Hydrogensource LLC

Shell Oil Comapny

Utc Fuel Cells, LLC

Exxonmobil Oil Corporation

Utc Power Corporation

Ke Liu

Wayne G Wnuck

Eric A Rohrbach

Richard James Bellows

Francis Kocum

John G Buglass

Ronald Jan Schoonebeek

Robert A Ware

Antonio M Vincitore

John L Preston

Peter F Foley

John Graham Buglass

Sean C Emerson

Willem P Leenhouts

Art W Chester

A single valve () directs engine exhaust () toward alternative NOx traps () which are adjacent to either diesel particulate filters () or low temperature water gas shift catalysts (). Syngas is either provided from a source () or by in-line catalytic partial oxidizers () which may have diesel oxidation catalysts ahead of them in the flow and which receive fuel from the engine fuel source () through nozzles ().

Internal combustion engine exhaust treatment having a single valve directing exhaust to dual NOx traps

Oxides of nitrogen are adsorbed onto the surfaces of, and particulates are trapped in, pores of channels (-) in a porous, interdigitated ceramic particulate filter () that has relative rotation with respect to a gas inlet distributor (). The distributor has a baffle () or ribs () that causes constantly flowing engine exhaust () to enter the filter channels over a large portion of a revolution of the adsorption bed or the distributor, and causes constantly flowing syngas () to thereafter pass through those passages during a small portion of each revolution. Either the inlet gas distributor () or the filter bed () may be rotated to distribute the gases. Dual, alternately regenerated filters () may be used.

Method of reducing NOx and particulates from internal combustion engines

Substantially pure oxygen is provided to an up flow reformer (a) from a separator () downwardly impelled water droplets () mix with the outflow () of a CPO (), flowing upwardly through high temperature () and low temperature () water gas shift reactors. The reformer output flows through a mixer () to a down-flow PrOx containing two beds () of preferential CO oxidation catalyst therein. A series of compressors (-) compress water and carbon dioxide out of the gaseous flow to provide pure, pressurized hydrogen. Oxygen () is separated () from nitrogen ().

[object Object]

An apparatus for preferential oxidation of carbon monoxide in a reformate flow includes a reactor defining a flow path for a reformate flow; at least one catalyst bed disposed along the flow path; and a distributor for distributing oxygen from an oxygen source to the at least one catalyst bed, the distributor including a conduit positioned at least one of upstream of and through the at least one catalyst bed, the conduit having a sidewall permeable to flow of oxygen from within the conduit to the at least one catalyst bed.

Preferential oxidation reactor and process

A hydrogen-rich reformate gas generator (), such as a mini-CPO, POX, ATR or other hydrogen generator provides warm, dry, hydrogen-rich reformate gas to a hydrogen desulfurizer () which provides desulfurized feedstock gas to a major reformer () (such as a CPO) which, after processing in a water-gas shift reactor () and preferential CO oxidizer () produces hydrogen-containing reformate in a line () for use, for instance, as fuel for a fuel cell power plant. The expensive prior art hydrogen blower () is thereby eliminated, thus reducing parasitic power losses in the power plant. The drier reformate provided by the small hydrogen generator to the hydrogen desulfurizer favors hydrogen sulfide adsorption on zinc oxide and helps to reduce sulfur to the parts per billion level.

Hydrogen generator for hydrogen desulfurization of hydrocarbon feeds

During normal operation of a truck engine (), a catalytic partial oxidizer () provides syngas (hydrogen and carbon monoxide) to regenerate NOx traps (), for brief periods of time, or diverted () to the inlet () of an engine () via the EGR system (). Some hydrogen is extracted from syngas by a palladium membrane separator () and passed to the fuel inlet () of a fuel cell stack (). The stack () provides auxiliary electric power to the truck. Humid air from the air outlet () of the stack is provided to a fuel/exhaust/air static mixer (). A methanator () may convert CO, leaked through the palladium membranes, into CH. Water/gas shift or steam reformer catalyst () at the inlet to or inside of the palladium membranes separator may provide some additional H.

Generating syngas for NOx regeneration combined with fuel cell auxiliary power generation

Inlet air () humidified in an air bubbling (or other) humidifier () that receives water from a tank () is sent to a hydrogen generator () along with vaporized () diesel fuel () to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide () for either (a) mixing with the mainstream of exhaust () fed to a catalytic converter () or (b) regenerating a pair of NOx adsorption traps (), thereby reducing oxides of nitrogen (NOx), to provide system exhaust () which may have less than 0.40 grams/bhp/hr of NOx and 0.28 grams/bhp/hr of non-methane hydrocarbons. In other embodiments, unhumidified air mixed with fuel feeds a homogeneous non-catalytic partial oxidizer () to provide the required hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

Reducing oxides of nitrogen using reformate generated from engine fuel, water and/or air

A catalytic partial oxidizer () provides syngas (hydrogen and carbon monoxide) to an apparatus intermittently using syngas such as valves () feeding NOx traps (), for brief periods of time. During turndown times when syngas is not being used, either the output of the CPO is diverted () to the inlet () of an engine () through the engine gas recycle (EGR) system (), or the amount of fuel () and exhaust () applied to the CPO is reduced () so that the CPO merely stays warm and in a reduced state, thereby being ready to restart immediately. A mini-CPO () may provide syngas and heat to the major CPO () during the turndown time when syngas is not being used by the NOx traps.

Intermittent application of syngas to NOx trap and/or diesel engine

A single lean NOx trap () has an inlet manifold () with baffles () to divide the inlet manifold into three flow paths (). Each flow path has a thermal reformer (; CPO, (POX, or ATR) with an electric heater provided electric power by related lines (). Fuel from a source () is controlled () to apply pulses of fuel through nozzles () into each corresponding path () in turn. A plurality of diesel particulate filters () are disposed in the flow paths () upstream of the lean NOx trap (). A diesel oxidation catalyst () is disposed downstream of the lean NOx trap.

CPO regenerated lean NOx trap with no moving parts

Either (a) the exhaust () of an engine () and/or (b) inlet air () is sent to a hydrogen generator () along with diesel fuel () to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide () for either (c) mixing with the mainstream of exhaust fed to a catalytic converter () or (d) regenerating a pair of NOx adsorption traps (), thereby reducing oxides of nitrogen (NOx) to provide system exhaust () which may have less than 0.20 grams/bhp/hr of NOx and 0.14 grams/bhp/hr of non-methane hydrocarbons. A water recovery unit () may extract water from either the exhaust or the effluent of the NOx traps to humidify inlet air () for mixture with fuel. Inlet air () may be humidified in an air bubbling humidifier () that receives water from a condenser () that uses inlet air to cool NOx trap effluent.

Reducing oxides of nitrogen using hydrogen generated from engine fuel and exhaust

A C &plus; naphtha hydrocarbon feed is converted to light olefins and aromatics, by contacting the feed with a catalyst containing ZSM-5 and/or ZSM-11, a substantially inert matrix material such as silica and/or clay, having less than about 20 wt % active matrix material based on total catalyst composition, and phosphorus.

Catalytic production of light olefins from naphtha feed

Oxides of nitrogen are adsorbed onto the surfaces of gas passages ( ) in a bed ( ) that has relative rotation with respect to a gas inlet distributor ( ). The manifold has a baffle ( ) or ribs ( ) that causes constantly flowing engine exhaust ( ) to enter the gas passages over a large portion of a revolution of the adsorption bed or the distributor, and causes constantly flowing regeneration gas ( ) to thereafter pass through those passages during a small portion of each revolution. The passages may be formed by planar ( ) or helical ( ) radial walls ( ), a serpentine wall ( ), a monolith ( ), or a honeycomb ( ). Either the distributor ( ) or the bed ( ) may be rotated to distribute the gases.

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East Longmeadow, MA, United States of America

Ke Liu