SYSTEM FOR OPERATION AND START-UP OF A VEHICLE POWERED BY A FUEL CELL

摘要

A fuel gas processing system (2) operable to remove substantially all of the sulfur present in a hydrocarbon fuel supply used to power a fuel cell power plant (55) in a mobile vehicular environment. The fuel can be gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, fuel oil, natural gas, or another fuel which contains relatively high levels of organic sulfur compounds. The fuel supply is passed through a nickel reactant desulfurizer bed (8) wherein essentially all of the sulfur in the organic sulfur compounds react with the nickel reactant, and are converted to nickel sulfide. The fuel cell power plant and the fuel processing system can be used to power a mobile vehicle. An auxiliary supply (108) of hydrogen is provided in order to power the fuel cell during start up of the fuel processing system. A second auxiliary supply (100) of desulfurized fuel is also provided to operate the fuel cell during an interim period until the highest temperature of the fuel processing system is brought up to a final operational temperature.