Hydrogen generating apparatus, fuel cell system, and methods of operating them

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9979036-B2
Application number	US-201414583149-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 25, 2014
Priority date	Jan 21, 2014
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

A hydrogen generating apparatus includes a reformer generating hydrogen-containing gas through a reforming reaction, a raw material supplier supplying a raw material to the reformer, a reaction gas supplier supplying reaction gas other than the raw material to the reformer, a hydro-desulfurizer removing a sulfur compound in the raw material supplied to the reformer, a recycle flow passage through which part of the hydrogen-containing gas generated by the reformer is supplied to the hydro-desulfurizer, a closing device that closes the recycle flow passage, and a controller that, when stopping operation, closes the closing device and controls the raw material supplier and the reaction gas supplier such that the raw material and the reaction gas are supplied to the reformer, before a temperature of the reformer drops down to a temperature at which deposition of carbon from the raw material on a reformation catalyst disposed inside the reformer is suppressed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hydrogen generating apparatus comprising:
a reformer that generates hydrogen-containing gas through a reforming reaction;
a raw material supplier that supplies a raw material to the reformer;
a reaction gas supplier that supplies reaction gas other than the raw material to the reformer;
a hydro-desulfurizer that removes a sulfur compound in the raw material supplied to the reformer;
a recycle flow passage through which part of the hydrogen-containing gas generated by the reformer is supplied to the hydro-desulfurizer;
a closing device that closes the recycle flow passage; and
a controller configured to, when stopping operation of the hydrogen generating apparatus so that a temperature of the reformer begins to decrease, close the closing device and control the raw material supplier and the reaction gas supplier such that the raw material and the reaction gas other than the raw material are supplied to the reformer, before the temperature of the reformer drops down to a temperature at which deposition of carbon from the raw material on a reformation catalyst disposed inside the reformer is suppressed.

2. The hydrogen generating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the hydro-desulfurizer includes therein a hydrodesulfurization catalyst, the hydrodesulfurization catalyst being a catalyst that adsorptively removes the sulfur compound in the raw material even when the hydrogen-containing gas is not supplied through the recycle flow passage.

3. The hydrogen generating apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an adsorbent desulfurizer that adsorptively removes the sulfur compound in the raw material upstream of the hydro-desulfurizer;
a first material supplying passage through which the raw material supplied to the reformer via the adsorbent desulfurizer and the hydro-desulfurizer flows;
a second material supplying passage through which the raw material supplied to the reformer via the hydro-desulfurizer, but not via the adsorbent desulfurizer, flows; and
a switching device that switches over the first material supplying passage and the second material supplying passage,
wherein, when stopping the operation of the hydrogen generating apparatus, the controller switches over the switching device such that the raw material flows through the first material supplying passage, closes the closing device, and controls the raw material supplier and the reaction gas supplier such that the raw material and the reaction gas other than the raw material are supplied to the reformer, before the temperature of the reformer drops down to the temperature at which deposition of carbon from the raw material on the reformation catalyst disposed inside the reformer is suppressed.

4. The hydrogen generating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, when stopping the operation of the hydrogen generating apparatus, the controller controls the raw material supplier and the reaction gas supplier such that, at least until inside of the hydro-desulfurizer is purged with the raw material, the raw material and the reaction gas other than the raw material are supplied to the reformer, before the temperature of the reformer drops down to the temperature at which deposition of carbon from the raw material on the reformation catalyst disposed inside the reformer is suppressed.

5. The hydrogen generating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, after executing the aforesaid control, when a temperature of the reformation catalyst disposed inside the reformer becomes the temperature at which deposition of carbon from the raw material is suppressed, the controller controls the raw material supplier to purge inside of the reformer with the raw material.

6. A fuel cell system comprising:
the hydrogen generating apparatus of claim 1 ; and
a fuel cell that generates electric power by employing the hydrogen-containing gas supplied from the hydrogen generating apparatus.

7. A fuel cell system comprising:
the hydrogen generating apparatus of claim 5 ; and
a fuel cell that generates electric power by employing the hydrogen-containing gas supplied from the hydrogen generating apparatus,
wherein, when inside of the reformer is purged with the raw material, the raw material having passed through the reformer is supplied to the fuel cell to purge inside of the fuel cell with the raw material.

8. The fuel cell system of claim 6 , further comprising a power conditioner that conditions electric power generated by the fuel cell,
wherein the controller controls the power conditioner such that the fuel cell generates electric power, in a state where, when stopping operation of the fuel cell system, the controller closes the closing device and controls the raw material supplier and the reaction gas supplier such that the raw material and the reaction gas other than the raw material are supplied to the reformer, before the temperature of the reformer drops down to the temperature at which deposition of carbon from the raw material on the reformation catalyst disposed inside the reformer is suppressed.

9. A method for operating a hydrogen generating apparatus, the method comprising:
a step (a) of, when stopping operation of the hydrogen generating apparatus so that a temperature of a reformer begins to decrease, closing a recycle flow passage through which part of hydrogen-containing gas generated in the reformer through a reforming reaction is supplied to a hydro-desulfurizer, and supplying a raw material to the hydro-desulfurizer, before the temperature of the reformer drops down to a temperature at which deposition of carbon from the raw material on a reformation catalyst disposed inside the reformer is suppressed; and
a step (b) of, during execution of the step (a), supplying the raw material having passed through the hydro-desulfurizer and reaction gas other than the raw material to the reformer, and generating the hydrogen-containing gas.

10. The method for operating the hydrogen generating apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the hydro-desulfurizer includes therein a hydrodesulfurization catalyst, the hydrodesulfurization catalyst being a catalyst that adsorptively removes a sulfur compound in the raw material even when the hydrogen-containing gas is not supplied through the recycle flow passage.

11. The method for operating the hydrogen generating apparatus of claim 9 , wherein, in the step (a), the raw material passes through an adsorbent desulfurizer before passing through the hydro-desulfurizer.

12. The method for operating the hydrogen generating apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the step (b) is executed at least until inside of the hydro-desulfurizer is purged with the raw material.

13. The method for operating the hydrogen generating apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising a step (c) of purging inside of the reformer with the raw material when the temperature of the reformer drops down to the temperature or below at which deposition of carbon from the raw material on the reformation catalyst disposed inside the reformer is suppressed, after executing the steps (a) and (b).

14. A method for operating a fuel cell system, the method comprising:
a step (a) of, when stopping operation of the fuel cell system so that a temperature of a reformer begins to decrease, closing a recycle flow passage through which part of hydrogen-containing gas generated in the reformer through a reforming reaction is supplied to a hydro-desulfurizer, and supplying a raw material to the hydro-desulfurizer, before the temperature of the reformer drops down to a temperature at which deposition of carbon from the raw material on a reformation catalyst disposed inside the reformer is suppressed; and
a step (b

Assignees

• Panasonic Corp

Inventors

• Morita Junji
• Yukimasa Akinori
• Ishino Hisanori
• Yoshida Jun
• Fujii Hiroaki

Classifications

• C01B2203/1217

  Alcohols · CPC title

• C01B3/38

  using catalysts · CPC title

• C01B2203/169

  Controlling the feed · CPC title

• C01B2203/0261

  containing a catalytic partial oxidation step [CPO] · CPC title

• C01B2203/1064

  Platinum group metal catalysts · CPC title