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US 10,283,795 B2Granted
Method and system for combined hydrogen and electricity production using petroleum fuels
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorsAqil Jamal, Thang Pham
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system including a steam reformer, a hydrogen purification system, a pre-reformer, and a solid oxide fuel cell.
Claims22
A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system comprising:
- a steam reformer, the steam reformer comprising:
- catalytic reactor tubes, where the catalytic reactor tubes are operable to receive steam and a hydrocarbon feed and are operable to convert hydrocarbons of the hydrocarbon feed into hydrogen to produce a reformer syngas, the reformer syngas comprising hydrogen;
- and
- a combustion chamber, where the combustion chamber is thermally coupled to the catalytic reactor tubes, is operable to receive the hydrocarbon feed, an oxygen feed, and an anode exhaust gas, and is operable to produce a flue gas, the flue gas comprising carbon dioxide;
- a hydrogen purification system, where the hydrogen purification system is operable to receive the reformer syngas and is operable to produce a purified hydrogen gas and an off-gas stream, the off-gas stream comprising methane;
- a pre-reformer, where the pre-reformer is operable to receive the hydrocarbon feed and the anode exhaust gas and is operable to produce a pre-reformer syngas, the pre-reformer syngas comprising methane;
- and
- a solid oxide fuel cell, where the solid oxide fuel cell is operable to electrochemically convert methane and water into hydrogen and carbon oxides to produce electrical power and where the solid oxide fuel cell comprises an anode side,
- where the anode side is operable to produce the anode exhaust gas, the anode exhaust gas comprising hydrogen and carbon oxides, and comprises an anode side inlet,
- where the anode side inlet is fluidly coupled to the hydrogen purification system and the pre-reformer and is operable to receive an anode feed, the anode feed comprising a mixture of the off-gas stream and the pre-reformer syngas.
7 more elements
A method of producing hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and electrical power utilizing a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system comprising the steps of:
- introducing a hydrocarbon feed and steam to a steam reformer, the steam reformer comprising:
- catalytic reactor tubes, where the catalytic reactor tubes are operable to receive steam and the hydrocarbon feed and are operable to convert hydrocarbons of the hydrocarbon feed into hydrogen to produce a reformer syngas, the reformer syngas comprising hydrogen;
- and
- a combustion chamber, where the combustion chamber is thermally coupled to the catalytic reactor tubes, is operable to receive the hydrocarbon feed, an oxygen feed, and an anode exhaust gas, and is operable to produce a flue gas, the flue gas comprising carbon dioxide;
- introducing the oxygen feed to the combustion chamber;
- introducing the anode exhaust gas to the combustion chamber;
- introducing the reformer syngas to a hydrogen purification system, where the hydrogen purification system is operable to produce a purified hydrogen gas and an off-gas stream, the off-gas stream comprising methane;
- introducing the hydrocarbon feed to a pre-reformer, where the pre-reformer is operable to receive the anode exhaust gas and is operable to produce a pre-reformer syngas, the pre-reformer syngas comprising methane;
- introducing the anode exhaust gas to the pre-reformer;
- and
- introducing an anode feed to a solid oxide fuel cell, the anode feed comprising a mixture of the off-gas stream and the pre-reformer syngas, where the solid oxide fuel cell is operable to electrochemically convert methane and water into hydrogen and carbon oxides to produce electrical power and comprises an anode side,
- where the anode side is operable to produce the anode exhaust gas, the anode exhaust gas comprising hydrogen and carbon oxides, and comprises an anode side inlet,
- where the anode side inlet is fluidly coupled to the hydrogen purification system and the pre-reformer and is operable to receive the anode feed.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.