Diesel reforming apparatus having a heat exchanger for higher efficiency steam reforming for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC)

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11618003-B2
Application number	US-202016908977-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2020
Priority date	Jun 23, 2020
Publication date	Apr 4, 2023
Grant date	Apr 4, 2023

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a diesel reformer system comprising: a diesel autothermal reforming unit; a post-reforming unit disposed downstream of the autothermal reforming unit; a heat exchanger disposed downstream of the post-reforming unit; and a desulfurization unit disposed downstream of the heat exchanger.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of diesel reforming comprising:
introducing one or more feed streams to a diesel autothermal reforming unit to at least partially convert the one or more feed streams to a diesel reformate, wherein the one or more feed streams comprising diesel fuel, air, and steam, and wherein the one or more feed streams comprise:
a Steam to Carbon Ratio (SCR) greater than 1, wherein SCR=Steam feed/total Carbon in diesel fuel feed, and
an Oxygen to Carbon Ratio (OCR) less than 1, wherein OCR=O 2 input from air feed/total Carbon in diesel fuel feed;

introducing the diesel reformate to a post-reforming unit disposed downstream of the diesel autothermal reforming unit, wherein the post-reforming unit selectively decomposes low carbon (C 2 -C 5 ) hydrocarbons in the diesel reformate into hydrogen and methane; and
passing post-reforming unit diesel reformate through a heat exchanger disposed downstream of the post-reforming unit and into a desulfurization unit disposed downstream of the heat exchanger, wherein the desulfurization unit removes sulfur compounds from the post-reforming unit diesel reformate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the desulfurization unit has an operating temperature at least 100° C. less than the operating temperature of the diesel autothermal reforming unit.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the diesel reformate comprises syngas.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operating temperature range of the diesel autothermal reforming unit is from 750 to 850° C.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operating temperature range of the desulfurization unit is from 300 to 500° C.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the SCR is from 2 to 3.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the OCR is from 0.6 to 0.8.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the diesel autothermal reforming unit comprises a noble metal catalyst.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the diesel post-reforming unit comprises a noble metal catalyst, a transition metal catalyst, or combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the desulfurization unit comprises a ZnO catalyst.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the diesel autothermal reforming unit, the post-reforming unit, the heat exchanger, and the desulfurization unit are incorporated into a single reactor unit.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein heat transfer amount of the heat exchanger is from 0.75 watts per kelvin (W/K) to 4.0 W/K.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co
• Korea Advanced Inst Sci & Tech

Inventors

• Katikaneni Sai P
• Bae Joongmyeon
• Oh Jiwoo
• BAE Minseok
• Kim Dongyeon

Classifications

• H01M2008/1293

  Fuel cells with solid oxide electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/1246

  the electrolyte consisting of oxides · CPC title

• C01B3/382 Primary

  Processes with two or more reaction steps, of which at least one is catalytic, e.g. steam reforming and partial oxidation · CPC title

• Y02P20/52

  using catalysts, e.g. selective catalysts · CPC title

• C01B2203/0244

  the reforming step being an autothermal reforming step, e.g. secondary reforming processes · CPC title