Patent ID: 6635372
Filing Date: 2003-10-21
Classification: C01B,H01M,Y02E

Abstract:
A method comprising:(a) providing an organic fuel storage tank and an organic fuel therein, and wherein the organic fuel is in a liquid phase and contains more than 1 part per million sulfur; (b) providing a sulfur trap including an adsorbent for adsorbing sulfur-containing species in the organic fuel, and wherein the sulfur trap adsorbent must be heated to an elevated operating temperature to effectively adsorb sulfur-containing species; (c) providing a vapor canister including an adsorbent for adsorbing organic fuel vapors and providing organic fuel vapors adsorbed in the vapor canister, and wherein the organic fuel vapors contain no more than 1 part per million sulfur; (d) providing a fuel processor including a catalyst therein for processing the organic fuel to produce hydrogen; (e) providing a fuel cell including a catalyst therein, and wherein the fuel cell is constructed and arranged to use hydrogen to produce electricity; (f) monitoring the temperature of the adsorbent in the sulfur trap to determine if the adsorbent is at an elevated operating temperature sufficient to remove sulfur-containing constituent from liquid fuel so that the liquid fuel exiting the sulfur trap contains no more than 1 part per million sulfur; (g) performing steps h-l while the temperature of the adsorbent in the sulfur trap is below the elevated operating temperature; (h) purging at least a portion of the organic fuel vapors from the vapor canister; (i) charging the fuel processor with the organic fuel vapors; (j) processing at least a portion of the organic fuel vapors in the fuel processor to produce hydrogen; (k) charging the fuel cell with the hydrogen produced in the fuel cell processor from the organic fuel vapors to produce electricity; (l) heating the adsorbent in the sulfur trap to the elevated operating temperature; (m) performing steps n-w while the temperature of the adsorbent in the sulfur trap is at or above the elevated operating temperature; (n) removing organic fuel from the fuel storage tank; (o) pumping the organic fuel from the fuel storage tank to an elevated pressure; (p) heating the fuel from the fuel storage tank to an elevated temperature and maintaining the fuel in the liquid phase; (q) flowing the fuel from the fuel storage tank at the elevated pressure and elevated temperature through the sulfur trap so that the adsorbent in the fuel trap removes sulfur-containing species from the organic fuel and so that the organic fuel contains no more than 1 part per million sulfur; (r) reducing the pressure of the organic fuel containing no more than 1 parts per million sulfur to provide a liquid fuel and a vapor fuel; (s) separating the liquid fuel from the vapor fuel; (t) charging the fuel processor with the liquid fuel; (u) processing the liquid fuel to produce hydrogen; (v) delivering the hydrogen produced in the fuel processor from the liquid fuel to the fuel cell to produce electricity; and (w) charging the vapor canister with the vapor fuel so that the vapor fuel is adsorbed onto the adsorbent in the fuel canister.