International Fuel Cells, LLC

Utc Fuel Cells, LLC

United Technologies Corporation

International Fuel Cells Co, LLC

Dtc Fuel Cells LLC

Roger R Lesieur

Donald F Szydlowski

John C Trocciola

Thomas J Corrigan

Herbert J Setzer

Leonard J Bonville, Jr

John L Preston

Jay Garow

Richard A Sederquist

Ned Emidio Cipollini

Derek W Hildreth

Ronald J Spiegel

Herbert C Healy

Zissis A Dardas

Xia Tang

Joseph J Sangiovanni

Louis J Spadaccini

Douglas J Wheeler

He Huang

Peter F Foley

Leonard J Bonville

Craig R Schroll

John A Bett

Charles L DeGeorge

Sam Karavolis

Jian Sun

Laurence R Boedeker

Christopher Teeling

Carl Anthony Reiser

Antonio M Vincitore

Timothy W Patterson

Stanley P Bonk

Richard Allan Sederquist

Thomas F Fuller

Gregory J Sandelli

Wayne G Wnuck

Zebulon D Vance, Jr

Brian A Cocolicchio

James R Hawkins

Maria G Lukianoff

A fuel gas-steam reformer assembly, preferably an autothermal reformer assembly, for use in a fuel cell power plant, includes a catalyst bed which is formed from a cylindrical monolithic open cell foam body. The foam body is preferably formed from a high temperature material such as stainless steel, nickel alloys and iron-aluminum alloys, or from a ceramic material. The foam body includes open cells or pores which are contained within the metal or ceramic lattice. The lattice is coated with a porous wash coat which serves as a high surface area substrate onto which catalysts used in the reformer are applied. The foam body has an inlet end into which a mixture of fuel, steam and air is fed to begin the reforming process. An inlet portion of the foam body may be provided with an iron oxide and/or noble metal catalyst and the remainder of the foam body may be provided with a nickel and/or noble metal catalyst. An advantage of including an autothermal reformer in a fuel processing system is the compactness of the autothermal reformer. The inclusion of the foam catalyst bed rather than the traditional catalyzed pellet bed allows the reformer to be made even more compact and light weight.

Compact light weight autothermal reformer assembly

A fuel gas reformer assemblage for use in a fuel cell power plant is formed from a composite plate assembly which includes spaced-apart divider plates with columns of individual gas passages. The reformer assemblage is constructed from a series of repeating sub-assemblies, each of which includes a core of separate regenerator/heat exchanger gas passages. The core in each sub-assembly is sandwiched between a pair of reformer gas passage skins, which complete the assembly. Adjacent reformer gas/regenerator/reformer gas passage sub-assemblies in the composite plate assembly are separated from each other by burner gas passages. The regenerator/heat exchanger gas passages and the reformer gas passages in each sub-assembly are connected by gas flow reversing manifolds which form a part of each sub-assembly. The fuel gases flow in one end of the assemblage, through the reformer gas passages, and then reverse their direction of flow in the return manifolds so as to exit the reformer assemblage through the regenerator gas flow passages. The burner gases flow in one end of the reformer assemblage and out the other end. The walls of the burner and reformer gas flow passages are selectively catalyzed after the assemblage has been constructed.

Compact fuel gas reformer assemblage

A fuel gas-steam reformer assembly, preferably an autothermal reformer assembly, for use in a fuel cell power plant, includes a catalyst bed which is formed from a cylindrical monolithic open cell foam body. The foam body is preferably formed from a high temperature material such as stainless steel, nickel alloys and Iron-aluminum alloys, or from a ceramic material. The foam body includes open cells or pores which are contained within the metal or ceramic lattice. The lattice is coated with a porous wash coat which serves as a high surface area substrate onto which catalysts used in the reformer are applied. The foam body has an inlet end into which a mixture of fuel, steam and air is fed to begin the reforming process. An inlet portion of the foam body may be provided with an iron oxide and/or noble metal catalyst and the remainder of the foam body may be provided with a copper, copper/zinc and/or noble metal catalyst. An advantage of including an autothermal reformer in a fuel processing system is the compactness of the autothermal reformer. The inclusion of the foam catalyst bed rather than the traditional catalyzed pellet bed allows the reformer to be made even more compact and light weight.

Compact, light weight methanol fuel gas autothermal reformer assembly

A fuel processing method is operable to remove substantially all of the sulfur present in an undiluted hydrocarbon fuel stock supply which is used to power a fuel cell power plant in a mobile environment, such as an automobile, bus, truck, boat, or the like; or in a stationary environment. The power plant hydrogen fuel source can be gasoline, diesel fuel, or other like fuels which contain relatively high levels of organic sulfur compounds such as mercaptans, sulfides, disulfides, thiophenes and the like. The undiluted hydrocarbon fuel supply is passed through a nickel reactant desulfurizer bed wherein essentially all of the sulfur in the organic sulfur compounds reacts with the nickel reactant, and is converted to nickel sulfide, while the now desulfurized hydrocarbon fuel supply continues through the remainder of the fuel processing system. The method involves adding hydrogen to the fuel stream prior to the desulfurizing step. The method can be used to desulfurize either a liquid or a gaseous fuel stream. The addition of hydrogen serves to extend the useful life of the nickel reactant. The hydrogen can be derived from source of pure hydrogen gas, a recycle gas stream, or can be derived from an electrolysis cell which breaks down water produced in the fuel cell into its hydrogen and oxygen components. The hydrogen when added to the fuel stock serves to prevent or minimize carbon formation on the nickel reactant bed, thereby extending the useful life of the reactant bed, since carbon deposits tend to block active sites in the reactant bed.

Method for desulfurizing gasoline or diesel fuel for use in a fuel cell power plant

A fuel gas-steam reformer assembly, preferably an autothermal reformer assembly, for use in a fuel cell power plant, includes a mixing station for intermixing a relatively high molecular weight fuel and an air-steam stream so as to form a homogeneous fuel-air-steam mixture for admission into a catalyst bed. The catalyst bed can include catalyzed alumina pellets, or a monolith such as a foam or honeycomb body which is preferably formed from a high temperature material such as a steel alloy, or from a ceramic material. The air-steam stream is fed into a manifold in the mixing station. The mixing station also comprises a plurality of tubes which open into the catalyst bed, and which pass through the manifold. The tubes extend through the manifold and include tangential openings which interconnect the interior of the tubes with the manifold. The openings have axes which are tangential to the circumference of each of the tubes. There is a first set of openings which are tangential to the tubes in one direction, and a second set of openings which are tangential to the tubes in the opposite direction. The first set of openings create a swirling mixture of the fuel, air and steam inside of the tubes, and the second set of openings creates a counter force which nulls the swirling mixture and results in an intimate admixture of fuel, air and steam in a stream with reduced swirling in the tubes prior to entry of the fuel, air and steam stream into the catalyst bed. The fuel is a fuel which preferably has a higher molecular weight than ethane or methane. The fuel may also include a small amount of steam admixed therewith prior to entry into the mixing tubes.

Fuel gas reformer assemblage

A fuel processing system is operative to remove substantially all of the sulfur present in a logistic fuel stock supply. The fuel stock can be gasoline, diesel fuel, or other like fuels which contain relatively high levels of organic sulfur compounds such as mercaptans, sulfides, disulfides, and the like. The system is a part of a fuel cell power plant. The fuel stock supply is fed through a reformer where the fuel is converted to a hydrogen rich fuel which contains hydrogen sulfide. The hydrogen sulfide-containg reformer exhaust is passed through a sulfur scrubber, to which is added a small quantity of air, which scrubber removes substantially all of the sulfur in the exhaust stream by means of the Claus reaction. The desulfurizing step causes sulfur to deposit on the scrubber bed, which after a period of time, will prevent further sulfur from being removed from the reformer exhaust stream. The sulfur scrubber station is rejuvenated by passing a gas stream containing a relatively small amount (about 1% by volume) of carbon monoxide. The carbon monoxide is converted to carbonyl sulfide which is then burned in power plant burner so as to form sulfur dioxide in the power plant exhaust stream.

Method and system for desulfurizing gasoline or diesel fuel for use in a fuel cell power plant

A fuel gas reformer assemblage for use in a fuel cell power plant is formed from a composite plate assembly which includes spaced-apart divider plates with interposed columns of individual gas passages. The reformer assemblage is constructed from a series of repeating sub-assemblies, each of which includes a core of separate regenerator/heat exchanger gas passages. The core in each sub-assembly is sandwiched between a pair of reformer gas passage skins, which complete the sub-assembly. Adjacent reformer gas/regenerator/reformer gas passage sub-assemblies in the composite plate assembly are separated from each other by burner gas passages. The burner gas stream and the process gas stream flow in opposite directions through the assemblage. A varying heat transfer fin density population is disposed in the burner gas passage so as to control the peak burner wall temperatures encountered during operation of the assemblage. The burner wall peak temperature is preferably no greater than about 1,700&deg; F., and is preferably within about 100&deg; F. of the peak process gas temperature.

Compact fuel gas reformer assemblage with burner wall temperature control

A fuel processing method is operable to remove substantially all of the sulfur present in an undiluted oxygenated hydrocarbon fuel stock supply which contains an oxygenate and which is used to power an internal combustion engine in a mobile environment, such as an automobile, bus, truck, boat, or the like, or in a stationary environment. The fuel stock can be gasoline, diesel fuel, or other like fuels which contain relatively high levels of organic sulfur compounds such as mercaptans, sulfides, disulfides, and the like. The undiluted hydrocarbon fuel supply is passed through a nickel reactant desulfurizer bed wherein essentially all of the sulfur in the organic sulfur compounds reacts with the nickel reactant, and is converted to nickel sulfide, while the desulfurized organic remnants continue through the remainder of the fuel processing system. The method can be used to desulfurize either a liquid or a gaseous fuel stream, which contains an oxygenate such as MTBE, ethanol, methanol, or the like. The inclusion of the oxygenate serves to extend the useful life of the desulfurization apparatus and method.

Method for desulfurizing gasoline or diesel fuel for use in an internal combustion engine

A fuel processing method is operable to remove substantially all of the sulfur present in an undiluted oxygenated hydrocarbon fuel stock supply which contains an oxygenate and which is used to power a fuel cell power plant in a mobile environment, such as an automobile, bus, truck, boat, or the like, or in a stationary environment. The power plant hydrogen fuel source can be gasoline, diesel fuel, or other like fuels which contain relatively high levels of organic sulfur compounds such as mercaptans, sulfides, disulfides, and the like. The undiluted hydrocarbon fuel supply is passed through a desulfurizer bed wherein essentially all of the sulfur in the organic sulfur compounds reacts with the nickel reactant, and is converted to nickel sulfide, while the now desulfurized hydrocarbon fuel supply continues through the remainder of the fuel processing system.

An integrated fuel cell stack assembly ( ) and selective oxidizer bed assembly ( ) is provided. The fuel cell stack assembly ( ) also includes a number of fuel cells. A fuel inlet manifold ( ) and fuel inlet plenum to cell stack ( ) manifold are arranged in fluid communication with the fuel stack assembly ( ) for supplying to and exhausting from, respectively, the fuel supply in the fuel cells in the fuel stack assembly ( ). The bed resides in said fuel inlet manifold. The bed includes a selective oxidation catalyst with a heat exchange fluid conduit routed therethrough. Oxygen-containing gas is supplied into the bed via the input plenum. The temperature of the internal selective oxidizer bed is controlled by the fluid conduit in the bed to reduce carbon monoxide in the fuel.

Selective oxidizer in cell stack manifold

The invention is a reformate fuel treatment system for a fuel cell power plant that includes at least one fuel cell for generating electricity from process oxidant and reducing fluid reactant streams; fuel processing components including a steam supply and a reformer for producing a hydrogen enriched reformate fuel for the fuel cell from a hydrocarbon fuel; and, an ammonia removal apparatus that treats the reformate fuel to make it appropriate for supplying hydrogen to an anode electrode of the fuel cell. The ammonia removal apparatus may be a disposable ammonia scrubber, an ammonia scrubbing cool water bed and an ammonia stripping warm water bed, a pair of first and second regenerable scrubbers, or a single regenerable ammonia scrubber.

Reformate fuel treatment system for a fuel cell power plant

A process for regenerating a selective oxidizer bed, by the introduction of oxygen is provided. In a single oxidizer bed environment, regeneration may be carried out on shut-down or on start-up. On start-up, the process includes providing a selective oxidizer bed as well a fuel processor. The selective oxidizer bed is heated to approximately 180&deg; F. Air is passed through the selective oxidizer bed while maintaining the selective oxidizer bed at a temperature of approximately 180&deg; F. for 1-2 minutes. The selective oxidizer is then purged with steam to remove residual air therefrom. Fuel is then introduced from the fuel processor into the selective oxidizer. On shut-down, residual fuel is purged from the oxidizer bed and then air is passed therethrough while maintaining the bed at a temperature between approximately 180&deg; F. to approximately 220&deg; F. The oxidizer is allowed to cool to ambient temperature and then heated to 180&deg; F. Residual air is then purged from the oxidizer for subsequent introduction of fuel. Multiple oxidizer beds may be provided in parallel to one another to enable continuous, uninterrupted operation with bed remaining operation at all times while the other is being regenerated. Regeneration may also be carried out by thermal cycling of the selective oxidizer bed.

Process for regenerating a carbon monoxide oxidation reactor

A process gas selective oxidizer assemblage for use in a fuel cell power plant includes one or more catalyzed selective oxidizer process gas flow fields and one or more adjacent non-catalyzed heat exchanger process gas flow fields. The catalyzed selective oxidizer process gas flow fields may be formed with catalyzed pellets or with a monolithic catalyzed open cell foam component. The heat exchanger process gas flow fields are formed by non-catalyzed monolithic open cell foam components which have coolant fluid passages disposed therein. Planar metal sheets form a common wall between the selective oxidizer process gas flow fields and the heat exchanger process gas flow fields. The use of the open cell foam to form the heat exchanger process gas flow fields provides enhanced heat transfer between the reformate gas and the coolant fluid. The use of the foam components in both the heat exchange process gas flow fields and the selective oxidizer process gas flow fields enables the construction of a more compact and lighter weight selective oxidizer assemblage. The repeating components are placed side-by-side in the assemblage, so that one of the catalyzed process gas flow fields operates at a higher temperature than subsequent catalyzed process gas flow fields. The process gas enters the higher temperature catalyzed flow field after it is admixed with air that is injected into the system just prior to the higher temperature flow field. The process gas-air mixture flows through the first higher temperature catalyzed process gas flow field; thence through a non-catalyzed heat exchanger process gas flow field; thence through a lower temperature catalyzed process gas flow field; thence through another heat exchanger process gas flow field; and so on, until the selectively oxidized process gas exits the assemblage.

Compact selective oxidizer assemblage for a fuel cell power plant

A fuel gas reformer assembly for use in a fuel cell power plant includes fuel gas passages, some of which contain a particulate alumina packing in which a vaporized steam-hydrocarbon fuel stream mixture is heated. The walls of the fuel gas passages are provided with an alumina coating which protects the walls of the passages from corrosion. The alumina coating of the walls, and alumina packing are both overlain by an alkaline earth metal oxide layer, such as a calcium oxide layer, that acts to limit carbon build-up on the surfaces of the coated passage walls. Limiting of carbon build-up in the reformer passages prevents premature clogging of the passages. The carbon build-up-limiting layer is formed on components of the reformer passages by applying a water-based slurry of alkaline earth metal compounds to the reformer passage surfaces, and then drying the slurry so as to solidify it. The formation of the desired crystalline phase of the coating occurs in situ on the coated passage surfaces during initial operation of the reformer. The coated packing material is operative to convert any free carbon remaining in the gas stream to carbon dioxide, or carbon monoxide, thereby further limiting carbon deposition in the assembly.

Inhibition of carbon deposition on fuel gas steam reformer walls

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Enfield, CT, United States of America

Roger R Lesieur