Patent ID: 8328886

Claim:
A fuel processor comprising: a reformer that generates hydrogen gas by reacting a fuel source and water; a burner that heats the reformer to a temperature suitable for a hydrogen generation reaction and that exhausts a burner exhaust gas; a branched burner exhaust line in flow communication with the burner for separating the burner exhaust gas into a first portion and a second portion; a CO shift reactor that removes CO generated during the hydrogen generation reaction in the reformer; a heat exchanger; a heating element to heat the CO shift reactor; a cooling element to cool the CO shift reactor; and a valve located downstream of the burner and upstream of the CO shift reactor, the valve being configured to receive heating gas from a first line coupled to the burner exhaust line and to receive cooling gas from a second line that is separate from the first line, and also configured to selectively direct the heating gas from the heating element, and cooling water and the cooling gas from the cooling element, into a common line in accordance with a detected temperature, wherein the cooling element comprises a cooling water flow line that carries the cooling water and a cooling gas flow line that carries the cooling gas, wherein the cooling gas is the first portion of the burner exhaust gas that has been subjected to heat exchange with the cooling water and is directly communicated to the heat exchanger, and wherein the cooling water and the cooling gas are selectively supplied through the common line wound around an outer wall of the CO shift reactor and carry out a heat exchange with the CO shift reactor through the common line and the outer wall, wherein the heating element comprises an exhaust gas flow line that carries out a heat exchange with the CO shift reactor after the second portion of the burner exhaust gas is directly communicated to the CO shift reactor via the valve flows through the exhaust gas flow line, wherein the exhaust gas flow line bypasses the heat exchanger, and wherein the valve selectively supplies the second portion of the burner exhaust gas to the CO shift reactor.