Apparatus for vaporizing and reforming liquid fuels

An apparatus for vaporizing and reforming a liquid fuel, comprising:

• (a) a nozzle for atomizing and feeding a liquid fuel into a mixing region;
• (b) an inlet for feeding an oxidizer into the mixing region;
• (c) the mixing region being positioned in fluid communication with the nozzle and the inlet for feeding the oxidizer, the mixing region mixing the atomized fuel with the oxidizer;
• (d) a radiation hot box for vaporizing the liquid fuel, the radiation hot box being positioned in fluid communication with the mixing region and comprising an ignition source positioned inside a coiled catalytic reactor;
• (e) the coiled catalytic reactor comprising a coiled metal screen providing for a radial flow path from an inner diameter to an outer diameter of the coiled metal screen and providing for a plurality of void volumes in random order along the flow path from the inner diameter to the outer diameter;
• and
• (f) an outlet in fluid communication with the coiled catalytic reactor for exiting a gaseous reformate.