Hydrogen generation apparatus incorporating a staged catalyst and method for using same
AssigneeIntelligent Energy Limited
InventorAnand Chellappa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for generation of hydrogen. The apparatus includes a hydrogen reactor chamber (99) and a plurality of catalysts within the chamber (99) forming distinct zones or portions (200, 202, and 204), each zone or portion comprising a distinct catalyst or combination thereof. The plurality of catalysts include at least one of a high-activity steam reformation catalyst, coke resistant steam reformation catalyst and steam reformation catalyst that promotes a water gas shift reaction.
Claims18
A hydrogen generating apparatus wherein hydrogen is generated by steam reformation of a hydrocarbon fuel, the apparatus comprising:
- a single hydrogen reactor chamber with mesoscale channels having a height and/or width between 0.01 and 0.5 mm;
- a series of zones within the mesoscale channels each containing one of a high-activity steam reformation catalyst, a coke-resistant steam reformation catalyst and a steam reformation catalyst which promotes a water-gas shift reaction forming a staged configuration each zone being in physical contact with at least one other zone;
- a reactant stream;
- an input tube for feeding the reactant stream in fluid communication with a first zone in the reactor chamber;
- and
- an output tube for removing product gases in fluid communication with the last sequential zone in the reactor chamber;
- whereby all the reactant stream is passed from the input tube into the first zone then said reactant stream passes to the next zones before exiting the reactor chamber from the last zone via the output tube.
A hydrogen generating apparatus wherein hydrogen is generated by steam reformation of a hydrocarbon fuel through staged catalysis, the apparatus comprising:
- a hydrogen reactor chamber containing steam reformation catalysts, the catalysts in zones and each zone or portion in physical contact with at least one other zone or portion of a zone;
- a mesoscale channeled insert with channels having a height and/or width between 0.01 and 0.5 mm is within the reactor chamber and contains at least a portion of the catalysts;
- a feed stream;
- an input tube in fluid communication with the reactor chamber which directs all of the feed stream into the reactor chamber through each zone;
- and
- an output tube in fluid communication with the reactor chamber for removing the feed stream after it passes through all zones;
- wherein the zones are in series, in a predetermined sequential manner;
- wherein each physically contacted zone or portion contains different steam reformation catalysts;
- and
- wherein said different steam reformation catalysts includes a high-activity steam reformation catalyst, a coke-resistant reformation catalyst and a steam reformation catalyst which promotes a water-gas shift reaction.
A hydrogen generating apparatus wherein hydrogen is generated by steam reformation of a hydrocarbon fuel, the apparatus comprising:
- a single hydrogen reactor chamber in which is disposed a plurality of steam reformation catalysts within mesoscale channels having a height and/or width between 0.01 and 0.5 mm forming a staged configuration, having a series of zones or portions, each zone or portion in physical contact with at least one other zone or portion, containing at least one of a plurality of steam reformation catalysts;
- an inlet pipe is in fluid communication with the reactor chamber whereby a feed stream can be directed into the mesoscale channels to a first catalyst zone;
- a second catalyst zone within the mesoscale channels in physical contact with the first catalyst and in fluid communication with an outlet pipe;
- whereby a feed stream is passed into the reactor via the inlet and all of the feed stream first passes through the first zone then passes through the second zone before passing through the outlet, and
- the plurality of steam reformation catalysts includes a high-activity steam reformation catalyst, a coke-resistant steam reformation catalyst and a steam reformation catalyst which promotes a water-gas shift reaction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.