Patent ID: 7575610

Claim:
A fuel processing system for generating (a) substantially pure, nitrogen-free hydrogen and (b) segregated nitrogen and carbon dioxide, comprising: a source of air; a source of hydrocarbon fuel; a first vertical chamber having a gas flow outlet at the top thereof: a source of downwardly impelled water droplets; a separator for separating substantially pure oxygen out of the air from said source of air; a generator of hydrogen-rich gas disposed beneath said source of water droplets and receiving into an upper end thereof a mixture including oxygen derived from said source of air and liquid hydrocarbon fuel from said source of fuel, said oxygen being derived from said separator which provides substantially pure oxygen to said generator, said generator having a shield to prevent said water droplets from impinging on said generator, said generator providing at a lower end thereof a gaseous mixture including, inter alia, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, said gaseous mixture flowing upwardly through said downwardly impelled droplets toward said outlet; at least one water/gas shift reactor disposed above said source of water droplets, said droplets substantially vaporizing within said flow of gaseous mixture before entering said at least one water/gas shift reactor; a second vertical chamber having a gas flow inlet at the top thereof and a gas flow exit at the bottom thereof; a static mixer connecting said inlet with said outlet; at least one preferential carbon monoxide oxidizer (PrOx) consisting of a bed of preferential carbon monoxide oxidizer catalyst downstream of said generator below said inlet, receiving oxygen derived from said separator which provides substantially pure oxygen to said PrOx, and providing a nitrogen-free output gas flowing through said gas flow exit having less than about 100 parts per million of carbon monoxide; and at least two compressors connected in serial gas flow relationship with said output gas flowing through said gas flow exit, the pressure of gas exiting one of said compressors being sufficiently high to condense water from the gas exiting said one compressor, the pressure of gas exiting another of said compressors being sufficiently high to condense carbon dioxide from the gas exiting said another of said compressors, thereby providing substantially pure, nitrogen-free hydrogen.