Ballard Power Systems Ag

Xcellsis Gmbh

Nucellsys Gmbh

Basf Aktiengesellschaft

Dbb Fuel Cell Engines Gmbh

Dbb Fuel Cell Engines Gesellschaft MIT Beschraenkter Haftung

Martin Schuessler

Detlef Zur Megede

Oskar Lamla

Tomas Stefanovski

Stefan Boneberg

Barbara Strobel

Rainer Autenrieth

Andreas Ebert

Andreas Christen

Roland Cwik

Carlo Saling

Martin Schaefer

Dietmar Heil

Steffen Oliver Wieland

Alois Tischler

Marc Weisser

Bruno Motzet

Matthias Wolfsteiner

Stefan Brauchle

Otto Krumberger

Erik Theis

Ralf Heuser

Hans-Frieder Walz

Dirk Georg

Christian Klein

Bernd Schoenrock

Alexandra Hassert

Marco Lippert

Patrick Bachinger

Dagmar Waidelich

Thomas Stefanovski

Berthold Keppeler

Joachim Guertler

A system for heating and/or converting at least one medium, such as an evaporator, a reactor or a heat exchanger, has layers arranged in a stack which layers are formed by pressing catalyst material. Devices are provided for dividing the stack into a number of separate function areas.

System for heating and/or converting at least one medium

To carry out a heterogeneously catalyzed reaction, a reaction mixture comprising hydrocarbon and water is fed onto a catalyst that is produced by compressing at least one catalyst powder into a highly compressed layer which forms a shaped body. The reaction mixture is pressed through the catalyst layer with a pressure drop.

Device for carrying out a heterogeneously catalyzed reaction and method for producing a catalyst

A device having a plurality of chambers for carrying out a solid-catalyzed reaction includes a common evaporation unit for evaporating liquid starting materials. The evaporation unit is in thermally conductive contact with a plurality of chambers. An area of the evaporation unit in which the evaporation substantially takes place is at least partially surrounded by the plurality of chambers.

Device for evaporating a liquid

A method for operating a gas generation device, for example, for a fuel cell system, having at least two gas generation units through which a starting-material stream flows in series. The two gas generating units have a first and second rated power P, Pand a first and second predetermined operating temperature T, T, and the first gas generation unit has a lower thermal mass than the second gas generation unit. During a starting phase only the first gas generation unit is operated, with a power P&#x3e;P. After the end of the starting phase at least the second gas generation unit is operated.

Method for operating a gas generation device in a fuel cell system

A device feeds educts to parallel spaces separated from one another by way of a distributor unit. Outlets of the distributor unit are assigned to the spaces, and evaporator structures for the evaporation of liquid media are provided in the spaces. Each outlet of the distributor unit project into a space. The boiling point of the medium in the distributor unit is maintained above the temperature of the medium in the distributor unit.

Device for feeding educts to parallel spaces

A process for generating a high-hydrogen, low-carbon monoxide gas comprises generating a product gas in a gas generating device. The product gas contains hydrogen and carbon monoxide that are generated from catalytic water vapor reforming of a water/fuel mixture and/or from partial oxidation of an oxygen/fuel mixture. In a gas purification stage, the carbon monoxide fraction in the product gas is reduced by selective CO oxidation on an oxidation catalyst. During a starting phase, oxygen is admixed to the supplied fuel and the flow direction is reversed such that the flow first takes place through the gas purification stage and only then through the gas generating device.

Apparatus for producing a hydrogen-rich and low carbon monoxide gas

A gas generating system for a fuel cell system as well as to a method of operating same. In order to provide hydrogen-containing combustible gas as rapidly as possible and to reduce the exhaust gas emissions, for the start of the operation of the gas generating system, at least one catalytic burner is started and the generated heat is used for evaporating a combustion agent and/or water and for the heating-up of an additionally connected partial reforming unit or partial oxidation stage in order to generate a hydrogen-containing gas for the fuel cell unit by reforming or partial oxidation.

Gas generating system for a fuel cell system and method of operating a gas generating system

In a method for improving cold starting of a catalytically active component in gas generation systems for a mobile fuel cell system, a temporary store is arranged directly in the starting-material gas stream. During cold starting, the temporary store stores gaseous constituents from the gaseous starting material, which constituents cause problems when starting, and releases such constituents (which have been stored during the cold-start phase) again as a result of the heating which takes place as operation of the system continues.

Method for improving the light-off performance of mobile fuel cell systems

A device for evaporating liquids includes a porous, thermally conductive evaporation body, which contains a catalyst material on one surface, while the evaporation body is gas-impermeable on the opposite surface. Liquid which is to be evaporated and, if appropriate an additional fuel, can be fed to the evaporation body. The heat of evaporation required is provided by an exothermic reaction of the liquid or with a gaseous oxidizing agent at the catalyst material.

Evaporator

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell with a cathode space and an anode space that are separated by a polymer electrolyte membrane. The cathode space is supplied with an oxygen-containing gas, and the anode space is supplied with a hydrogen-containing gas. A gas-generation device is provided in which a hydrogen-rich reformate containing carbon monoxide, is produced from a fuel with the aid of steam reforming and/or partial oxidation. A gas-cleaning stage selectively oxidizes the carbon monoxide in the reformate on a suitable catalyst while oxygen is added; and a heat exchanger which is arranged in the gas-cleaning stage, has a cooling medium flowing through it and serves to dissipate thermal energy. According to the invention, to dissipate the thermal energy, the anode off-gas and/or cathode off-gas emerging from the fuel cell and/or a starting-material gas which is present in the fuel cell system flows through the heat exchanger.

Fuel cell system

In a process for operating a fuel cell system with a water balance, a hydrogen-containing medium or a mixture of mediums is reformed in a reforming reactor with a water requirement, by adding water to a hydrogen rich reformate. The reformate is fed to an anode region of a fuel cell and reacts with oxygen from a cathode region of the fuel cell, forming water in the fuel cell. The the water required for the reforming reaction and/or the water balance of the fuel cell system is coupled directly to the oxidation rate of the partial combustion of the hydrogen-containing medium or the mixture of mediums in an oxidizing unit upstream of the reforming reactor.

Fuel cell system and method for operating the process

An apparatus for producing hydrogen from hydrocarbons or alcohol, particularly methanol, by feeding a reaction mixture comprising a hydrocarbon or alcohol and water onto a catalyst. The catalyst is formed by compressing at least one catalyst powder into a compressed layer to form a shaped body. The reaction mixture flows under pressure through the catalyst layer while the pressure drops. Furthermore, the apparatus is suitable for a use in a hydrogen shift phases for reducing carbon monoxide, in carbon monoxide oxidizers and catalytic burners. A process for producing the catalyst is also disclosed.

Method and apparatus for producing hydrogen

A method for periodically reactivating copper-containing catalyst material includes applying an oxygen-containing gas stream to the catalyst material for reactivation purposes. When the reactor is in the warm operating state, the application of the oxygen-containing gas stream to the catalyst material is interrupted when the monitored temperature of the catalyst material exceeds a maximum level which is a predeterminable tolerance level above a predetermined operating temperature. In cold-start phases, initially a mixture of a fuel and an oxygen-containing gas stream is fed to the catalyst material, until the monitored temperature of the catalyst material exceeds a predeterminable switch-over level, after which only the oxygen-containing gas stream is supplied. To keep the reactor warm after operation has ended, the reactivation can be activated each time the temperature falls below a further threshold level.

Method for periodically reactivating a copper-containing catalyst material

A process for manufacturing a catalyst body for generating hydrogen having at least one thin, large-surface catalyst layer, through which the reaction mixture can be passed includes steps of pressing a copper powder (particularly dendritic copper) to form a thin and highly compressed layer which forms a formed body, sintering, the formed body in a reducing atmosphere so that a net-type carrier structure made of copper is formed, and activating a surface layer of the formed body.

Process for manufacturing a catalyst body for generating hydrogen and a catalyst body for generating hydrogen

A process for operating a methanol reforming system in which, in the reforming reaction operation, methanol is reformed in a methanol reforming reactor using a methanol reforming catalyst. The reforming reaction operation is interrupted periodically for catalyst reactivation phases during which the methanol reforming catalyst whose catalytic activity decreases in the reforming reaction operation is treated in an activity-regenerating manner. The process may be used in fuel-cell-driven motor vehicles for generating hydrogen for the fuel cells from methanol carried along in the liquid state.

Growing community of inventors

Ulm, Germany

Martin Schuessler