US 6,562,088 B2Granted

Method for operating a hydrogen generating apparatus

AssigneeMatsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

InventorsKunihiro Ukai, Kimiyasu Honda, Kiyoshi Taguchi, Takeshi Tomizawa, Kouichiro Kitagawa, Toshiyuki Shono

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Abstract

A hydrogen generating apparatus comprising a reformer, a heating section, a fuel supply section, a water supply section, a shift reactor with a shift catalyst layer, a first heat exchanger on the downstream side of the shift catalyst layer, and a temperature detector for the shift catalyst layer. The temperature of the downstream portion of the shift catalyst layer is raised by the action of the heat exchanger compared with the temperature of the same before the amount of the reformed gas is increased. And, the temperature of the downstream portion is lowered compared with the temperature of the same before the amount of the reformed gas is reduced when reducing the amount of the reformed gas. Accordingly, regardless whether the generation amount of hydrogen is large or small, the hydrogen generating apparatus can supply a constant concentration hydrogen gas while keeping the concentration of byproduct carbon monoxide low.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A method for operating a hydrogen generating apparatus, wherein the hydrogen generating apparatus comprises:

a reformer including a reforming catalyst layer for generating from a fuel a reformed gas containing at least hydrogen;
a heating section for heating said reforming catalyst layer;
a fuel supply section for supplying said fuel to said reformer and said heating section;
a water supply section for supplying water to said reformer;
a shift reactor including a shift catalyst layer for shifting carbon monoxide in said reformed gas to carbon dioxide by causing said reformed gas to react with water;
and a temperature detector for detecting the temperature of a downstream portion of said shift catalyst layer, said method comprising the steps of:
raising the temperature of the downstream portion of said shift catalyst layer to a higher temperature than the temperature of the same before the supply of said reformed gas to said shift reactor is increased, and
lowering the temperature of the downstream portion of said shift catalyst layer to a lower temperature than the temperature of the same before the supply of said reformed gas to said shift reactor is decreased.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/392,691Filed 9 Sep 1999
Priority: JP 10-2550019 Sep 1998
Published: US 2001/0002248 A131 May 2001
Granted: 13 May 2003
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification44 codes

B01J 8/0492
The fluid passing successively through two or more beds: feeding reactive fluids
B01J 8/0242
With stationary particles, e.g. in fixed beds: the fluid flow within the bed being predominantly vertical
B01J 8/0278
With stationary particles, e.g. in fixed beds: feeding reactive fluids
B01J 8/048
In two or more otherwise shaped beds: the beds being superimposed one above the other