Patent ID: 6159434
Filing Date: 2000-12-12
Classification: B01J,C01B,F28D,H01M,Y02E,Y02P

Abstract:
A fuel reforming apparatus comprising portions which include:a liquid feed heating portion for heating liquid feed which comprises water and alcohol or hydrocarbon;an evaporation portion for evaporating the heated liquid feed to generate feed gases;a steam superheating portion for superheating the feed gases from an evaporation temperature to a reforming temperature;a reforming portion for generating hydrogen-rich reformed gases from the superheated feed gases by reforming catalysts;a catalytic combustion portion for supplying reforming heat to said reforming portion and evaporation heat to said evaporation portion and said steam superheating portion from heat generated by catalytic combustion;a CO oxidization portion for reducing CO contained in the reformed gases that pass through and emerge from said catalytic combustion portion by catalytic oxidization; anda heat recovery portion for using exhaust heat from high-temperature combination gases obtained by catalytic combustion as heat sources for said steam superheating portion and said evaporation portion; andwherein each of said portions are formed of flat plate elements made of a light alloy, the flat plate elements having a manifold for performing intake and exhaust with respect to their periphery and heat-transfer fins in the interior thereof, and said flat plate elements being stacked into an integral construction such that said catalytic combustion portion, reforming portion, steam superheating portion, heat recovery portion, evaporation portion, CO oxidization portion, and liquid feed heating portion are in close proximity to one another from the catalytic combustion portion at a high-temperature side to the liquid feed heating portion at a low-temperature side.