Patent ID: 7837765

Claim:
A hydrogen-generation assembly, comprising: a fuel processing system having a hydrogen-producing region adapted to receive a feed stream and to produce a mixed gas stream containing hydrogen gas and other gases therefrom, wherein hydrogen gas forms a majority component of the mixed gas stream; a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) assembly adapted to receive and separate during a PSA cycle at least a portion of the mixed gas stream into a product stream and a byproduct stream, wherein the product stream contains a greater concentration of hydrogen gas than the mixed gas stream and has a reduced concentration of the other gases than the mixed gas stream, wherein the byproduct stream containing byproduct gas contains at least a substantial portion of the other gases, and further wherein the PSA assembly is adapted to intermittently discharge the byproduct stream during the PSA cycle; a pressure-driven combustion stream supply system adapted to receive the byproduct stream from the PSA assembly and to continuously supply, during the PSA cycle, a combustion fuel stream containing the byproduct gas and having at least a predetermined threshold fuel value to a downstream component of a fuel processing system, the combustion stream supply system comprising: an accumulator adapted to receive and at least temporarily store as stored byproduct gas the byproduct gas of a byproduct stream intermittently discharged by the pressure swing adsorption assembly; a controlled release system including an orifice assembly comprising: an open orifice adapted to release stored byproduct gas from the accumulator at a first flow rate; and a valved orifice adapted, when open, to release stored byproduct gas from the accumulator at a second flow rate; and a delivery assembly adapted to receive the stored byproduct gas released from the accumulator through the orifice assembly and to supply the stored byproduct gas as the combustion fuel stream to the downstream component of the hydrogen-generation assembly.