System for steam reformation of a hydrocarbon and operating method therefor
AssigneeDBB Fuel Cell Engines GmbH
InventorRainer Autenrieth
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for steam reformation of a hydrocarbon includes a combined oxidizer/burner unit connected downstream of a reformer and in thermal contact therewith. The combined unit functions during reformation reaction operation of the reformer as a CO oxidizer and simultaneously as a catalytic burner. During reformation reaction operation, a gas containing oxygen is added to the combined oxidizer/burner unit that has an oxygen component that is greater than the oxygen component required for CO oxidation alone. The system may be used, for example, in fuel-cell-operated motor vehicles to obtain hydrogen from methanol carried in liquid form that is required for the fuel cells.
Claims10
A system for steam reformation of a hydrocarbon, comprising:
- a reformer;
- a combined oxidizer/burner unit connected downstream from the reformer and in thermal contact therewith,
- wherein said oxidizer/burner unit is both a CO oxidizer and simultaneously a catalytic burner during operation of the reformer.
A method for steam reformation of a hydrocarbon, comprising:
- combusting a mixture of a fuel and a gas containing oxygen in a catalytic burner, thereby heating an evaporator in thermal contact with the catalytic burner;
- evaporating a mixture of water and methanol in the evaporator to form a methanol and steam mixture;
- directing the methanol and steam mixture to a reformer, thereby producing a reformate gas containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide;
- passing an oxygen-containing gas and the reformate gas through a combined oxidizer/burner unit;
- and
- oxidizing the carbon monoxide in the reformate gas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.