US5149600A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Fuel cell electricity generation process
Assignee: PETROLEUM ENERGY CENTER 2-3-22 AZABUDAI A CORP OF JAPAN
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Filing: 1990-12-27
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Granted: 1992-09-22
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Expires: 2010-12-27
Abstract
Abstract The present invention provides an improved fuel cell electricity generationrocess which includes a desulfurizer, an adsorber, a reformer, a shift converter, and a fuel cell wherein reformed gas from the reformer is treated using a non-porous gas separation membrane comprising a polymer in place of the converter at a temperature of 50°-150° C. and a pressure of 2-10 kg/cm 2 to separate carbon monoxide contained in the reformed gas.
Inventors
- 👤 Osamu Yamase
- 👤 Sumio Yoshizawa
- 👤 Tadayuki Miura
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 21:35
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01M; H01M8/00; H01M8/06; H01M8/0662; C; C01; C01B; C01B3/00; C01B3/02; C01B3/32; C01B3/34; C01B3/48; H01M8/0606; H01M8/0612; C01B2203/00; C01B2203/02; C01B2203/0205; C01B2203/0227; C01B2203/0233; C01B2203/0283; C01B2203/0288; C01B2203/04; C01B2203/0405; C01B2203/06; C01B2203/066; C01B2203/08; C01B2203/0805; C01B2203/0811; C01B2203/0816; C01B2203/0822; C01B2203/0827; C01B2203/0866; C01B2203/10; C01B2203/1041; C01B2203/1047; C01B2203/1052; C01B2203/12; C01B2203/1205; C01B2203/1211; C01B2203/1235; C01B2203/1241; C01B2203/1247; C01B2203/1258; C01B2203/1264; C01B2203/127; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E60/00; Y02E60/30; Y02E60/50; Y02P; Y02P20/00; Y02P20/10
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
78 words
An improved fuel cell electricity generation process comprising: providing an apparatus which includes a desulfurizer, an adsorber, a reformer, a non-porous gas separation membrane comprising a polymer, and a fuel cell; using said separation membrane to treat reformed gas from the reformer at a temperature of 50°-150° C. and under a pressure of 2-10 kg/cm 2 to separate carbon monoxide contained in the reformed gas; and feeding gas which permeats through the separation membrane to said fuel cell.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
78 words
An improved fuel cell electricity generation process comprising: providing an apparatus which includes a desulfurizer, an adsorber, a reformer, a non-porous gas separation membrane comprising a polymer, and a fuel cell; using said separation membrane to treat reformed gas from the reformer at a temperature of 50°-150° C. and under a pressure of 2-10 kg/cm 2 to separate carbon monoxide contained in the reformed gas; and feeding gas which permeats through the separation membrane to said fuel cell.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
A process according to claim 1, wherein methanol, natural gas, kerosene, naphtha or LPG is used as a fuel for the fuel cell electricity generation process.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
42 words
A process according to claim 1, wherein a raw material fuel is desulfurized in the desulfurizer using a desulfurizing catalyst at 400° C. or lower, a pressure of 10 kg/cm 2 or lower to reduce sulfur content to 1 ppm or lower.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
A process according to claim 1, wherein in the adsorber the gas from the desulfurizer is treated at a temperature of 400° C. or lower and a pressure of 10 kg/cm 2 or lower.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
A process according to claim 1, wherein the raw material which is fed to the reformer has a specific gravity of 0.4-0.85 and comprises C 1 -C 20 hydrocarbons.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
44 words
A process according to claim 1, wherein conditions in the reformer are a temperature of 700°-850° C., a pressure of at most 10 kg/cm 2 , a molar ratio H 2 O/C of at least 2, and an SV of 0.5-4.0 hr -1 .
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
A process according to claim 6, wherein gas produced in the reformer comprises 65-80 vol % of H 2 , 5-20 vol % of CO, and 5-25 vol % of CO 2 .
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
14 words
A process according to claim 1, wherein the gas separation membrane comprises a polyimide.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1995-09-22 | 1996-03-23 | 1996-09-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-09-22 | 2000-03-23 | 2000-09-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-09-22 | 2004-03-23 | 2004-09-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |