The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 09, 2001
Filed:
Sep. 24, 1996
Walter Juda, Lexington, MA (US);
Charles W. Krueger, Sommerville, MA (US);
Abstract
A novel method and apparatus for one-step linking of membrane permeation of hydrogen to the generation by steam reforming of a methanol-like fuel that comprises bounding a longitudinal flow path of a methanol reformate stream comprising hydrogen, steam and the oxides of carbon and methanol, by a thin palladium-bearing membrane; promoting turbulence in the flow to cause a predominant amount, but not all, of the hydrogen in the stream transversely to permeate the membrane as substantially pure hydrogen passing transversely into a region external to the bounding membrane, thereby simultaneously generating and permeating the hydrogen; and maintaining the hydrogen in the external region at least at atmospheric pressure, but at a lower pressure than the partial pressure of the residual hydrogen in the resulting depleted reformate.