Systems and processes for reforming a liquid hydrocarbon fuel

A process for reforming a liquid hydrocarbon fuel, the process comprising:

• passing a liquid hydrocarbon fuel and an oxygen-containing gas to at least one atomizing nozzle, where the at least one atomizing nozzle produces a plurality of droplets suspended in the oxygen-containing gas, where each of the plurality of droplets comprises the liquid hydrocarbon fuel;
• passing the plurality of droplets suspended in the oxygen-containing gas from the atomizing nozzle to a fuel distribution zone, where the fuel distribution zone distributes the plurality of droplets and the oxygen-containing gas to a plurality of flow channels in a monolith block;
• and
• contacting the plurality of droplets with the oxygen-containing gas in the presence of a reforming catalyst in the plurality of flow channels, where the reforming catalyst comprises N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) and contacting the plurality of droplets with the oxygen-containing gas in the presence of the reforming catalyst causes at least a portion of the liquid hydrocarbon fuel to undergo one or more chemical reactions to produce a reformed liquid hydrocarbon fuel having a cetane number greater than a cetane number of the liquid hydrocarbon fuel.

A method for reforming a liquid hydrocarbon fuel, the method comprising:

• introducing a liquid hydrocarbon fuel to a mixing zone through a fuel intake;
• introducing an oxygen-containing gas to the mixing zone through an oxygen-containing gas intake;
• mixing the liquid hydrocarbon fuel and the oxygen-containing gas in the mixing zone comprising at least one atomizing nozzle;
• producing a plurality of droplets to a fuel distribution zone downstream of the at least one atomizing nozzle, where the plurality of droplets comprise the liquid hydrocarbon fuel suspended in the oxygen-containing gas;
• distributing the plurality of droplets to a catalyst reaction zone comprising a monolith block having a plurality of flow channels defined by monolith walls and a reforming catalyst coated onto the monolith walls in the plurality of flow channels;
• and
• contacting the plurality of droplets with the oxygen-containing gas in the presence of the reforming catalyst in each of the plurality of flow channels, where the reforming catalyst comprises N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI).