Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.

Noriyuki Yamaga

Hitoshi Kudo

Mikio Shinagawa

Yoshifumi Watabe

Kenji Doi

Toru Fujioka

Koichi Aizawa

Manabu Mizobuchi

Noboru Hashimoto

Shigekazu Kusanagi

Ayumu Yasuda

Kensaku Kinugawa

Toru Nakamura

Keiji Kakite

Hitoshi Kanagawa

Yoshinori Tokunaga

Junji Adachi

Sigekazu Kusanagi

Takahiro Inoue

This reforming apparatus is provided with a raw material reforming unit including a heat source for generating heat when a fuel gas is burnt and adapted to reaction heat directly from the heat source, steam-reform a material, and produce a reformed gas containing hydrogen as a main component, a shift reaction unit for reducing by a water shift reaction the amount of CO contained in the reformed gas produced in the raw material reforming unit, a CO oxidation unit adapted to further reduce the amount of CO contained in the reformed gas after the process in the shift reaction unit, by oxidizing the same. These units are united as independent units. These raw material reforming unit, shift reaction unit and CO oxidation unit are arranged so that the shift reaction unit and the CO oxidation unit are indirectly heated by the heat transmitted from the heat source of the raw material reforming unit. The indirect heating is conducted by a method of heat transmission in solid by which heat is transmitted from the outer faces of the combustion chamber via an intermediate member, a method utilizing radiant heat, and a method utilizing heat of a combustion exhaust gas discharged from the combustion chamber. Since this reforming apparatus is provided with these three independent reaction sections united together, it can be miniaturized, and the heat from the heat source can be utilized effectively, and the controlling of temperature in the reaction sections can be done excellently.

Reforming apparatus for making a co-reduced reformed gas

This reforming apparatus is provided with a raw material reforming unit including a heat source for generating heat when a fuel gas is burnt and adapted to reaction heat directly from the heat source, steam-reform a material, and produce a reformed gas containing hydrogen as a main component, a shift reaction unit for reducing by a water shift reaction the amount of CO contained in the reformed gas produced in the raw material reforming unit, a CO oxidation unit adapted to further reduce the amount of CO contained in the reformed gas after the process in the shift reaction unit, by oxidizing the same. These units are united as independent units. These raw material reforming unit, shift reaction unit and CO oxidation unit are arranged so that the shift reaction unit and the CO oxidation unit are indirectly heated by the heat transmitted from the heat source of the raw material reforming unit. The indirect heating is conducted by a method of heat transmission in solid by which heat is transmitted from the outer faces of the combustion chamber via an intermediate member; a method utilizing radiant heat, and a method utilizing heat of a combustion exhaust gas discharged from the combustion chamber. Since this reforming apparatus is provided with these three independent reaction sections united together, it can be miniaturized, and the heat from the heat source can be utilized effectively, and the controlling of temperature in the reaction sections can be done excellently.

A portable power generating system can be operated by using a portable pressure canister containing a liquefied butane fuel gas. In the power generating system, a part of the butane gas contained in the pressure canister is used as a fuel gas and reminder of the butane gas is used to prepare a reformed gas containing hydrogen gas by reaction with water. The hydrogen gas in the reformed gas and oxygen gas in air are used in a fuel cell to generate electric power. The power generating system is characterized in a compact portable one which further comprises a device for regulating the amount of the butane gas discharged from said pressure canister and a device for controlling a flow rate of the butane gas, installed in feed lines of supplying the butane gas from said pressure canister to said reforming device.

Fuel-cell power generating system

An electrochemical gas sensor includes, as disposed on an insulating substrate, a plurality of electrodes for individually sensing a standard gas present in a surrounding atmosphere at a fixed concentration and a target gas present in the surrounding atmosphere, and a signal processing circuit for determining sensor life on the basis of sensed outputs of the standard gas. Constant detection of the sensitivity characteristics of the gas sensor is thereby attained for self-examination of the life thereof.

Electrochemical gas sensor

Growing community of inventors

Hirakata, Japan

Noriyuki Yamaga