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US 6,585,785 B1Granted
Fuel processor apparatus and control system
AssigneeHarvest Energy Technology, Inc.
InventorsDavid W. Warren, Michael B. Donahue
Life of this patent
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AssigneeHarvest Energy Technology, Inc.
InventorsDavid W. Warren, Michael B. Donahue
Estimating the term…
A fuel processor apparatus comprising a catalytic tubular reactor is heated using an infrared radiant burner to provide the endothermic heat of reaction needed to reform a mixture of hydrocarbon and steam for the production of a hydrogen-rich gas stream. The hydrogen-rich gas stream is further purified using a sequence of catalytic steps that is fed to a fuel cell whereupon a portion of the hydrogen contained in the gas stream is consumed for the production of electricity by electrochemical reaction with oxygen. An unused portion of the purified hydrogen-rich gas stream exits the fuel cell stack and is combusted in the infrared radiant burner. A fuel cell control system rapidly responds to a variable fuel cell electric demand by adjusting the feed of hydrocarbon to the catalytic tubular reactor to maintain the surface temperature of the infrared radiant burner within defined limits.
A fuel processor apparatus comprising in combination a catalytic tubular reactor and an infrared radiant burner operated to heat the reactor, and to provide the endothermic heat of reaction needed to reform a mixture of hydrocarbon and steam supplied to the reactor for the production of a hydrogen-rich gas stream fed to a fuel cell, and including a control responsive to temperature change of the burner, which in turn responds to variation in fuel cell electric load, to adjust the feed of hydrocarbon to the catalytic tubular reactor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.