Patent ID: 7517372
Filing Date: 2009-04-14
Classification: B01J,C01B

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for producing hydrogen from hydrocarbon fuels comprising a thermal combustor, a catalytic combustor, and a catalytic reformer, wherein: the thermal combustor includes a combustion zone, a cooling zone, and an enriching zone; the combustion zone providing: a first fuel inlet and a first gas inlet for introducing a ratio of a first hydrocarbon fuel and a first oxygen-containing gas into the combustion zone, the ratio being controllable to provide combustion of the first hydrocarbon fuel within the combustion zone; an ignition source for inducing combustion of the first hydrocarbon fuel and the first oxygen-containing gas to produce an exhaust stream that flows from the combustion zone into the cooling zone; the cooling zone providing one or more inlets selected from a group consisting of a first water inlet and a second gas inlet through which at least one fluid is injected into the exhaust stream to produce a cooled exhaust stream that is fed into the enriching zone; the enriching zone providing a second fuel inlet for introducing a second hydrocarbon fuel into the cooled exhaust stream to produce an enriched exhaust stream that is fed into the catalytic combustor; the catalytic combustor providing a first catalytic substrate upon which a first catalyst is supplied, the first catalyst selected to combust a portion of the enriched exhaust stream and thereby produce a second exhaust stream, the second exhaust stream being fed into the catalytic reformer; and the catalytic reformer includes: an inlet for receiving a gaseous feed mixture of a third hydrocarbon fuel, a second oxygen-containing gas and steam into an enclosed catalytic region, the catalytic region being heated by the second exhaust stream, the catalytic region providing a second catalytic substrate upon which a second catalyst is supplied, the second catalyst selected to reform the feed mixture to produce a hydrogen-containing reformate stream, an outlet for removing the reformate stream from the catalytic region, and an exhaust outlet for removing the second exhaust stream from the catalytic reformer.