Qinetiq Limited

Compactgtl Limited

Stuart Leigh Jones

Michael Joseph Bowe

James Timothy Shawcross

Clive Derek Lee-Tuffnell

David James West

Robert Peat

Philip Michael Beech

A process and apparatus are provided for producing hydrogen from a hydrocarbon fuel by combining the fuel with a gas comprising both oxygen and steam, and passing the resulting mixture through a plasma generated by a microwave plasma generator between opposed electrodes. At least one of the electrodes defines a duct for outflow of gaseous material from the vicinity of the plasma, and the gas mixture emerging from the outflow duct contains hydrogen. The fuel undergoes partial oxidation and steam reforming, the reactions being initiated by the plasma rather than by a catalyst.

Hydrogen production

A compact catalytic reactor () comprises a channel for a rapid reaction having an inlet () for a gas mixture to undergo the reaction. The channel is provided with two different catalyst structures (), a first catalyst structure () in the vicinity of the inlet () and a second catalyst structure () further from the inlet, such that a gas mixture supplied to the inlet flows past them both. The first catalyst structure () has little catalytic activity for the rapid reaction, whereas the second catalyst structure () has catalytic activity for the rapid reaction. This is applicable to combustion of gas mixtures containing hydrogen, for which the first catalyst structure () may comprise uncoated oxidized aluminum-containing ferritic steel, while the second catalyst structure () may incorporate Pt and/or Pd in an alumina support. Exhaust gases may also be recycled to the inlet () to inhibit combustion.

Catalyst structure for a rapid reaction

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Birmingham, United Kingdom

Stuart Leigh Jones