High performance fuel processing system for fuel cell power plant
US6932848B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 28, 2003 |
| Grant date | Aug 23, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 7, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02P20/52
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A fuel processing system (FPS) (110) is provided for a fuel cell power plant (115) having a fuel cell stack assembly (CSA) (56). A water gas shift (WGS) reaction section (12, 120) of the FPS (110) reduces the concentration of carbon monoxide (CO) in the supplied hydrocarbon reformate, and a preferred oxidation (PROX) section (40) further reduces the CO concentration to an acceptable level. The WGS section (12, 120) includes a reactor (124) with a high activity catalyst for reducing the reformate Co concentration to a relatively low level, e.g., 2,000 ppmv or less, thereby relatively reducing the structural volume of the FPS (110). The high activity catalyst is active at temperatures as low as 250° C., and may be a noble-metal-on-ceria catalyst of Pt and Re on a nanocrystaline, cerium oxide-based support. Then only a low temperature PROX reactor (46) is required for preferential oxidation in the FPS (110).
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.