Patent ID: 7487763

Claim:
A fuel reformer arranged in a fuel supply system leading from a fuel supply source to a combustion apparatus, said fuel reformer comprising: a casing provided with an inlet communicating with said fuel supply source, an outlet communicating with said combustion apparatus, said casing including a process chamber communicating with said inlet and outlet, a granular catalytic material filled in said process chamber, said granular material including a core having a layer of metal oxide formed on the surface of said core, said layer having a structure in which a bonding quantity of oxygen gradually decreases with increasing depth from an upper surface of said layer, said layer of metal oxide providing photocatalytic property which activates the fuel to be reformed, said catalytic material is filled in said process chamber at a space rate of 50% or less as defined in the following equation: space rate (%)=((capacity inside the process chamber−total volume of the catalytic material)/capacity inside the process chamber)×100, and said combustion apparatus is an engine and said catalytic material is filled in said process chamber so that the total of the surface area of the catalytic material filled in said process chamber is 5,000 cm 2 or more per displacement of 1,000 cc of the engine.