Method of operating a fuel processor

摘要

In situations where the demand for syngas is prolonged, a fuel processor is operated continuously to provide a syngas stream for a prolonged period. The equivalence ratio of reactants supplied to the fuel processor is controlled so that a high fuel-conversion efficiency to hydrogen and carbon monoxide is obtained at temperatures correspondent to carbon production balance, where carbon is formed and gasified at approximately the same rate in the fuel processor.

主权项

1. A method of operating a fuel processor to produce a syngas stream comprising hydrogen and carbon-monoxide from a fuel stream and an oxygen-containing gas stream, said method comprising:
(a) introducing said fuel stream and said oxygen-containing gas stream into said fuel processor at an oxygen-containing gas to fuel equivalence ratio; and (b) sustaining said equivalence ratio at a substantially constant value, wherein said fuel processor is operated to produce said syngas stream at said substantially constant equivalence ratio, wherein said fuel processor is a non-catalytic fuel processor having no catalyst disposed upstream of said fuel processor and said equivalence ratio is less than 1 and selected such that fuel-specific production of hydrogen and carbon monoxide combined is substantially at the maximum at which said syngas stream is produced and carbon gasification is balanced with carbon production where both carbon gasification and carbon production occur while said syngas stream is being produced.