Patent ID: 7687035
Filing Date: 2010-03-30
Classification: B01J,C01B,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A reaction apparatus, comprising: a chemical reaction unit for causing a reaction of a reactant by being set to a predetermined temperature and by being supplied with the reactant; a heat insulation package for housing the chemical reaction unit therein; an abnormality detector for detecting a temperature abnormality of at least one of the chemical reaction unit and the heat insulation package; and a cooling unit for flowing a cooling fluid to the chemical reaction unit to stop the reaction according to a detection result by the abnormality detector; wherein the chemical reaction unit comprises a plurality of chemical reaction sections which communicate with each other, and at least a reactant supplying passage for supplying the reactant to the plurality of chemical reaction sections and a product discharging passage for discharging a product produced by the reaction, and wherein the cooling unit flows the cooling fluid flow into each of the chemical reaction sections through at least one of the reactant supplying passage and the product discharging passage when the temperature abnormality is detected by the abnormality detector; wherein the reactant is a liquid mixture of water and a liquid fuel which includes hydrogen in a composition of the liquid fuel, and wherein the chemical reaction unit comprises a vaporizer to which the liquid mixture is supplied to generate a gas mixture by vaporizing the supplied liquid mixture, and a reformer to which the gas mixture generated by the vaporizer is supplied to generate a gas containing hydrogen by a reforming reaction; wherein the chemical reaction unit further comprises a combustor to which a gas fuel and air are supplied to cause a combustion reaction of the gas fuel by using a combustion catalyst to heat the plurality of chemical reaction sections by combustion heat, a combustion fuel supplying passage for supplying the gas fuel to the combustor, and an air supplying passage for supplying air to the combustor, and wherein the cooling unit flows the cooling fluid into the chemical reaction unit through at least one of the reactor supplying passage, the product discharging passage, the combustion fuel supplying passage, and the air supplying passage; and wherein the chemical reaction unit further comprises an oxidant supplying passage for supplying an oxidant to cause the reaction in one of the plurality of chemical reaction sections, wherein the cooling unit comprises a first opening/closing unit disposed in the product discharging passage, for opening/closing a route for discharging the product, a discharging route disposed in the oxidant supplying passage, for discharging the cooling fluid, a second opening/closing unit for opening/closing the discharging route, and a route controller for controlling the first opening/closing unit and the second opening/closing unit, and wherein when the temperature abnormality is detected by the abnormality detector, the first opening/closing unit is controlled by the route controller to cut off the route for discharging the product from the product discharging passage, the discharging route is opened by controlling the second opening/closing unit, the cooling fluid flows in a same direction as a direction in which the reactant is supplied from the reactant supplying passage, the cooling fluid flows in an opposite direction to a direction in which the product is discharged from the product discharge passage, and the cooling fluid is discharged from the discharging route.