Patent ID: 9738518
Date: 2017-08-22
CPC Classifications: B01J,C01B

Claim:
1. A method for converting hydrocarbon fuels into a hydrogen rich gas for fuel cells and/or exhaust gas treatment applications by auto-thermal reaction, comprising: providing a reformer reactor having a housing with two side faces forming a reaction chamber of the reformer reactor, in which a catalyst is arranged, which converts hydrocarbon fuels into hydrogen rich gas, the housing further comprising a fuel inlet which is provided in one of the two side faces and an oxidizing agent inlet; providing hydrocarbon fuels into the reaction chamber through the fuel inlet; providing an oxidizing agent into the reaction chamber through the oxidizing agent inlet; preheating the oxidizing agent to a temperature at or above a boiling point temperature of the hydrocarbon fuel prior to introduction into the reaction chamber; preheating the hydrocarbon fuel to a temperature below its boiling point temperature prior to introduction into the reaction chamber; introducing the preheated hydrocarbon fuel by means of the fuel inlet into the reaction chamber; introducing the preheated oxidizing agent by means of the oxidizing agent inlet into the reaction chamber; mixing the hydrocarbon fuel and the oxidizing agent in the reaction chamber upstream of the catalyst; and converting hydrocarbon fuel into hydrogen rich gas by autothermal reaction using the catalyst, wherein preheating the hydrocarbon fuel is performed by a fuel preheating means which is an integral part of the fuel inlet.