Compact precooler

A fuel cell system comprising:

• a device for converting a hydrocarbon fuel into a high temperature gas containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide;
• a shift converter downstream of said converting device for converting the reformed gas to primarily hydrogen and carbon dioxide;
• a fuel cell downstream of the shift converter for reacting the hydrogen from the shift converter;
• and
• a shift converter precooler upstream of and proximate to the shift converter and oriented in a vertical downward position for cooling the reformed gas to a desired temperature prior to introduction into the shift converter, the precooler comprising:
• a housing defining an elongated chamber extending about a longitudinal axis, the chamber having a reformed gas inlet and a reformed gas outlet;
• a sleeve member defining a recirculation-cooling zone mounted in the chamber about the longitudinal axis between the reformed gas inlet and the reformed gas outlet and defining with a portion of the housing an annular space and having at least one hot gas inlet and a cooled gas outlet;
• a water inlet associated with the at least one hot gas inlet wherein the at least one hot gas inlet comprises a plurality of jets arrayed circularly about the atomizing water inlet and at an acute angle a with respect to the longitudinal axis for creating a swirling recirculating flow of the reformed gas in the recirculation-cooling zone.