US 4,343,624 AGranted

Rotating fluidized bed hydrogen production system

AssigneeCaterpillar Tractor Co.

InventorsWilliam H. Belke, George B. Grim

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Abstract

A three stage hydrogen generator (10), comprises a low BTU, carbon monoxide and hydrogen containing gas generation stage, a first reactor stage (12) for exothermically reducing ferric oxide with the low BTU gas and for generating superheated steam and a second reactor stage (14) for endothermically reacting steam and iron to produce substantially pure hydrogen gas. The hydrogen gas together with unreacted steam from the third stage (16) is directed to a condenser (18), preferably an air cooled unit, wherein the steam is condensed and the hydrogen gas recovered. The condensate (20) is cycled back to the second reactor (14) as the feed water for generating superheated steam and the heated cooling air (22) is directed to the first stage (12) for use in the generation of the low BTU gas. At least one, and preferably all, of the stages utilize a rotating fluidized bed. Desirably the condenser (18) is a rotating fluidized bed heat exchanger.

Claims33

Dependent claims

A multi-stage hydrogen generation system (10) comprising:

a. means (12) for producing a relatively low BTU gas comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen;
b. first reacting means (14) for exothermically reacting said relatively low BTU gas with ferric oxide to produce relatively pure iron and to generate steam;
c. second reacting means (16) for reacting said generated steam with relatively pure iron to produce hydrogen gas;
d. means (18) for recovering said hydrogen gas;
e. at least one of said producing (12) and first and second reacting means (14,16) comprising a rotating fluidized bed, said rotating fludized bed including
(1) an outer substantially cylindrical, elongated perforated wall;
(2) an inner substantially cylindrical, perforated wall spaced apart and substantially coaxial and co-extensive with said outer perforated wall;
(3) enclosing walls defining within said outer and inner perforated walls a substantially annular fluid-ization chamber;
(4) a fluidizable bed of pulverulent solid particles in said chamber;
(5) means for rotating said chamber about the axis to cause the particles to centrifugally gravitate toward said outer perforated wall;
(6) means for feeding a gaseous agent stream into said chamber through said outer perforated wall, said gas stream fluidizing said particles in said chamber, at least a portion of said gaseous stream exiting said chamber through said inner perforated wall;
and
(7) means for directing said exiting gaseous stream away from said chamber.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.