Patent ID: 7871450

Claim:
A fuel processing method for processing fuel feedstock for a fuel cell, the fuel feedstock including oxygen and hydrocarbons having higher and lower hydrocarbon content, the fuel processing method comprising the steps of: providing said fuel feedstock; reducing oxygen in said fuel feedstock using a deoxidizing unit having a deoxidizing bed, said reducing oxygen in said fuel feedstock comprises conveying the fuel feedstock through said deoxidizing unit at a first space velocity which is greater than 5,000 and up to 12,000 h −1 ; and reducing said higher hydrocarbon content in said fuel feedstock using a pre-reforming unit having a pre-reforming bed, said reducing said higher hydrocarbon content in said fuel feedstock comprises conveying the fuel feedstock to the pre-reforming unit, decreasing space velocity of the fuel feedstock flowing through the pre-reforming unit to a second space velocity smaller than the first space velocity, the second space velocity being from 2,000 and up to 5,000 h1, and increasing hydrogen back diffusion in the pre-reforming unit so as to maintain a reducing atmosphere in the pre-reforming unit; wherein said deoxidizing unit and said pre-reforming unit are disposed within a common vessel such that said fuel feedstock first flows through said deoxidizing unit and thereafter through said pre-reforming unit; and wherein the maximum superficial velocity of said fuel feedstock in said pre-reforming unit being is no greater than 1.3 ft/s at STP conditions in order to ensure increased hydrogen back diffusion in the pre-reforming unit so as to maintain a reducing atmosphere in the pre-reforming unit; and the deoxidizing bed of said deoxidizing unit is sized such that the space velocity of said fuel feedstock in said deoxidizing unit is between 5,000 and 12,000 h −1 .