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:
Jul. 27, 2010
Filed:
Feb. 07, 2008
Dean Alan Kenefake, Sugar Land, TX (US);
William Spencer Wheat, Missouri City, TX (US);
Hongqiao Bruce Sun, Sugar Land, TX (US);
Bhaskar Balasubramanian, Houston, TX (US);
Vesna Radovan Mirkovic, Pearland, TX (US);
Daniel Glenn Casey, Kingwood, TX (US);
Dean Alan Kenefake, Sugar Land, TX (US);
William Spencer Wheat, Missouri City, TX (US);
Hongqiao Bruce Sun, Sugar Land, TX (US);
Bhaskar Balasubramanian, Houston, TX (US);
Vesna Radovan Mirkovic, Pearland, TX (US);
Daniel Glenn Casey, Kingwood, TX (US);
Texaco Inc., San Ramon, CA (US);
Abstract
An apparatus and method for producing a hydrogen-enriched reformate. The apparatus includes a fuel processor for converting a fuel to a reformate having fluctuations in pressure and or flow rate, means for reducing the fluctuations, a compression unit for compressing the reformate and one or more of a purification unit and a storage unit downstream of a compression unit. Means for reducing the fluctuations in the reformate can include one or more of a buffer and a conduit for providing a controlled flow of a supplemental fluid to an inlet of the compression unit. The supplemental fluid can include the compressed reformate, a hydrogen-enriched reformate, and mixtures thereof. The apparatus can include means for regulating power to the compression unit that can incrementally increase power to the compression unit particularly during start up. The purification unit can include one or more of a hydrogen selective membrane and a pressure swing adsorption unit. Methods for producing hydrogen are also disclosed.