Patent ID: 7722831
Filing Date: 2010-05-25
Classification: B01B,B01J,C01B,H01M,Y02E,Y02P

Abstract:
1. Apparatus for producing a syn-gas comprising: 1) a hydrogen fuel cell having an outlet for off gas produced by the fuel cell; 2) a source of vaporized hydrocarbons and water vapor fed to a mixer for producing a chemically balanced feed stock mixture of vaporized hydrocarbons and water vapor for introduction into a steam reformer, 3) The steam reformer having (a) an inlet interconnected with the mixer from which the feed stock is introduced, and (b) a steam reformer outlet for the syn-gas produced therein, and 4) a combustor interconnected to receive off gas from the off gas outlet of the fuel cell, the combustor operatively disposed in a heat exchange relationship with respect to the steam reformer such that the steam reformer is heated by the combustor, wherein: the steam reformer and combustor are enclosed within a steam reformer module, in which steam reformer module a single wavyplate extends between upper and lower interior surfaces of the module, forming a steam reformer side and a combustor side, the wavyplate dividing the module into separated longitudinally extending steam reformer and combustor micro channel flow paths alternating with, and adjacent to each other to maintain laminar fluid flow on each opposite side of the wavyplate, and, a) a surface of the steam reformer side of the wavyplate is coated with a catalytically active steam reforming material, and b) the combustor micro channel flow path is defined by the opposite side surface of the wavyplate; wherein heat generated in the combustor side is exchanged through the wavyplate during the flow of the feed stock through the steam reformer and the heat induces a reaction of the feed stock by the catalytically active steam reforming material to produce the syn-gas, wherein: 1) the mixer is interconnected with a vaporizer, and the vaporizer is interconnected to a hydrocarbon source and a water source providing to the mixer vaporized hydrocarbons and water vapor, the mixer producing the feed stock mixture of vaporized hydrocarbons and water vapor, 2) the vaporizer is disposed in a heat exchange relationship with respect to a second combustor via a single vaporizer wavyplate extending between upper and lower interior surfaces of a vaporizer module, the vaporizer wavyplate forming a vaporizer side and a second combustor side, and a) on a combustor side surface of the vaporizer wavyplate, the vaporizer wavyplate is coated with a catalytically active material to cause the off gas to combust in the second combustor, and b) opposite the combustor side surface is a vaporizer side surface of the vaporizer wavyplate, and heat energy generated in the second combustor heats the vaporizer to produce the vaporized hydrocarbons and water vapor, 3) the off gas outlet of the fuel cell is interconnected with the second combustor and produces heat that is transferred to the vaporizer through the vaporizer wavyplate, 4) the steam reformer outlet directs syn-gas produced in the steam reformer to a cooling and purification module heat exchanger wherein the syn-gas is cooled and purified, and 5) an outlet from the cooling and purification module directs the cooled and purified syn-gas into a fuel inlet of the hydrogen fuel cell.