Patent ID: 8221511

Claim:
A hydrogen generating device, comprising: a reforming section for steam-reforming a material using a reforming catalyst to generate a hydrogen-containing gas; a heating section for supplying, to the reforming section, heat necessary for the reforming reaction; a carbon monoxide reducing section for reducing carbon monoxide in the hydrogen-containing gas using a carbon monoxide reducing catalyst; a vertically oriented reformed gas passageway for vertically passing the hydrogen-containing gas generated in the reforming section and before being introduced into the carbon monoxide reducing section; and a temperature adjustment section for controlling a temperature of the hydrogen-containing gas to be introduced from the reforming section into the carbon monoxide reducing section, the temperature adjustment section including: a heat exchange section having an air path for allowing a cooling air to pass therethrough; an air intake portion having an opening for taking the cooling air into the air path; and an air discharging portion having an opening for discharging the cooling air out of the air path, wherein the air path includes a horizontally oriented air duct for horizontally passing the cooling air, the horizontally oriented air duct adjacent the vertically oriented reformed gas passageway in the heat exchange section; the air intake portion includes a cooling fan, wherein the opening of the air intake portion is an intake port of the cooling fan; and the opening of the air intake portion and that of the air discharging portion are facing in a same direction, and the same direction is a vertically upward direction or a vertically downward direction; the device further including a material passageway for passing the material to the reforming section, wherein, in a horizontal cross section of the horizontally oriented air duct, the vertically oriented reformed gas passageway has a ring shape and is arranged between the material passageway and the horizontally oriented air duct.