High-concentration effects, transfer reactions approximation

An alternative method of approaching the poisoning effect of carbon monoxide is to clean up the reformed fuel stream prior to admission to the fuel cell. For instance, methanol is fed to a reforming processor which produces a gas stream containing approximately 55% H2, the required fuel mixed with 22% CO2, 21% N2 and 2% CO. The overall process is achieved by combining the exothermic partial oxidation reaction with an endothermic steam reforming reaction over the same catalyst particles. This achieves a very high rate of internal heat transfer and a very easily controlled reactor. In the last step the reformer output can then fed to a clean-up reactor where the fuel is reacted further with air to reduce the CO content from 2% to 10 ppm, a far more viable concentration for the electrocatalysts used in the low temperature fuel cell. 

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