APPARATUS FOR GENERATION OF PURE HYDROGEN FOR USE WITH FUEL CELLS

摘要

A process and apparatus are disclosed for the operation of a fuel cell to generate electric power from a feed stream comprising a hydrocarbon or an alcohol. The fuel cell comprises a proton exchange membrane which produces electric power from a hydrogen product stream which comprises essentially no carbon monoxid e. The hydrogen product stream is produced from the feed stream in a novel ste am reforming zone containing a steam reforming catalyst disposed in a bell-shap ed catalyst zone. The bell-shaped catalyst zone is disposed over a combustion zone such that the exhaust gas from the combustion flows around the bell-shaped cataly st zone to heat the catalyst from the inside and the outside of the catalyst zone. Furthermore, the bell-shaped catalyst zone maintains a high inlet and a high outlet temperature to avoid methane slippage in the steam reforming zone. Heat for the steam reforming zone is provided by a fuel stream and at least a portion of the anode waste gas stream from the fuel cell.