Hydrogen production system and methods of producing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10128518-B2
Application number	US-201715488736-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 17, 2017
Priority date	Apr 17, 2017
Publication date	Nov 13, 2018
Grant date	Nov 13, 2018

Abstract

Hydrogen production systems and methods of producing the same are provided. In an exemplary embodiment, a hydrogen production system comprises a reformer reactor that comprises a reformer reactor wall. A plurality of reformer tubes are interconnected to define a reformer lattice that has a reformer inner flow path and a reformer outer flow path. The plurality of reformer tubes are within the reformer reactor and connected to the reformer reactor wall at a plurality of discrete locations. The reformer lattice defines a combustor side that is one of the reformer inner or outer flow paths, and a reformer side that is the other of the reformer inner or outer flow paths. A reformer catalyst is positioned within the reformer side.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hydrogen production system comprising:
a reformer reactor comprising a reformer reactor wall;
a plurality of reformer tubes that are interconnected to define a reformer lattice with a reformer inner flow path and a reformer outer flow path, wherein the plurality of reformer tubes are within the reformer reactor, wherein the plurality of reformer tubes are connected to the reformer reactor wall at a plurality of discrete locations, wherein the reformer lattice defines a combustor side that is one of the reformer inner flow path or the reformer outer flow path, and wherein the reformer lattice defines a reformer side that is the other of the reformer inner flow path or the reformer outer flow path; and
a reformer catalyst positioned within the reformer side.

2. The hydrogen production system of claim 1 further comprising:
a plurality of reformer hubs positioned within the reformer reactor, wherein each of the plurality of reformer hubs are directly connected to at least three of the plurality of reformer tubes.

3. The hydrogen production system of claim 2 wherein each one of the plurality of reformer tubes directly connected to one of the plurality of reformer hubs is about 110 degrees from every other of the plurality of reformer tubes directly connected to said one of the plurality of reformer hubs.

4. The hydrogen production system of claim 2 wherein the plurality of reformer tubes and the plurality of reformer hubs form a lattice that comprises a repeating shape that about fills the reformer reactor.

5. The hydrogen production system of claim 1 further comprising:
an air supply configured to supply air to the combustor side of the reformer reactor.

6. The hydrogen production system of claim 1 wherein:
the plurality of reformer tubes comprise a tube thickness; and
the reformer reactor wall comprises a vessel wall thickness that is from about 25 percent thinner than the tube thickness to about 25 percent thicker than the tube thickness.

7. The hydrogen production system of claim 1 further comprising:
a water gas shift reactor in fluid communication with the reformer reactor;
a first superheater heat exchanger in fluid communication with the water gas shift reactor, and wherein the first superheater heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the reformer reactor; and
an outer shell, wherein the reformer reactor, the water gas shift reactor, and the first superheater heat exchanger are within the outer shell.

8. The hydrogen production system of claim 7 further comprising:
a first header connected to the outer shell, the reformer reactor, the water gas shift reactor, and the first superheater heat exchanger; and
a second header connected to the outer shell, the reformer reactor, the water gas shift reactor, and the first superheater heat exchanger; and
wherein the first header and the second header provide fluid communication between the reformer reactor, the water gas shift reactor, and the first superheater heat exchanger.

9. The hydrogen production system of claim 8 further comprising:
a reformate cooler heat exchanger; and
a condenser heat exchanger, wherein the reformate cooler heat exchanger and the condenser heat exchanger are positioned within the outer shell.

10. The hydrogen production system of claim 7 wherein the outer shell has a concave side and a convex side such that the outer shell has a “C” shape.

11. The hydrogen production system of claim 1 further comprising a combustion catalyst within the combustor side.

12. The hydrogen production system of claim 1 wherein the combustor side and the reformer side are configured for counter current flow.

13. The hydrogen production system of claim 1 wherein the hydrogen production system is configured to provide a superheated steam to the reformer side.

14. A hydrogen production system comprising:
a water gas shift reactor comprising a shift reactor wall;
a plurality of shift tubes that are interconnected to define a shift inner flow path and a shift outer flow path, wherein the plurality of shift tubes are within the water gas shift reactor, and wherein the plurality of shift tubes are connected to the shift reactor wall at a shift plurality of discrete locations; and
a first header and a second header that are configured to supply a reformate to a shift reactor side of the water gas shift reactor, wherein the shift reactor side is one of the shift inner flow path or the shift outer flow path, and wherein the first header and the second header are further configured to supply water to a shift heat exchanger side of the water gas shift reactor, wherein the shift heat exchanger side is the opposite one of the shift inner flow path and the shift outer flow path as that of the shift reactor side.

15. The hydrogen production system of claim 14 further comprising:
a reformer reactor;
a first superheater heat exchanger; and
an outer shell, wherein the water gas shift reactor, the reformer reactor, and the first superheater heat exchanger are positioned within the outer shell, and wherein the water gas shift reactor, the first superheater heat exchanger, and the reformer reactor are in fluid communication.

16. The hydrogen production system of claim 15 further comprising:
a plurality of reformer tubes within the reformer reactor; and
a plurality of reformer hubs, wherein at least three of the reformer tubes are directly connected to each of the plurality of reformer hubs, wherein the plurality of reformer tubes and the plurality of reformer hubs form a reformer lattice, and wherein the reformer lattice is connected to a reformer reactor wall at a reformer plurality of discrete locations.

17. The hydrogen production system of claim 14 further comprising:
a plurality of chambers, wherein the water gas shift reactor comprises one of the plurality of chambers;
an outer shell, wherein the plurality of chambers are positioned within the outer shell; and
a plurality of tubes and a plurality of hubs defining a plurality of lattices, where one of the plurality of lattices is within each of the plurality of chambers, and wherein the one of the plurality of lattices is connected to a vessel wall at a plurality of discrete locations within the one of the plurality of chambers that the one of the plurality of lattices is within.

18. The hydrogen production system of claim 17 wherein:
the plurality of shift tubes have a tube thickness; and wherein
the shift reactor wall has a vessel wall thickness that is from about 25 percent less than the tube thickness to about 25 percent greater than the tube thickness.

19. The hydrogen production system of claim 18 wherein the tube thickness is from about 0.02 millimeters to about 0.6 millimeters.

20. A method of producing hydrogen gas, the method comprising the steps of:
producing the hydrogen gas from a liquid fuel in a reformer side of a reformer reactor, wherein the reformer side is defined as one of a reformer inner flow path or a reformer outer flow path, wherein the reformer inner flow path and the reformer outer flow path are defined by a plurality of reformer tubes positioned within the reformer reactor, wherein the plurality of reformer tubes are interconnected to form a lattice, and wherein the plurality of reformer tubes are connected to a reformer reactor wall at a plurality of discrete locations; and
combusting the liquid fuel in a combustor side of the reformer reactor, wherein the combustor side is the opposite of the reformer inner flow path a

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Lo Charles
• Weng Dacong
• Hagh Bijan F
• Loeffelholz David

Classifications

• B01J19/245

  placed in series · CPC title

• C01B2203/1235

  Hydrocarbons · CPC title

• H01M8/0618 Primary

  Reforming processes, e.g. autothermal, partial oxidation or steam reforming · CPC title

• C01B2203/066

  with fuel cells · CPC title

• B01J2219/0002

  Plants assembled from modules joined together · CPC title