Reformulation of Coal-Derived Transportation Fuels: Preferential Oxidation of Carbon Monoxide on Structured Supports

摘要

Development of practical fuel cells for automotive applications requires the manufacture of fuel processors that convert coal-derived liquid fuels into a hydrogen-rich reformate. Fuel processors must be compact, durable, quick-starting, and responsive to transient demands. Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are generally thought to have the high power density and low operating temperature needed in this application. In most fuel processor designs, the last step prior to the fuel cell is a preferential oxidation step (PROX), in which the CO concentration is reduced from approx 1 percent to less than 10 ppm in the presence of CO_2, steam, and high H_2 concentrations. The PROX reactor requires active and selective catalysts in order to achieve low outlet CO concentrations without oxidizing a significant quantity of H_2.