Steam/carbon ratio detection and control
AssigneeHyaxiom, Inc.
InventorsMichael T. Lines, John L. Preston
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An ejector receives steam at a primary inlet and natural gas at a secondary inlet. A computer responds to a signal indicating current in the load of a fuel cell as well as a signal indicating temperature of a steam reformer to move a linear actuator to control a needle that adjusts the size of the steam orifice. Reformate is fed to a separator scrubber which cools the reformate to its dew point indicated by a sensor. From that, a controller generates the fuel/carbon ratio for display and to bias a signal on a line regulating the amount of steam passing through an ejector to the inlet of the reformer. Alternatively, the reformate may be cooled to its dew point by a controllable heat exchanger in response to pressure and temperature signals.
Claims15
An apparatus, comprising:
- a reformer configured to generate reformate from hydrocarbon fuel and steam;
- a scrubber downstream of the reformer, the scrubber being configured to at least partially remove ammonia from the reformate;
- a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the reformate exiting the scrubber;
- a water level sensor configured to measure the water level in at least a selected portion of the scrubber;
- and
- a controller programmed to determine a first water level at a first measurement time, determine a second water level at a second measurement time subsequent to the first measurement time, and determine that the temperature of the reformate is the dew point temperature when the first water level equals the second water level,
- wherein the controller is programmed to adjust a steam/carbon ratio of hydrocarbon fuel and steam supplied to the reformer when the temperature of the reformate is not the dew point temperature.
A method, comprising:
- generating reformate in a reformer from hydrocarbon fuel and steam;
- at least partially removing ammonia from the reformate within a scrubber;
- determining a temperature of the reformate exiting the scrubber;
- determining a first water level in at least a selected portion of the scrubber at a first measurement time;
- determining a second water level in at least the selected portion of the scrubber at a second measurement time subsequent to the first measurement time;
- determining that the temperature of the reformate fluid is the dew point temperature when the first water level equals the second water level;
- and
- adjusting a steam/carbon ratio of hydrocarbon fuel and steam supplied to the reformer when the temperature of the reformate fluid is not the dew point temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.