Integrated PrOx reactor

Start-up was effected by feeding methanol directly to the burner. The integrated reformer/burner reactor and the integrated PrOx reactor/cooler fabricated at IMM are shown in Figure 2.74. Characterization of the single devices and their assembly is still pending. 

A complete methanol reforming system was constructed by coimecting the integrated reformer with a PROX reactor. Fig. 5 shows the evolution of temperature at the gas outlet of the evaporator, reformer and PROX reactor during the start-up. Temperature of the reformer became stable in 5 min after introduction of the reactant. The reformer produced hydrogen up to 1.5L/min with methanol conversion higher than 95%, enough to run a lOOW PEMFC. 

A conventional FPS, shown in Fig. 14.2, includes a reformer, two WGS reactors, and two Preferential Oxidation (PrOx) reactors, located downstream of the WGS. For PEM fuel cells, it is a necessity to assure < 10 ppm of CO in the cell stack. These reactors form a considerable fraction of the FPS weight, volume, and cost. Replacing this train by an integrated hydrogen permeation selective membrane on the water gas shift reactor, shown in Fig. 14.3, results in a considerable reduction in the number of components, cost, and volume of the FPS. This will make fuel cell power plants practical and affordable for power generation in a wide range of applications, especially for residential and transportation. Numerous published works [8, 9] in the area of catalytic membrane reactors can be quoted in the experimental [10] and numerical [11, 12] domains. 

Casio Computer has developed a 2.4 We integrated micro fuel processor comprising a methanol steam reformer, a PrOx reactor and a catalytic combustor (Figures 27.10... 

Due to the extremely small thermal mass and excellent insulation of the device, a startup time of less than 5 s brought the reforming/combustion zone to 260 °C and the PrOx zone to 110 ° C. An individual PrOx reactor test showed less than 10 ppm CO within a temperature window of 110-140 °C. During integrated operation, with the CO exiting the steam reformer at ca. 1%, the CO level following the PrOx reactor was less than 50 ppm. 

Preferential Carbon Monoxide Oxidation 5 [PrOx 5] Integrated Heat Exchanger/Reactor for PrOx... 

Schuessler et al. [85] of XCELLSiS (later BALLARD) presented an integrated methanol fuel processor system based on autothermal reforming, which coupled fuel/water evaporation with exothermic preferential oxidation (PrOx) of carbon monoxide. The reactor technology was based, in contrast to most other approaches, on a sintering technique. 

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