Hydrodesulfurizer recycle applied upstream of processor feedstock pressurization
AssigneeClearEdge Power, Inc.
InventorsPeter F. Foley, Joshua D. Isom, John L. Preston
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Fuel processing by a reformer (42) and a shift reactor (44) converts hydrocarbon feedstock (12) and steam (36) to hydrogen-rich reformate (11), such as for use in a fuel cell power plant (47). Some of the reformate is recycled through a restriction (18) to the inlet (15) of a feedstock pump (14), thereby increasing its pressure sufficiently to cause recycle flow through a hydrodesulfurizer (21) and the secondary inlet (26) of an ejector (28) driven by the steam (36). Recycle pressure (48) is maintained by steam pressure through a valve (34) regulated by a controller (17).
Claims6
Apparatus comprising:
- a fuel processor (40) including at least a steam reformer (42) and a shift reactor (44) configured to provide hydrogen-rich reformate gas in an output conduit (11);
- a hydrodesulfurizer (21);
- an ejector (28) configured to receive steam (36) at a primary inlet (29), the ejector configured to provide ejector outflow (38) to said fuel processor, a secondary inlet (26) of said ejector being configured to receive desulfurized fuel from said hydrodesulfurizer;
- a feedstock pressurizing pump (14) configured to receive hydrocarbon feedstock (12) at a pump inlet (15) and provide pressurized hydrocarbon feedstock to said hydrodesulfurizer;
- characterized by:
- a gas flow connection (18, 19a, 45) between the output conduit (11) of said fuel processor and the inlet (15) of said feedstock pressurizing pump, configured to convey a portion of hydrogen-rich reformate gas produced by said fuel processor to the inlet of said feedstock pressurizing pump.
A method characterized by:
- drawing hydrocarbon feedstock gas (12, 13, 15) and a hydrogen-rich reformate recycle gas (11, 18, 19a, 45) through a feedstock pressurizing pump (14) to supply an inlet (20) of a hydrodesulfurizer (21);
- feeding (24) the hydrodesulfurizer exhaust to a secondary inlet (26) of an ejector (28), a primary inlet (29) of which is fed steam (36), an outlet (40) of which is fed to a fuel processor (40, 42-44) that generates said hydrogen-rich reformats recycle gas;
- and
- selectively maintaining (34) the hydrogen-rich reformate recycle gas pressure above inlet pressure of the feedstock pressurizing pump.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.