Fuel-reforming device and fuel-reforming method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12447458-B2
Application number	US-202418596344-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 5, 2024
Priority date	Apr 26, 2019
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

Provided is a fuel-reforming device comprising: an ammonia tank ( 4 ); a reformer ( 5 ) for reforming ammonia and generating high-concentration hydrogen gas having a hydrogen content of at least 99%; a mixing tank ( 7 ) for mixing ammonia and hydrogen for temporary storage; and a control means ( 10 ) for controlling the respective supply amounts of ammonia and high-concentration hydrogen gas that are supplied to the mixing tank ( 7 ). The control means ( 10 ) calculates the combustion rate coefficient C of mixed gas with respect to a reference fuel on the basis of equation (1). Equation (1): S 0 =S H ×C+S A ×(1−C). In equation (1), S 0 is the combustion rate of the reference fuel, S H is the combustion rate of hydrogen, S A is the combustion rate of ammonia, and C is the combustion rate coefficient of mixed gas. In addition, on the basis of equation (2), the control means ( 10 ) determines the volume fractions of ammonia and hydrogen that are supplied to the mixing tank. Equation (2): C=1−exp(−A×M B ). In equation (2), M is the volume fraction of hydrogen in mixed gas, and A and B are constants.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fuel-reforming device to supply a fuel gas containing ammonia and hydrogen to a combustion device, the fuel-reforming device comprising:
an ammonia tank;
a reformer configured to reform ammonia and generate high-concentration hydrogen gas;
a mixing tank configured to temporarily store a mixed gas and supply the mixed gas as a fuel gas to the combustion device, the mixed gas being a mixture of ammonia supplied from the ammonia tank via a first ammonia supply path and the high-concentration hydrogen gas generated in the reformer by reforming ammonia supplied from the ammonia tank to the reformer via a second ammonia supply path separated from the first ammonia supply path; and
a controller configured to control respective supply amounts of the ammonia and the high-concentration hydrogen gas to be supplied to the mixing tank, and to control an amount of the mixed gas to be delivered to the combustion device, based on values of a combustion rate and a high heating value requested by the combustion device.

2. The fuel-reforming device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a high-concentration hydrogen tank disposed between the reformer and the mixing tank.

3. The fuel-reforming device according to claim 1 , wherein the reformer includes:
a plasma reactor vessel configured to decompose the ammonia and turning it into plasma;
a plasma generating power supply; and
a hydrogen separation membrane arranged inside the plasma reactor vessel, the hydrogen separation membrane being configured to separate hydrogen from the plasma of the ammonia and to transmit the hydrogen as the high-concentration hydrogen gas to an outlet on the mixing tank side,
wherein the controller is configured to control a voltage of the plasma generating power supply and an ammonia flow rate from the ammonia tank so as to control a generation amount of the high-concentration hydrogen gas.

4. The fuel-reforming device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to store combustion rates of a reference fuel used in the combustion device, hydrogen, and ammonia, and to calculate a combustion rate coefficient C of the mixed gas with respect to the reference fuel on the basis of equation (1)

S
0

=

S
H

×
C

+

S
A

×

(

1
-
C

)

Equation
⁢

(
1
)

wherein S 0 is the combustion rate of the reference fuel, S H is the combustion rate of hydrogen, S A is the combustion rate of ammonia, and C is the combustion rate coefficient of the mixed gas,
wherein the controller is configured to determine volume fractions of the ammonia and the hydrogen to be supplied to the mixing tank on the basis of equation (2)
C= 1−exp(− A×M B ), and  Equation (2):

wherein M is the volume fraction of hydrogen in mixed gas, A is 6.0, and B is 3.5.

5. A fuel-reforming method for supplying a fuel gas containing ammonia and hydrogen to a combustion device, the fuel-reforming method comprising:
determining mixing fractions of ammonia and hydrogen;
supplying the ammonia from an ammonia tank to a mixing tank via a first ammonia supply path;
supplying the ammonia from the ammonia tank to a reformer via a second ammonia supply path separated from the first ammonia supply path;
reforming the ammonia supplied through the second ammonia supply path in the reformer to generate a high-concentration hydrogen gas;
making mixed gas in the mixing tank by mixing the ammonia via the first ammonia supply path and the high-concentration hydrogen gas; and
supplying the mixed gas to the combustion device, based on values of a combustion rate and a high heating value requested by the combustion device.

6. The fuel-reforming method according to claim 5 , further comprising:
temporarily storing the high-concentration hydrogen gas in a high-concentration hydrogen tank disposed between the reformer and the mixing tank.

7. The fuel-reforming device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the reformer includes a hydrogen separation membrane.

8. A fuel-reforming device to supply a fuel gas containing ammonia and hydrogen to a combustion device, the fuel-reforming device comprising:
an ammonia tank;
a reformer configured to reform ammonia and generate high-concentration hydrogen gas;
a mixing tank configured to temporarily store a mixed gas and supply the mixed gas as a fuel gas to the combustion device, the mixed gas being a mixture of low-concentration hydrogen gas generated by decomposing a part of ammonia supplied from the ammonia tank via a first ammonia supply path and the high-concentration hydrogen gas generated in the reformer by reforming ammonia supplied from the ammonia tank to the reformer via a second ammonia supply path separated from the first ammonia supply path; and
a controller configured to control respective supply amounts of the low-concentration hydrogen gas and the high-concentration hydrogen gas to be supplied to the mixing tank, and to control an amount of the mixed gas to be delivered to the combustion device, based on values of a combustion rate and a high heating value requested by the combustion device.

9. The fuel-reforming device according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a high-concentration hydrogen tank disposed between the reformer and the mixing tank.

10. The fuel-reforming device according to claim 8 , wherein the reformer includes:
a plasma reactor vessel configured to decompose the ammonia and turning it into plasma;
a plasma generating power supply; and
a hydrogen separation membrane arranged inside the plasma reactor vessel, the hydrogen separation membrane being configured to separate hydrogen from the plasma of the ammonia and to transmit the hydrogen as the high-concentration hydrogen gas to an outlet on the mixing tank side,
wherein the controller is configured to control a voltage of the plasma generating power supply and an ammonia flow rate from the ammonia tank so as to control a generation amount of the high-concentration hydrogen gas.

11. The fuel-reforming device according to claim 8 , further comprising:
an ammonia decomposition catalyst reactor that decomposes the ammonia to generate the low-concentration hydrogen gas; and
a low-concentration hydrogen tank that temporarily stores the generated low-concentration hydrogen gas and supplies the low-concentration hydrogen gas to the mixing tank.

12. The fuel-reforming device according to claim 11 , wherein the control

Assignees

• National Univ Corporation Tokai National Higher Education And Research System
• Sawafuji Electric Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kambara Shinji
• Miura Tomonori
• Tanaka Yuya
• Ikeda Tatsuya

Classifications

• F02M27/04

  by electric means, {ionisation, polarisation} or magnetism · CPC title

• F02M21/04 Primary

  Gas-air mixing apparatus · CPC title

• F02M21/023

  Valves; Pressure or flow regulators in the fuel supply or return system · CPC title

• F02M21/0224

  Secondary gaseous fuel storages · CPC title

• F02M21/0209

  Hydrocarbon fuels, e.g. methane or acetylene · CPC title