Fuel reforming apparatus
AssigneeToyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsTakashi Shimazu, Satoshi Iguchi, Satoshi Aoyama, Koichi Numata, Kazuhisa Kunitake, Takeshi Nishikawa, Shuichi Kubo, Satoshi Yamazaki
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a fuel cell system 10, a cracking unit 20 is provided upstream of a reformer 36. When the cracking unit 20 is supplied with oxygen and gasoline as a hydrocarbon-based fuel, the gasoline is partially oxidized and decomposed using oxidation-generated heat to give a hydrocarbon with a lower carbon number. The hydrocarbon with the lower carbon number obtained by such gasoline pyrolysis is fed to the reformer 36 and supplied to a reforming reaction zone.
Claims52
A fuel reforming apparatus for producing a hydrogen-rich gas from a hydrocarbon-based fuel by means of a reforming reaction, the fuel reforming apparatus comprising:
- a fuel decomposition unit configured to decompose a first hydrocarbon-based fuel by means of pyrolysis into a second hydrocarbon-based fuel with a lower carbon number;
- and
- a reforming reactor having a reforming catalyst for promoting a reforming reaction, the reforming reactor being configured to produce a hydrogen-rich gas from the second hydrocarbon-based fuel by the reforming reaction.
A fuel reforming apparatus for producing hydrogen-rich gas from a hydrocarbon-based fuel by means of a reforming reaction, comprising:
- a reforming reactor having a reforming catalyst for promoting the reforming reaction;
- and
- means for feeding the hydrocarbon-based fuel to the reforming reactor,
- wherein the reforming reactor maintains activity of the reforming reaction occurring on a surface of the reforming catalyst while suppressing unwanted gas-phase reactions occurring in the reforming reactor off the surface of the reforming catalyst.
A fuel cell system, comprising:
- a fuel cell for generating electromotive force by electrochemical reactions;
- and
- a fuel reforming apparatus for producing a hydrogen-rich gas from a hydrocarbon-based fuel by means of a reforming reaction, and supplying the hydrogen-rich gas to the fuel cell,
- the fuel reforming apparatus comprising:
- a fuel decomposition unit configured to decompose a first hydrocarbon-based fuel by means of pyrolysis into a second hydrocarbon-based fuel with a lower carbon number;
- and
- a reforming reactor having a reforming catalyst for promoting a reforming reaction, the reforming reactor being configured to produce a hydrogen-rich gas from the second hydrocarbon-based fuel by the reforming reaction.
A fuel cell system, comprising:
- a fuel cell for generating electromotive force by electrochemical reactions;
- and
- a fuel reforming apparatus for producing a hydrogen-rich gas from a hydrocarbon-based fuel by means of a reforming reaction, and supplying the hydrogen-rich gas to the fuel cell,
- the fuel reforming apparatus comprising:
- a fuel decomposition unit configured to decompose a first hydrocarbon-based fuel by means of pyrolysis into a second hydrocarbon-based fuel with a lower carbon number;
- a reforming reactor having a reforming catalyst for promoting a reforming reaction, the reforming reactor being configured to produce a hydrogen-rich gas from the second hydrocarbon-based fuel by the reforming reaction;
- and
- oxygen supply means for feeding oxygen to the fuel decomposition unit,
- wherein the fuel decomposition unit is configured to operate such that the oxygen fed by the oxygen supply means is used to partially oxidize the first hydrocarbon-based fuel, and heat evolved by the oxidation is used to pyrolyze the remaining first hydrocarbon-based fuel, and
- wherein the oxygen supply means supplies a cathode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell to the fuel decomposition unit as part of the oxygen fed to the fuel decomposition unit.
A fuel cell system, comprising:
- a fuel cell for generating electromotive force by electrochemical reactions;
- and
- a fuel reforming apparatus for producing a hydrogen-rich gas from a hydrocarbon-based fuel by means of a reforming reaction, and supplying the hydrogen-rich gas to the fuel cell,
- the fuel reforming apparatus comprising:
- a fuel decomposition unit configured to decompose a first hydrocarbon-based fuel by means of pyrolysis into a second hydrocarbon-based fuel with a lower carbon number;
- a reforming reactor having a reforming catalyst for promoting a reforming reaction, the reforming reactor being configured to produce a hydrogen-rich gas from the second hydrocarbon-based fuel by the reforming reaction;
- and
- oxygen supply means for feeding oxygen to the fuel decomposition unit,
- wherein the fuel decomposition unit is configured to operate such that the oxygen fed by the oxygen supply means is used to partially oxidize the first hydrocarbon-based fuel, and heat evolved by the oxidation is used to pyrolyze the remaining first hydrocarbon-based fuel, and
- wherein the fuel reforming apparatus further comprises anode off-gas supply means for supplying an anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell to the fuel decomposition unit.
A fuel cell system, comprising:
- a fuel cell for generating electromotive force by electrochemical reactions;
- and
- a fuel reforming apparatus for producing a hydrogen-rich gas from a hydrocarbon-based fuel by means of a reforming reaction, and supplying the hydrogen-rich gas to the fuel cell,
- the fuel reforming apparatus comprising:
- a fuel decomposition unit configured to decompose a first hydrocarbon-based fuel by means of pyrolysis into a second hydrocarbon-based fuel with a lower carbon number;
- and
- a reforming reactor having a reforming catalyst for promoting a reforming reaction, the reforming reactor being configured to produce a hydrogen-rich gas from the second hydrocarbon-based fuel by the reforming reaction,
- wherein the fuel decomposition unit comprises a heat exchanger capable of exchanging heat with a specified high-temperature fluid discharged from a specified location inside the fuel cell system such that the pyrolysis is accomplished using the heat obtained by heat exchange with the specified high-temperature fluid.
A fuel cell system, comprising:
- a fuel cell for generating electromotive force by electrochemical reactions, and
- a fuel decomposition unit configured to decompose a first hydrocarbon-based fuel into a second hydrocarbon-based fuel with a lower carbon number, the second hydrocarbon-based fuel being fed to the fuel cell to cause the electrochemical reactions,
- wherein the fuel cell is a high-temperature fuel cell, and the fuel decomposition unit decompose the first hydrocarbon-based fuel by pyrolysis, the pyrolysis being promoted by heat generated by the fuel cell.
A fuel reforming method for producing a hydrogen-rich gas from a hydrocarbon-based fuel, comprising the steps of:
- (a) decomposing a first hydrocarbon compound into a second hydrocarbon-based fuel with a lower carbon number;
- and
- (b) producing a hydrogen-rich gas from the second hydrocarbon-based fuel by a reforming reaction,
- wherein the decomposition of the first hydrocarbon-based fuel is performed by pyrolysis.
A fuel reforming method for producing a hydrogen-rich gas from a hydrocarbon-based fuel by means of a reforming reaction, characterized in that:
- the reforming reaction proceeds on a surface of a reforming catalyst sufficiently active to promote the reforming reaction;
- and
- the reforming reaction is kept active while unwanted gas-phase reactions occurred in a gas-phase off the surface of the reforming catalyst are adequately suppressed.
A method for starting up a fuel cell system, the fuel cell system comprising a fuel cell, and a fuel decomposition unit configured to receive a supply of oxygen and first hydrocarbon-based fuel, and to partially oxidize the first hydrocarbon-based fuel using the oxygen, and to pyrolize the remaining first hydrocarbon-based fuel using oxidation-evolved heat to thereby produce a second hydrocarbon-based fuel with a lower carbon number, the second hydrocarbon-based fuel being fed to the fuel cell from the fuel decomposition unit, characterized by
- raising a ratio of an amount of oxygen to an amount of the first hydrocarbon-based fuel fed to the fuel decomposition unit until the fuel cell is heated up to a specified temperature, thereby adequately causing partial oxidation of the first hydrocarbon-based fuel in the fuel decomposition unit and promoting oxidation of hydrogen and carbon monoxide produced by the partial oxidation reaction on an anode-side catalyst inside the fuel cell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.