Gasoline Fuel Processors

In 2000 GM announced a breakthrough catalyst system with the current generation gasoline fuel processor that achieved more than 80 percent efficiency. 

GM s Gen III was the world s first gasoline fuel processor for fuel cell propulsion. Gen III had the capacity to start in less than three minutes. 

A compact design for a gasoline fuel processor for auxiliary power unit (APU) applications, including an autothermal reformer followed by WGS and selective oxidation stages, was reported by Severin et al. [83]. The overall fuel processor efficiency was about 77% with a start-up time of 30 min. 

Dong Ju Moon Sreekumar, K. Lee, S. D. Gwon, B. Kim, H. S. Studies on gasoline fuel processor for fuel cell powered vehicle application. Applied Catalyst, 215, (2001), 1-9. 

In addition, a number of automotive companies are in joint ventures to develop gasoline fuel processors based on POX or CPO technology. These include the following ... 

General Motors has collaborated with ExxonMobil to develop an on-board gasoline fuel processor in the late 1990s and early 2000s. 

UTC Fuel Cells has partnered with Nissan and Shell Hydrogen to develop a 50-kW on-board gasoline fuel processor with a volume of 78 L and weight of 65kg. The start-up time is 3.5min.8... 

Develop realistic and internally consistent detailed designs for automotive gasoline fuel processors and direct hydrogen PEM fuel cell systems based on current-year technology. 

Design, fabricate and evaluate a 1 kW fuel-flexible (including EPA Phase II reformulated gasoline) fuel processor and... 

In this study, a gasoline fuel processor is operated under conditions simulating both cold start and normal operation. Emissions are measured before and after the anode gas burner in order to... 

A 100 Gasoline Fuel Processor Based on Foam Structure with Micropores [46]... 

Moon, DJ, Sreekumar, K, Lee, SD, Lee, BG, Kim, HS. Studies on gasoline fuel processor system for fuel-cell powered vehicles application. Appl. Catal. A Gen. 2001 215 1-9. 

Severin, C, Pischinger, S, Ogrzewalla, J. Compact gasoline fuel processor for passenger vehicle APU. J. Power Sources 2005 145 675-682. 

For a methane steam reforming fuel processor, more than 15% higher fuel processor efficiency was determined experimentally by Mathiak et al. [433] when utilising fuel cell anode off-gas compared with combustion of additional methane. Doss et al. analysed an autothermal gasoline fuel processor and found improved efficiency by utilisation of anode off-gas [434]. 

Figure 7.13 Flow schematics ofthe gasoline fuel processor subsystem consisting of steam reformer, evaporator and additional heat-exchangers, as developed by Whyatt et al. [518].

An early status report on development work for a gasoline fuel processor for automotive applications was provided by Flynn et al. from McDermott Technology... 

Figure 9.39 Design concepts of a 50-kW gasoline fuel processor/ fuel cell system as developed by International Fuel Cells [616],...

A design study for a gasoline fuel processor/fuel cell system was presented by King and O day [616]. It consisted of an autothermal reformer, sulfur removal, water-gas shift and two stage preferential oxidation. The system pressure was close to ambient to reduce parasitic power losses of the compressor (Figure 9.39). 

A breadboard gasoline fuel processor was assembled by Moon et d. [67]. Fixed bed reactors served for reforming by steam supported partial oxidation (see Section 7.1.1), followed by high and low temperature water-gas shift Commercial iron oxide/ chromium oxide catalyst was applied for high temperature shift at a 4200 h gas hourly space velocity and 450 °C reaction temperature, while the copper/zinc oxide low temperature water-gas shift catalyst was operated at 250 °C and 5600 h gas hourly space velocity. 

Qi et al. presented a 1-kW breadboard gasoline fuel processor [451]. The device consisted of a concentric reactor arrangement, similar to the design developed by Ahmed et al. [448], see Section 5.4.5. The overall dimensions were very low, a diameter of 150 mm and length 150 mm were reported by these workers [451]. The preferential oxidation reactor was a separate device, but the autothermal fixed bed reformer was positioned in the centre of the fuel processor and surrounded by annular high and low temperature water-gas shift fixed bed reactors, as shown in Figure 9.40. The feed... 

Figure 9.40 Integrated gasoline fuel processor as developed by Qi et al. [451] HEX stands for heat-exchangers, Wi to W3 for water injection systems.

Figure 9.42 Breadboard gasoline fuel processor as built by Severin et al. [618].

Figure 9.45 Schematic (left) and photograph (right) of the gasoline fuel processor as developed by Goebel etal. [619] bum 1 and burn 2 stands for the two start-up burners of the system.

Figure 9.46 Fuel processor reactor temperatures and carbon monoxide concentration after the second stage water-gas shift (WCS2 CO) and after the second stage preferential oxidation reactor (PrOx CO) as determined during start-up of a gasoline fuel processor to full power [519].

Figure 9.47 Start-up power and transition test as determined during start-up of a gasoline fuel processor to full power [619].

In August 2001, General Motors presented a Chevrolet S-10 pick-up with the world s first fuel cell vehicle supplied by a gasoline fuel processor. The electrical power of the system amounted to 25 kW and the start-up time demand was in the order of 3 min. The peak efficiency of the reformer was 80%. 

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