Carbon dioxide capturing steam methane reformer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021221693-A1
Application number	US-201716097162-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 28, 2017
Priority date	Apr 29, 2016
Publication date	Jul 22, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

An integrated system for carbon dioxide capture includes a steam methane reformer and a CO2 pump that comprises an anode and a cathode. The cathode is configured to output a first exhaust stream including oxygen and carbon dioxide and the anode is configured to receive a reformed gas from the steam methane reformer and to output a second exhaust stream that includes greater than 95% hydrogen.

First claim

1 . An integrated system for carbon dioxide capture comprising:
a steam methane reformer; and a CO 2 pump comprising an anode and a cathode; wherein the cathode is configured to output a first exhaust stream and the anode is configured to receive a reformed gas from the steam methane reformer and to output a second exhaust stream; wherein the first exhaust stream comprises oxygen and carbon dioxide; and wherein the second exhaust stream comprises greater than 95% hydrogen.

2 . The integrated system of claim 1 , wherein the CO 2 pump comprises a reforming-electrolyzer-purifier system.

3 . The integrated system of claim 1 , wherein the reforming-electrolyzer-purifier system comprises a molten carbonate fuel cell running in reverse.

4 . The integrated system of claim 1 , wherein the reformed gas comprises a natural gas, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and water.

5 . (canceled)

6 . The integrated system of claim 1 , wherein the CO 2 pump is configured to convert the residual methane from the steam methane reformer to hydrogen and to convert the carbon monoxide to hydrogen and carbon dioxide.

7 . The integrated system of claim 1 , wherein the first exhaust stream comprises greater than about 95% of the feed carbon dioxide.

8 . The integrated system of claim 1 , wherein the cathode is configured to output a mixture of carbon dioxide and oxygen in a ratio of between approximately 1:1 and 4:1.

9 . (canceled)

10 . The integrated system of claim 8 , wherein the system further includes a mechanism for transporting the carbon dioxide and oxygen back to the reformer.

11 . The integrated system of claim 1 , wherein the second exhaust stream further comprises residual carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.

12 . The integrated system of claim 11 , further comprising a methanator that is configured to convert the residual carbon monoxide and a portion of the carbon dioxide from the second exhaust stream to a third exhaust stream comprising methane, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide.

13 . The integrated system of claim 12 , further comprising an electrochemical hydrogen compressor that is configured to receive the third exhaust stream from the methanator.

14 . The integrated system of claim 13 , wherein the electrochemical hydrogen compressor is configured to generate pure hydrogen at pressure and an off-gas stream with the residual methane and residual hydrogen.

15 . The integrated system of claim 14 , wherein the system is configured to recycle the off-gas stream to the steam methane reformer.

16 . The integrated system of claim 12 , further comprising a low temperature fuel cell that is configured to receive the third exhaust stream from the methanator and generate power.

17 . A method for capturing carbon dioxide from a reformed gas comprising:
supplying a reformed gas to CO 2 pump; outputting, from the CO 2 pump, a first exhaust stream comprising carbon dioxide and oxygen and a second exhaust stream comprising hydrogen; and transporting the carbon dioxide and oxygen back to the reformer to convert the reformer fuel comprising methane and hydrogen to reformer flue gas comprising carbon dioxide and water.

18 . (canceled)

19 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising sequestering substantially all of the carbon dioxide from the reformer flue gas.

20 . (canceled)

21 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
optionally cooling the second exhaust stream, transporting the cooled second exhaust stream comprising mainly hydrogen to a methanator to generate a third exhaust stream, and transporting the third exhaust stream from the methanator to an electrochemical hydrogen compressor.

22 . (canceled)

23 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising transporting the third exhaust stream from the methanator to an electrochemical hydrogen compressor, separating hydrogen from the residual methane in the electrochemical hydrogen compressor to produce a purified hydrogen stream and increasing the pressure of the purified hydrocarbon.

24 . (canceled)

25 . The method of claim 23 , further comprising increasing the pressure of the purified hydrocarbon and outputting a pure hydrogen gas stream from the electrochemical hydrogen compressor.

26 . The method of claim 25 , wherein the pure hydrogen gas comprises greater than 98% hydrogen.

Assignees

• Fuelcell Energy Inc

Inventors

• Jahnke Fred C

Classifications

• Y02C20/40

  of CO2 · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• C01B32/50 Primary

  Carbon dioxide · CPC title

• C25B9/09

  Fused bath cells · CPC title

• C01B2203/0205

  containing a reforming step · CPC title