Methods for converting hydrocarbon fuel into hydrogen rich gas and for operating a fuel cell, and apparatus for producing electricity from hydrocarbon fuel

摘要

"METHODS FOR HYDROGEN RICH GAS HYDROCAR FUEL CONVERSION AND FOR OPERATING A FUEL CELL, AND ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION APPARATUS FROM THE HYDROCAR FUEL." An illustrative method for converting hydrocarbon fuel to hydrogen rich gas includes the steps of: reacting the hydrocarbon fuel with steam in the presence of reforming catalyst and a carbon dioxide fixing material to produce a first hydrogen gas; and removing carbon monoxide from the first hydrogen gas to produce the hydrogen rich gas, wherein the removal step utilizes a selected selective methanation or oxidation process. In one illustrative embodiment the carbon dioxide fixing material is selected from calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide, strontium oxide, strontium hydroxide, alanite, andralite, anquerite, anortite, aragonite, calcite, dolomite, clinozoisite, huntite, hydrotalcite. , lausonite, meionite, stroncianite, vaterita, jutnorita, mimnrecordita, benstonita, olecminsquita, nierereita, natrofairchildita, farichildita, zemcorita, butschlita, shirtita, remondita, petersenita, calyconite, cane, carciite nature and any combination thereof. The reforming catalyst in a preferred and illustrative embodiment is selected from nickel, platinum, rhodium, palladium, ruthenium, or similar supported reforming catalyst or combinations thereof. In such cases the reforming catalyst is preferably supported on a high surface area support thereby promoting the reforming reaction and more preferably is selected from alumina, titania, zirconia, or compounds of the like nature or combinations thereof. It is preferred that in an illustrative embodiment the temperature of the reaction step is from about 400Â ° C to about 800Â ° C.