Integrated fuel reforming reactor and fuel cell electricity generation device and method

An electricity generator, comprising:

• a base unit having a base unit housing releasably coupled to a fuel cell unit having a fuel cell housing, the coupled base unit housing and fuel cell housing forming an enclosure;
• the base unit housing surrounding at least one CPOX reactor tube having walls comprising a gas-permeable catalytic inner surface including CPOX catalytic material, the catalytic inner surface defining an interior of the CPOX reactor tube, and the base unit having a blower assembly having a blower outlet in fluid communication with the interior of the CPOX reactor tube the blower assembly adapted to supply a reformable gas stream mixture of an oxygen containing gas and a primary gaseous reformable fuel, the blower assembly adapted to supply the reformable gas mixture in a downstream direction through the interior of an upstream end of the CPOX reactor tube, toward a downstream end of the CPOX reactor tube, along the CPOX catalytic inner surface;
• the fuel cell housing surrounding at least one fuel cell tube having a fuel cell wall with an inner surface anode layer defining a fuel cell interior and having an electrochemically active region adapted to generate electricity, heat and steam;
• the fuel cell tube and CPOX reactor tube each sized and respectively positioned in the fuel cell unit and the base unit, such that when the base unit is coupled to the fuel cell unit, the CPOX reactor tube extends into the fuel cell tube with the downstream end of the CPOX reactor tube extending to an electrochemically active upstream end region of the fuel cell tube, with the fuel cell tube extending from the fuel cell upstream end region in a proximal direction opposite the distal direction over the CPOX reactor tube, the fuel cell and reactor tube adapted such that a reformate gas stream exiting the downstream end of the CPOX reactor tube will be directed by the construction of the upstream end region of the fuel cell tube in the proximal direction, toward a downstream end of the fuel cell tube, over the CPOX reactor tube;
• whereby the CPOX reactor tube and fuel cell tubes are adapted so that as the gaseous reformable mixture flows through the CPOX reactor tubes, it will be catalytically converted into a hydrogen rich reformate, and as the hydrogen rich reformate flows through the electrochemically active region of the fuel cell tube, it will generate electricity, heat and steam.