Patent ID: 7232470
Filing Date: 2007-06-19
Classification: C10L,H01M,Y02E

Abstract:
1. In a fuel cell system comprising a reformer to produce hydrogen containing gas for use in a fuel cell stack, the improvement comprising: feeding to the reformer, at start-up, an emulsion composition comprising, at least 40 wt % of hydrocarbon, from 30 to 60 wt % of water, and from 0.01 to 5 wt % of a surfactant mixture comprising at least one surfactant from each of two types of surfactants, one type of surfactant comprising surfactants selected from the group consisting of alkoxylated alkyl alcohols, alkoxylated alkyl monoesters and alkoxylated alkyl diesters and the other type of surfactant comprising surfactants selected from the group consisting of alkyl polyglycerol monoesters and alkyl polyglycerol diesters, said alkoxylated alkyl alcohols represented by the formula, said alkoxylated alkyl monoesters represented by the formula, said alkoxylated alkyl diesters represented by the formula, where R is a methyl group, n is an integer from about 5 to 17, m is an integer from about 2 to 50, M is CH 2 —CH 2 , CH 2 —CH 2 —CH 2 , CH 2 —CH—CH 3 , CH 2 —CH 2 —CH 2 —CH 2 , CH 2 —CH—(CH 3 )—CH 2 or mixtures thereof, said alkyl polyglycerol monoesters represented by the general formula, and, said alkyl polyglycerol diesters represented by the general formula, where R′ is an alkyl group of 2 to 26 carbon atoms and p is an integer from about 0 to 15.