9701results about "Hydrogen/synthetic gas production" patented technology

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for generating a gas. One or more liquid permeable pouches each define a cavity that contains a solid anhydrous reactant, such as a chemical hydride. A reaction chamber made of a heat, chemical and/or pressure resistant material receives the one or more pouches from a pouch feeder that transfers the one or more pouches into the reaction chamber successively at a feed rate. One or more liquid sources inject a liquid reactant into the reaction chamber so that the liquid reactant contacts a portion of the one or more pouches. The one or more liquid sources inject the liquid reactant at an injection rate that corresponds to the feed rate. A gas outlet releases a gas, such as hydrogen, oxygen, ammonia, borazine, nitrogen, or a hydrocarbon, that is produced by a reaction between the solid reactant and the liquid reactant.

The present invention provides a method and system for efficiently producing hydrogen that can be supplied to a fuel cell. The method and system of the present invention produces hydrogen in a reforming reactor using a hydrocarbon stream and water vapor stream as reactants. The hydrogen produced is purified in a hydrogen separating membrane to form a retentate stream and purified hydrogen stream. The purified hydrogen can then be fed to a fuel cell where electrical energy is produced and a fuel cell exhaust stream containing water vapor and oxygen depleted air is emitted. In one embodiment of the present invention, a means and method is provided for recycling a portion of the retentate stream to the reforming reactor for increased hydrogen yields. In another embodiment, a combustor is provided for combusting a second portion of the retentate stream to provide heat to the reforming reaction or other reactants. In a preferred embodiment, the combustion is carried out in the presence of at least a portion of the oxygen depleted air stream from the fuel cell. Thus, the system and method of the present invention advantageously uses products generated from the system to enhance the overall efficiency of the system.

A process is provided for combusting a low heating value fuel gas in a combustor to drive an associated gas turbine. A low heating value fuel gas feed is divided into a burner portion and a combustion chamber portion. The combustion chamber portion and a combustion air are conveyed into a mixing zone of the combustor to form an air/fuel mixture. The burner portion is conveyed into a flame zone of the combustor through a burner nozzle while a first portion of the air/fuel mixture is conveyed into the flame zone through a burner port adjacent to the burner nozzle. The burner portion and first portion of the air/fuel mixture are contacted in the flame zone to combust the portions and produce flame zone products. The flame zone products are conveyed into an oxidation zone of the combustor downstream of the flame zone while a second portion of the air/fuel mixture is also conveyed into the oxidation zone. The second portion is combusted in the oxidation zone in the presence of the flame zone products to produce combustion products. The combustion products are conveyed into the associated gas turbine and drive the gas turbine.

Hydrogen is produced from solid or liquid carbon-containing fuels in a two-step process. The fuel is gasified with hydrogen in a hydrogenation reaction to produce a methane-rich gaseous reaction product, which is then reacted with water and calcium oxide in a hydrogen production and carbonation reaction to produce hydrogen and calcium carbonate. The calcium carbonate may be continuously removed from the hydrogen production and carbonation reaction zone and calcined to regenerate calcium oxide, which may be reintroduced into the hydrogen production and carbonation reaction zone. Hydrogen produced in the hydrogen production and carbonation reaction is more than sufficient both to provide the energy necessary for the calcination reaction and also to sustain the hydrogenation of the coal in the gasification reaction. The excess hydrogen is available for energy production or other purposes. Substantially all of the carbon introduced as fuel ultimately emerges from the invention process in a stream of substantially pure carbon dioxide. The water necessary for the hydrogen production and carbonation reaction may be introduced into both the gasification and hydrogen production and carbonation reactions, and allocated so as transfer the exothermic heat of reaction of the gasification reaction to the endothermic hydrogen production and carbonation reaction.

A system and method for co-production of hydrogen and electrical energy. The system comprises a fuel cell assembly comprising a plurality of fuel cells. The fuel cells further comprise a cathode inlet for receiving a compressed oxidant, an anode inlet for receiving a fuel feed stream, an anode outlet in fluid communication with an anode exhaust stream and a cathode outlet in fluid communication with a cathode exhaust stream. At least a portion of the fuel feed stream reacts with the oxidant to produce electrical power. The anode exhaust stream comprises hydrogen. The co-production system further comprises a separation unit in fluid communication with the fuel cell assembly. The separation unit is configured to receive the anode exhaust stream from the fuel cell assembly to separate hydrogen from the anode exhaust stream.

A method for producing hydrogen gas is provided and comprises reducing a metal oxide in a reduction reaction between a carbon-based fuel and a metal oxide to provide a reduced metal or metal oxide having a lower oxidation state, and oxidizing the reduced metal or metal oxide to produce hydrogen and a metal oxide having a higher oxidation state. The metal or metal oxide is provided in the form of a porous composite of a ceramic material containing the metal or metal oxide. The porous composite may comprise either a monolith, pellets, or particles.

Processes and reactor systems are provided for the conversion of oxygenated hydrocarbons to paraffins useful as liquid fuels. The process involves the conversion of water soluble oxygenated hydrocarbons to oxygenates, such as alcohols, furans, ketones, aldehydes, carboxylic acids, diols, triols, and/or other polyols, followed by the subsequent conversion of the oxygenates to paraffins by dehydration and alkylation. The oxygenated hydrocarbons may originate from any source, but are preferably derived from biomass.

Synthesis gas is produced though a cyclic method where the first step of the cycle includes reforming a hydrocarbon feed over a catalyst to synthesis gas in a first zone of a bed and the second step reheats this first zone. A hydrocarbon feed is introduced to a bed along with CO₂ and optionally steam where it is reformed into synthesis gas. The synthesis gas is collected at a second zone of the bed and an oxygen-containing gas is then introduced to this second zone of the bed and combusted with a fuel, thereby reheating the first zone to sufficient reforming temperatures. Additionally, a non-combusting gas can also be introduced to the second zone to move heat from the second zone to the first zone.

The present invention relates to processes for preparing gaseous products, and in particular, methane via the catalytic gasification of carbonaceous feedstocks in the presence of steam and an oxygen-rich gas stream. The processes comprise using at least one catalytic methanator to convert carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the gaseous products to methane and do not recycle carbon monoxide or hydrogen to the catalytic gasifier.

Disclosed is a method of producing hydrogen from oxygenated hydrocarbon reactants, such as glycerol, glucose, or sorbitol. The method can take place in the vapor phase or in the condensed liquid phase. The method includes the steps of reacting water and a water-soluble oxygenated hydrocarbon having at least two carbon atoms, in the presence of a metal-containing catalyst. The catalyst contains a metal selected from the group consisting of Group VIII transitional metals, alloys thereof, and mixtures thereof. The disclosed method can be run at lower temperatures than those used in the conventional steam reforming of alkanes.

An electrical current generating system is disclosed that includes a fuel cell operating at a temperature of at least about 250° C. (for example, a molten carbonate fuel cell or a solid oxide fuel cell), a hydrogen gas separation system or oxygen gas delivery system that includes a compressor or pump, and a drive system for the compressor or pump that includes means for recovering energy from at least one of the hydrogen gas separation system, oxygen gas delivery system, or heat of the fuel cell. The drive system could be a gas turbine system. The hydrogen gas separation system or the oxygen gas delivery system may include a pressure swing adsorption module.

A self-sustaining process for producing high quality liquid fuels from biomass in which the biomass is hydropyrolyzed in a reactor vessel containing molecular hydrogen and a deoxygenating catalyst, producing a partially deoxygenated hydropyrolysis liquid, which is hydrogenated using a hydroconversion catalyst, producing a substantially fully deoxygenated hydrocarbon liquid and a gaseous mixture comprising CO and light hydrocarbon gases (C₁-C₃). The gaseous mixture is reformed in a steam reformer, producing reformed molecular hydrogen, which is then introduced into the reactor vessel for hydropyrolizing the biomass. The deoxygenated hydrocarbon liquid product is further separated to produce diesel fuel, gasoline, or blending components for gasoline and diesel fuel.

Fuel supplies for fuel cells are disclosed. The fuel supplies can be a pressurized or non-pressurized cartridge that can be used with any fuel cells, including but not limited to, direct methanol fuel cell or reformer fuel cell. In one aspect, a fuel supply may contain a reaction chamber to convert fuel to hydrogen. The fuel supplies may also contain a pump. The fuel supply may have a valve connecting the fuel to the fuel cell, and a vent to vent gas from the fuel supply. Methods for forming various fuel supplies are also disclosed.

A thermally-integrated lower temperature water-gas shift reactor apparatus for converting carbon monoxide in the presence steam comprises a catalyst bed that is disposed within an outer region surrounding a waste heat recovery steam generator operating at a selected pressure corresponding to the optimum temperature for conducting the catalytic water-gas shift reaction and a process for useful recovery of the exothermic heat of reaction to generate steam that is used in a process for the conversion of hydrocarbon feedstock into useful gases such as hydrogen.

A process for the separation/recovery of gases is described where the desired component to be separated from the gaseous mixture is present in low/very low molar amount and/or low/moderate pressure, the process comprising contacting the gaseous mixture with a separation membrane unit containing high permeability/medium selectivity membranes which separate the feed stream into a permeate stream, enriched in the desired component and at a lower pressure and a retentate stream lean in the desired component and at a higher pressure. The retentate stream is made to convey its pressure to the permeate stream which then is directed to an adsorption PSA unit for further purification of the permeate stream so that the effluent stream from the PSA unit which contains the purified component has a purity of up to 99.90%. The process is useful for separating hydrogen from refinery off gases such as FCC gases and can also be applied to other gases such as helium and any other valuable gases present in gaseous streams in low to very low molar contents and low to moderate pressures.

The present invention provides systems and methods to improve the performance and emission control of internal combustion engines equipped with nitrogen oxides storage-reduction (“NSR”) emission control systems. The system generally includes a NSR catalyst, a fuel processor located upstream of the NSR catalyst, and at least one fuel injection port. The fuel processor converts a fuel into a reducing gas mixture comprising CO and H₂. The reducing gas mixture is then fed into the NSR catalyst, where it regenerates the NSR adsorbent, reduces the NO_x to nitrogen, and optionally periodically desulfates the NSR catalyst. The fuel processor generally includes one or more catalysts, which facilitate reactions such as combustion, partial oxidation, and/or reforming and help consume excess oxygen present in an engine exhaust stream. The methods of the present invention provide for NSR catalyst adsorbent regeneration using pulsed fuel flow. Control strategies are also provided.