Daimler-benz Ag

Xcellsis Gmbh

Daimler Chrysler Ag

Ballard Power Systems Ag

Dbb Fuel Cell Engines Gmbh

Dbb Fuel Cell Engines Gesellschaft MIT Beschraenkter Haftung

Dietmar Heil

Rainer Autenrieth

Uwe Benz

Stefan Boneberg

Steffen Oliver Wieland

Detlef Zur Megede

Norbert Wiesheu

Barbara Strobel

Alois Tischler

Thomas Poschmann

Marc Weisser

Bruno Motzet

Konrad Schwab

Martin Schuessler

Wolfgang Erdmann

Oskar Lamla

Wolfgang Weger

Andreas Christen

Sven Breitschwerdt

Carlo Schmid

Martin Sch&uuml;bler

Heinz Steinke

Josef Haenfling

Josef Hanfling

A combined component for afterburning anode exhaust gases from a fuel cell system and for vaporizing educts to be fed to the fuel cell system has an exhaust gas catalyzer for afterburning the anode exhaust gases, with a substantially cylindrical casing having an inlet and an outlet connection disposed coaxially to the long axis of the casing, one on a casing cover and the other on a casing bottom. A first gas-permeable inner tube is disposed coaxially to the long axis of the casing and fixedly joined at the gas inlet end to the casing cover, while a second gas-permeable outer tube which is also disposed coaxially with the long axis of the casing and has a radius r greater than the radius r of the inner tube but smaller than the radius r of the casing. The latter is connected gas-tight to the casing cover at the inlet end. A bulk catalyst is disposed in the area between the inner and the outer tube for the catalytic oxidation of the anode exhaust gas. At least one educt to be fed to the fuel cell system is provided in the area between the inner tube and the outer tube, and at least one set of educt flow tubes of the evaporator, through which the educt to be evaporated flows, are carried around the inner tube of the exhaust gas catalyst.

Combined component for afterburning anode exhaust gases from a fuel cell system and for vaporizing educts delivered by the fuel cell system

A plurality of catalyst disks pressed from porous catalyst material are stacked one on the other and together sintered with the application of pressure to make a stacked reactor for hydrogen production from hydrocarbons. To form especially tight seams the catalyst disks have projections formed in the area of contact with an adjacent catalyst disk. Hollow spaces formed in the catalyst disk or formed by two adjacent catalyst disks have a system for supporting the hollow spaces, as for example a cooper grid placed in the hollow space, which can be covered at least partially by a metal sheet or supporting bars pressed onto the catalyst disk.

Method for making a stacked reactor and catalyst disk for a stacked reactor

A system for the water vapor reforming of a hydrocarbon includes a modular reactor unit of the plate stack and/or tube bundle type that, in an integrated manner, contains an evaporator, a prereforming unit, a main reformer, a CO removal unit and a catalytic burner unit. The evaporator and the main reformer are in a thermal contact with the catalytic burner unit and, the prereforming unit is in a thermal contact with the CO removal unit.

System for the water vapor reforming of a hydrocarbon

Plate heat exchanger has heat transfer plates which exhibit a patterning and are stacked one above the other. Primary sided flow channels for a first heat exchanger medium to be evaporated, and secondary sided channels for a second heat exchanger heat carrier medium are formed between the plates. The primary sided and/or the secondary sided flow channels are formed between two adjacent heat transfer plates, whose patterning meshes at least partially, while maintaining a minimum spacing.

Plate heat exchanger and method of making same

A membrane module for selective gas separation includes one or more separation units stacked one on the other, and at least one of interposed frame plates or stack-end frame plates. Each separation unit includes a support plate with a separation gas receiving structure and at least one corresponding gas separating membrane. The frame plates having a gas mixture flow chamber structure. Each separating unit and the frame plates contain (1) gas-mixture connecting channel structures in a first and a second side area formed by overlapping openings in the plates and extending in a stacking direction, which are in fluid connection with the gas mixture flow chamber structures; and (2) separation gas connection channel structures in a third and fourth side area, which are in fluid connection with the separation gas receiving structure or structures.

Membrane module for selective gas separation

In a method and apparatus for selective catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide, the gas mixture and an additionally added oxidizing gas are conducted through a reactor containing the catalyst. Oxidizing gas is added at several points along the mixed gas flow path with a controlled or regulated through flow volume. The mixed gas stream is cooled passively by static mixing structures located in the inlet area of the CO-oxidation reactor. By controlling exothermal CO oxidation along the reactor path, a very variable process guidance is provided, that can be adjusted to individual situations.

Method for selective catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide

The invention relates to a process for operating a system for the water vapor reforming of a hydrocarbon, having an evaporator, a reforming reactor, a membrane module connected behind, and a catalytic burner device. According to the invention, a first part of the catalytic burner device is in thermal contact with the reforming reactor, and a second part of the burner device is in thermal contact with the evaporator. According to the process, a heating operation is carried out during the cold start of the system, in which, in a first operating phase, at least the evaporator and the reforming reactor are heated by the catalytic burner device, and in a second operating phase, a hydrocarbon/water vapor mixture is prepared in the evaporator at a water/hydrocarbon ratio which is higher than in the normal operation and is fed to the reactor, the substance mixture emerging from the reactor being fed by way of the membrane module to the catalytic burner device.

Process for the water vapor reforming of a hydrocarbon or a hydrocarbon derivative, reforming system operable thereby, and fuel cell operating process

A reforming reactor, particularly for the water vapor reforming of methanol, with three serially arranged reactor steps, each of which is charged with a catalyst pellet fill. According to the invention, the center reactor step is maintained at a temperature which is suitable for the reforming reaction, while the two other reactor steps remain unheated. The present invention may be used as a reforming reactor for the water vapor reforming of methanol for the purpose of producing hydrogen in a fuel-cell operated motor vehicle.

Three-step reforming reactor especially for mobile fuel cell

A membrane for separating hydrogen from a gas mixture is provided on at least one side with a catalyst layer for a specific catalytic combustion process. A methanol reformation system so equipped can be brought rapidly to operating temperature, with the hydrogen-separating membrane being heated directly by performing the catalytic combustion process.

Hydrogen separating membrane, methanol reformation system equipped therewith, and operating method therefor

In a device for providing heating energy to a gas-generating system by means of essentially complete catalytic combustion of a fuel on a suitable catalyst material, heat energy is transferred directly or by means of a heat-conducting medium from the catalytic burner to the gas-generating system. To improve the starting behavior and the exhaust emissions, the device comprises three components that are at least temporarily traversed by fuel, with a cold-start component having an electrical heating device. The central component is preferably designed as a filter press with an integrated heat exchanger. A third, unheated, stage is also provided for residual gas combustion.

Central heating device for a gas-generating system

A reforming reactor system, suitable in particular for water vapor reforming of methanol, has a reforming reactor in which a reforming catalyst material is situated. A drop catching element is assigned to the inlet side of the reforming reactor, in order to catch drops which may be contained in the gas/vapor mixture, and thus prevent their damaging contact with the catalyst material.

Multi-stage reforming reactor using a drop catching element

A system for the water vapor reforming of a hydrocarbon includes an evaporator, a prereforming unit, a main reformer, a CO removal unit and at least one catalytic burner unit. A first burner unit is in a thermal contact with the evaporator and a second burner unit is in a thermal contact with the main reformer, and the prereforming unit is in a thermal contact with the CO removal unit by way of one heat conducting separating medium. In addition, the outlet of the CO removal unit is connected with the inlet of the at least one burner unit. During a cold start, a heating-up operation is carried out during which first the two burner units are activated with an external feeding of hydrogen or hydrocarbon, and the reforming operation is started with a hydrocarbon fraction that is lower than in the normal operation. The resulting reformate gas, instead of the externally fed hydrogen or hydrocarbon, is introduced as fuel into the burner units.

System and process for the water vapor reforming of a hydrocarbon

In a reforming reactor suitable particularly for the water vapor reforming of methanol in mobile applications such as vehicles, a reaction space is filled with a catalyst pellet fill and has a movable reaction space wall which exerts a position-fixing pressure onto the catalyst pellet fill. According to the invention, a filling device is provided through which catalyst material can be filled from the outside into the reaction space through a passage opening formed in one of the reaction space walls.

Reforming reactor, particularly for the water vapor reforming of methanol

A reforming reactor has three serially arranged reactors stages, each of which is charged with a catalyst material. A heating device is assigned only to the center reactor stage, and the inlet-side reactor stage has a heat exchange connection with the outlet-side reactor stage.

A reforming reactor system for water vapor reforming of methanol in fuel-cell operated motor vehicles has a reactor unit with a catalyst-filled reaction space and a particle filter which is arranged in a reformate gas pipe downstream of the reactor unit. The catalyst material is carried in the reaction space by a sieve below which a metallic nonwoven for catching sieved-out fragments and dust particles of the catalyst fill is situated. The particle filter contains a spun steel wool netting and/or several filter steps serially connected behind one another. The particle filter may be arranged to be exchangeable without interrupting the operation of the system. Specifically, a particle filter which has a filter body which can be changed in a gas-tight manner transversely to the gas flow and/or a cyclone filter can be used which has a closing device for the purpose of an emptying of a particle collecting pot which does not interrupt the operation.

Growing community of inventors

Schwendi, Germany

Dietmar Heil