a waveform shaping apparatus is provided to at least one of an input terminal of each of the optical nodes that the signal beam is input to and an output terminal thereof that the signal beam is output from, wherein
the waveform shaping apparatus includes
an optical amplifier that is provided with a substrate having layers of quantum dots and that amplifies a signal beam having a wavelength corresponding to a size of the quantum dots, and
an amplification saturating unit that saturates an amplification factor for the signal beam going through the optical amplifier if power of the signal beam is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, by applying a positive voltage to the optical amplifier.
13. An optical transmission system comprising:
a network having transmission paths of an optical fiber, the network being used by terminals to exchange data, wherein a waveform shaping apparatus is provided between the transmission paths, and the waveform shaping apparatus includes
an optical amplifier that is provided with a substrate having layers of quantum dots and that amplifies a signal beam having a wavelength corresponding to a size of the quantum dots,
an amplification saturating unit that saturates an amplification factor for the signal beam going through the optical amplifier if power of the signal beam is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, by applying a positive voltage to the optical amplifier, and
an absorption saturating unit that saturates an absorption factor for the signal beam going through the optical amplifier if power of the signal beam is under a predetermined value, by applying a negative voltage to the optical amplifier.
14. An optical transmission system comprising:
a network having transmission paths of an optical fiber, the network being used by terminals to exchange data, wherein a waveform shaping apparatus is provided between the transmission paths, and the waveform shaping apparatus includes
an optical amplifier that is provided with a substrate having layers of quantum dots and that amplifies a signal beam having a wavelength corresponding to a size of the quantum dots, and
an amplification saturating unit that saturates an amplification factor for the signal beam going through the optical amplifier if power of the signal beam is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, by applying a positive voltage to the optical amplifier.
15. A waveform shaping method for a waveform shaping apparatus that includes an optical amplifier that is provided with a substrate having layers of quantum dots and that amplifies a signal beam having a wavelength corresponding to a size of the quantum dots, the waveform shaping method comprising:
saturating an amplification factor for the signal beam going through the optical amplifier if power of the signal beam is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, by applying a positive voltage to the optical amplifier; and
saturating an absorption factor for the signal beam going through the optical amplifier if power of the signal beam is under a predetermined value, by applying a negative voltage to the optical amplifier.
16. The waveform shaping method according to claim 15, further comprising:
adjusting a voltage applied to the optical amplifier based on the power of the signal beam output from the saturating the amplification factor or the absorption factor.
17. The waveform shaping method according to claim 15, further comprising:
a power adjusting unit that adjusts power of a signal beam having a predetermined wavelength and to be input to the optical amplifier.
18. A waveform shaping method for a waveform shaping apparatus that includes an optical amplifier that is provided with a substrate having layers of quantum dots and that amplifies a signal beam having a wavelength corresponding to a size of the quantum dots, the waveform shaping method comprising:
saturating an absorption factor of a signal beam going through the optical amplifier if power of the signal beams is under a predetermined value by applying a negative voltage to the optical amplifier; and
saturating an amplification factor of a signal beam going through the optical amplifier if power of the signal beam is equal to or greater than a predetermined value by applying a positive voltage to the optical amplifier.
19. The waveform shaping method according to claim 18, further comprising:
adjusting a voltage applied to the optical amplifier based on the power of the signal beam output from the saturating the amplification factor or the absorption factor.
20. The waveform shaping method according to claim 18, further comprising:
a power adjusting unit that adjusts power of a signal beam having a predetermined wavelength and to be input to the optical amplifier.