JP2002308602A - Fuel reforming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten the start-up time of the whole fuel reforming apparatus by accelerating the rising of the temperature of a carbon monoxide removing equipment. SOLUTION: In the fuel reforming apparatus provided with fuel vapor producing means 1, 2 for producing fuel vapor, a reformer 4 for producing a hydrogen enriched gags by the oxidation reaction of the fuel vapor from the fuel vapor producing means with an oxidizing agent and a carbon monoxide removing equipment 6 for decreasing carbon monoxide contained in the hydrogen enriched gas by the oxidation reaction with the oxidizing agent successively in series, a control means for starting the oxidation reaction in the carbon monoxide removing equipment 6 at first at the time of starting-up, and after that, starting the oxidation reaction in the reformer 4 is provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fuel reforming apparatus, and more particularly, to a startup operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A method for starting a carbon monoxide remover constituting a part of a fuel reformer is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-133701. In this apparatus, when a fuel reforming apparatus is started, first, fuel vapor is generated by a fuel vapor generating means, and the fuel vapor is introduced into a reformer to generate a hydrogen-rich gas. Next, an excess amount of an oxidizing agent is mixed with the hydrogen-rich gas and introduced into a carbon monoxide remover. Thereby, in the carbon monoxide remover, the oxidation reaction of hydrogen is promoted in parallel with the progress of the oxidation reaction of carbon monoxide, and the heat of the reaction raises the temperature of the carbon monoxide remover.

[0003]

The hydrogen-rich gas produced by reforming the fuel contains carbon monoxide. However, immediately after starting, the reforming catalyst (which is used in the reformer) is used. When the temperature of the catalyst is low, the concentration of carbon monoxide in the hydrogen-rich gas immediately after the start of startup becomes higher than in normal operation because carbon monoxide cannot be sufficiently reduced. For example, when methanol is used as fuel,
%.

On the other hand, a carbon monoxide removal catalyst (a catalyst used in a carbon monoxide remover) is designed so that carbon monoxide is easily adsorbed in order to selectively oxidize carbon monoxide. When the temperature of the carbon monoxide removal catalyst is low, the rate of the reaction involving carbon monoxide is low. Therefore, the surface of the catalyst covered with carbon monoxide which does not react when the temperature of the carbon monoxide removing catalyst is low is increased.

As described above, the following phenomena occur when the fuel reforming apparatus is started. First, the high concentration of carbon monoxide in the hydrogen-rich gas is adsorbed on the low-temperature carbon monoxide removal catalyst,
The catalyst surface is covered without being reacted. As a result, the frequency of the oxidizing agent colliding with the catalyst surface decreases, so that the progress of the oxidation reaction is slowed. As a result, there is a problem that the temperature rise of the carbon monoxide remover is delayed.

Therefore, the present invention hastens the temperature rise of the carbon monoxide remover by starting the oxidation reaction in the carbon monoxide remover at the time of start-up and then starting the oxidation reaction in the reformer. An object of the present invention is to reduce the time required to start the entire fuel reformer.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fuel vapor generating means for generating fuel vapor, and a reforming method for generating a hydrogen-rich gas by an oxidation reaction between the fuel vapor from the fuel vapor generating means and an oxidizing agent. And a carbon monoxide remover that reduces carbon monoxide contained in the hydrogen-rich gas by an oxidation reaction with an oxidizing agent in series in this order. Control means is provided to start the oxidation reaction first and then start the oxidation reaction in the reformer.

[0008] In the second invention, the reactants of the oxidation reaction in the carbon monoxide remover at the time of startup in the first invention are fuel vapor and an oxidant.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the means for supplying the fuel vapor and the oxidant to the carbon monoxide remover is characterized in that the fuel vapor from the fuel vapor generating means does not cause an oxidation reaction in the reformer. Means for mixing the oxidizing agent after flowing out through the carbon monoxide remover.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the fuel vapor generating means includes a combustor for generating a high-temperature gas by an oxidation reaction between the fuel and an oxidant, and a fuel vapor generated by vaporizing the fuel with the high-temperature gas. When the carburetor comprises a carburetor, the ratio between the fuel flow rate and the air flow rate is set such that the combustion atmosphere of the fuel in the combustor becomes a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio or slightly leaner.

According to a fifth aspect, in the second aspect, a first flow path connecting the fuel vapor generating means and the reformer, a second flow path connecting the reformer and the carbon monoxide remover, A bypass that branches off from the first flow path and bypasses the reformer and joins the second flow path; and a flow path through which the fuel vapor flows from the fuel vapor generation means flows through the bypass path and the flow path that passes through the reformer. Means for selectively switching the flow path, wherein the means for supplying the fuel vapor and the oxidant to the carbon monoxide remover switches the flow path to the bypass path using the flow path switching means, and the switched flow path This is means for mixing the oxidant after flowing the fuel vapor from the fuel vapor generation means through the bypass passage, and flowing the mixed oxidant into the carbon monoxide remover.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, there is provided a means for measuring a time from the start of the start, and the oxidation reaction in the reformer is performed based on the measured time. Control when it starts.

According to a seventh aspect, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, there is provided means for detecting the temperature of the carbon monoxide remover, and the oxidation in the reformer is performed based on the detected temperature. Control when the reaction starts.

[0014]

According to the present invention, if a hydrogen-rich gas containing carbon monoxide is introduced from the reformer to the carbon monoxide remover before the carbon monoxide removal catalyst is activated, the carbon monoxide is deposited on the catalyst surface. Although the catalyst surface is adsorbed and unreacted, it covers the catalyst surface. However, according to the first invention, before the carbon monoxide flows out by the oxidation reaction in the reformer, the carbon monoxide remover is removed. As the oxidation reaction starts, the temperature of the carbon monoxide remover rises first, and the frequency of the oxidant colliding with the catalyst surface increases (the carbon monoxide removal catalyst becomes activated). As a result, even if the oxidation reaction in the reformer is started with a delay and the carbon monoxide generated in the reformer flows into the carbon monoxide remover, the frequency of the oxidant colliding with the catalyst surface is likely to increase. Since the progress of the oxidation reaction is accelerated, carbon monoxide can be oxidized with good reaction. As a result, it is possible to avoid a situation in which carbon monoxide is adsorbed on the catalyst surface and cover the catalyst surface in an unreacted state, and it is possible to raise the temperature of the carbon monoxide remover faster than in the conventional technology, The starting time of the reformer can be shortened.

If the reactant of the oxidation reaction in the carbon monoxide remover at the time of start-up is composed of fuel vapor and an oxidizing agent, the existing fuel vapor generating means can be used for the generation of fuel vapor. According to the invention, the configuration of the fuel reformer can be simplified.

According to the third and fourth aspects of the present invention, it is only necessary to change the operation method at the time of startup while keeping the existing device configuration in the prior art, so that there is no need to change the existing device configuration.

According to the fifth aspect, the fuel vapor from the fuel vapor generating means flows into the carbon monoxide remover via the bypass. Since the bypass is merely a pipe and has a smaller heat capacity than the reformer, the temperature drop of the fuel vapor flowing into the carbon monoxide remover is smaller than when the fuel vapor flows through the reformer. In other words, the higher the temperature of the fuel vapor, the higher the reaction rate and the faster the oxidation reaction. Therefore, according to the fifth aspect, the temperature of the carbon monoxide remover is higher than when the fuel vapor flows through the reformer. Can be further accelerated.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, sequential control based on the time from the start of activation is sufficient, so that control is simple.

In the case of the sequential control based on the time from the start of the start, if the temperature of the carbon monoxide remover is already high before the start of the fuel reforming apparatus (the fuel reforming is performed immediately after the operation of the fuel reforming apparatus is stopped). The time to start the reaction of the reformer also becomes the same as the time of the cold start when the apparatus is started), but according to the seventh invention, the carbon monoxide removal is performed before the start of the fuel reformer. When the temperature of the reformer is already high, the timing of starting the reaction of the reformer can be advanced.

[0020]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a first embodiment of the fuel reformer. The fuel reformer includes a reaction section in which a chemical reaction occurs, a fuel supply system for supplying methanol as fuel to the reaction section, It consists of three parts of an air supply system that supplies air as an oxidant to the reaction part, and details of each part are as follows. First, the reaction section is composed of a combustor 1, a vaporizer 2, a reformer 4, a carbon monoxide remover 6, and flow paths 3, 5, 7, and 8 connecting these in series. Is provided with a mechanism (flow path 28 and shut-off valves 29, 30) for flowing gas to a combustor / evaporator (not shown) and flowing to a fuel cell stack after transition to normal operation. The fuel supply system includes a methanol pump 9 and a fuel supply passage 1
The air supply system opens and closes the air compressor 14, the air supply passages 15, 17, and 19 from the injectors 0 and 12 and the injectors 11 and 13.
In the opened state, it is constituted by valves 16, 18 and 20 for adjusting the air flow rate to the combustor 1, the reformer 4 and the carbon monoxide remover 6.

Here, the operation method of the fuel reformer during normal operation will be briefly described. In this state, the operations of the combustor 1 and the carburetor 2 are stopped.

The high-temperature gas generated in the combustor (not shown) introduces methanol vapor and water vapor vaporized in the evaporator (not shown) into the flow path 5 through the flow path 21, and the air metered by the valve 18 here. Mixed with. In the reformer 4 into which the mixed methanol vapor, water vapor, and air flow, a reaction described below occurs on Cu / ZnO, which is a reforming catalyst, to generate a hydrogen-rich gas and flow out to the flow path 7.

2CH ₃ OH + O ₂ → 2CO ₂ + 4H ₂ (1) CH ₃ OH + H ₂ O → CO ₂ + 3H ₂ (2) At this time, since the following reaction is also proceeding, carbon monoxide CO is contained in the hydrogen-rich gas. Is contained, for example, at about 1%.

CH ₃ OH → CO + 2H ₂ (3) In order to reduce the concentration of carbon monoxide, air metered by the valve 20 is mixed with the hydrogen-rich gas from the reformer 4 to remove carbon monoxide. It is led to the vessel 6. In the carbon monoxide remover 6, Pt / Ru / A which is a carbon monoxide removal catalyst is used.
When the following reaction occurs in l ₂ O ₃ , the concentration of carbon monoxide in the hydrogen-rich gas is reduced to, for example, about 40 ppm or less and flows out to the flow channel 8.

2CO + O ₂ → 2CO ₂ (4) Then, the hydrogen-rich gas having a reduced carbon monoxide concentration is led to a fuel cell stack (not shown). At this time, one of the shut-off valves 29 is open, and the other
Is closed.

The operation is performed as described above. However, when starting in a cold state different from the normal operation, the reformer 4 and the carbon monoxide remover 6 are in a low temperature state, and each catalyst is in an inactive state. In order to activate the catalyst, the operation of the fuel vapor generation means including the combustor 1 and the carburetor 2 and the operation of the valve 1
The opening and closing control of 8, 20 is performed by sequential control based on the time from the start of activation. The sequential control will be described in time series below.

Before the start of the operation, the methanol pump 9 and the air compressor 14 are in an operation stop state, and the injectors 11, 13 and the valves 16, 18, 20 and the shut-off valve 2
9 and 30 are all in the fully closed state. The glow plug 22 is also in a non-energized state.

At the start of operation, the methanol pump 9 and the air compressor 14 are driven to start pumping methanol to the injector 11 and air to the valve 16, and start energizing the glow plug 22 to heat the glow plug 22.
When the injector 11, the valve 16, and the shut-off valve 30 are opened at the same time or after a predetermined time, methanol is atomized by the injector 11 and injected into the combustor 1, and the methanol is introduced through the valve 16. It is ignited by the glow plug 22 and burns in the presence of oxygen in the air. The high-temperature gas generated by the combustion of the methanol flows into the vaporizer 2 via the flow path 3.

In this case, unlike the prior art, the combustor 1
The injector 11 is controlled so that the combustion atmosphere of methanol in the fuel tank is at a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio or slightly leaner.
The ratio of the air flow rate to the fuel flow rate is adjusted by the valve 16 (the opening of the valve 16 is set). Therefore, the high-temperature gas from the combustor 1 contains little or no oxygen in the high-temperature gas, and the composition of the gas is reduced to water vapor, carbon dioxide, and unburned nitrogen generated by the combustion of methanol. Become.

Methanol pumped from the methanol pump 9 is atomized and injected into the vaporizer 2 by the injector 13, and is atomized by the thermal energy of the high-temperature gas introduced from the flow path 3 in the vaporizer 2. The vaporization of methanol is promoted, and methanol vapor is generated. Then, a gas obtained by mixing a high-temperature gas containing water vapor, nitrogen and carbon dioxide as main components with respect to the methanol vapor flows out of the vaporizer 2 and is introduced into the reformer 4 through the flow path 5. You.

This mixed gas introduced into the reformer 4 does not contain oxygen as described above, and has a very small amount. At the beginning of the startup, unlike the prior art, the valve 18 is in the fully closed position. Thus, since the air is not introduced into the reformer 4, the reaction represented by the chemical reaction formula (1) hardly occurs. On the other hand, since the thermal energy of the mixed gas flowing out of the vaporizer 2 is consumed for raising the temperature of the catalyst layer of the reformer 4, almost all of the reaction represented by the chemical formulas (2) and (3) of the endothermic reaction occurs. Nothing. Therefore, the mixed gas that has flowed into the reformer 4 flows out of the flow path 7 with its mixed composition and flows into the carbon monoxide remover 6.

When the valve 20 is opened first at t1 when a predetermined time has elapsed since the operation of the combustor 1 was started (see FIG. 2),
Air measured by the valve 20 is mixed with the mixed gas, and the air mixed gas flows into the carbon monoxide remover 6. After the valve 20 is opened, the presence of oxygen in the air flowing from the valve 20 causes the carbon monoxide remover 4 to generate methanol and oxygen contained in the air-mixed gas as reactants even at a low temperature. Since the reaction easily occurs, the temperature of the carbon monoxide remover 6 rises quickly.

2CH ₃ OH + 3O ₂ → 2CO ₂ + 4H ₂ O (5) After the temperature of the carbon monoxide remover 4 is continued for a while, the valve 18 is opened. That is, at time t3 when a predetermined time has elapsed from the opening of the valve 20, the valve 18 is opened later than the valve 20 (see FIG. 2). When the mixed gas flowing out of the vaporizer 2 is mixed with air by opening the valve 18, and the air mixed gas flows into the reformer 4, the exothermic reaction mainly represented by the chemical reaction formula (1) occurs. Progress,
The temperature rise of the reformer 4 is started.

Thereafter, in the carbon monoxide remover 6, the above chemical reaction formula (4) and the following reaction mainly proceed, and the temperature is further increased.

2H ₂ + O ₂ → 2H ₂ O (6) Then, when an evaporator (not shown) is in a state where methanol and water can be sufficiently vaporized, the vapor is supplied to the flow path 5. To stop the operation of the combustor 1 and the carburetor 2 (the injectors 11 and 13 and the valve 16 are fully closed, and the power supply to the glow plug 22 is cut off).

In the present embodiment, whether or not the evaporator (not shown) can sufficiently evaporate methanol and water is also determined based on the time from the start of startup. In other words, when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the startup, it is determined that the evaporator (not shown) is in a state where it can sufficiently vaporize methanol and water. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and the temperature of the combustion gas at the evaporator outlet (not shown) may be detected and detected by a sensor.

At the start of startup, the shutoff valve 29 is closed and the shutoff valve 30 is opened as described above. Therefore, immediately after the start of startup, the catalyst for removing monoxide is in an inactive state, and the catalyst for removing carbon monoxide is removed. The reformed gas in a state where the carbon monoxide concentration in the reformed gas from the reactor 6 has not been reduced to a predetermined value (for example, 40 ppm) or less is introduced into a combustor (not shown) without being supplied to the fuel cell stack. Is done.

On the other hand, when the temperature of the reformer 4 and the carbon monoxide remover 6 is sufficiently increased, the concentration of carbon monoxide in the reformed gas flowing out of the carbon monoxide remover 6 is reduced to 40 ppm or less ( That is, when it is determined that the carbon monoxide removal catalyst has been activated), the shutoff valve 29 is opened and the shutoff valve 30 is closed to supply the reformed gas having the carbon monoxide concentration reduced to 40 ppm or less to the fuel cell stack. This causes a transition to normal operation.

In this case, the determination as to whether the carbon monoxide concentration has been reduced to 40 ppm or less is also made based on the elapsed time from the start of activation. That is, it is determined that the carbon monoxide concentration in the reformed gas from the carbon monoxide remover 6 has been reduced to 40 ppm or less at t4 when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the startup (see FIG. 2). Not limited to this, carbon monoxide remover 6
The sensor may detect and determine the concentration of carbon monoxide at the outlet.

FIG. 2 shows a comparison of the starting time of the fuel reformer between the present embodiment and the prior art. The start-up time of the fuel reforming device is from the start of the start-up until the concentration of carbon monoxide in the reformed gas flowing out of the carbon monoxide remover 6 becomes 40 ppm or less and the reformed gas can be introduced into the fuel cell stack. It's time.

The structure of a conventional fuel reformer is also shown in FIG.
Is almost the same as However, the order in which the valves 18 and 20 are opened is different from the present embodiment. By opening the valve 18 first as shown in the figure, a hydrogen-rich gas is first generated in the reformer 4, and this is reacted with oxygen in the air. The temperature of the carbon monoxide remover 6 is raised by utilizing the reactions shown in the chemical reaction formulas (4) and (6). However, immediately after startup, when the reforming catalyst is at a low temperature, the reformer 4
Cannot sufficiently reduce carbon monoxide, the concentration of carbon monoxide in the hydrogen-rich gas is higher than normal, for example, 3
%. Since this gas is also at a low temperature, the carbon monoxide removing catalyst is in an inactivated state.
When flowing into the catalyst, carbon monoxide is adsorbed by the catalyst and covers the surface of the catalyst without reacting. As a result, the frequency of collision of oxygen with the catalyst surface decreases, so that the progress of the reaction represented by the chemical reaction formulas (4) and (6) is slowed down.

On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the valve 20 is opened first and the temperature rise of the carbon monoxide remover 6 is prioritized. As a result, the start-up time of the entire fuel reformer was reduced from t5 to t4 as shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the fuel reforming apparatus according to the second embodiment. The same parts as those in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that
A bypass 23 is provided which branches off from the flow path 5 and bypasses the reformer 4 and joins the flow path 7. The bypass 23 and the flow path 7 upstream of the point where the bypass 23 joins are normally closed. This is provided with shutoff valves 24 and 25 interposed. The two shutoff valves 24 and 25 are for switching the gas flow to the bypass passage 23 and the gas flow to the reformer 4, and may have another configuration as long as the flow passage can be switched. For example, a three-way valve may be installed at a junction or a junction of the bypass passage 23.

An operation method of the fuel reformer according to the second embodiment at the time of startup will be described.

The process is the same as that of the first embodiment up to the step in which the mixed gas containing methanol vapor, water vapor, nitrogen and carbon dioxide as main components flows out of the vaporizer 2 into the flow path 5. At the start of startup, the shutoff valve 24 is opened and the shutoff valve 25 is fully closed.
Therefore, at the beginning of the startup, the mixed gas from the vaporizer 2 does not flow into the reformer 4 but flows into the carbon monoxide remover 6 via the bypass passage 23. After that, when the valve 20 is opened and the air is mixed with the above-mentioned mixed gas, the temperature rise is started in the carbon monoxide remover 6 into which the air mixed gas flows, and the temperature is raised to a certain degree. Then, the shutoff valve 24 is switched to the fully closed position and the shutoff valve 25 is switched to the open position, and the valve 18 is opened. Air is mixed with the mixed gas from the vaporizer 2 and flows into the reformer 4. As a result, an exothermic reaction proceeds in the reformer 4, and the temperature of the reformer 4 rises. The subsequent operation is the same as in the first embodiment.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the mixed gas first flows into the carbon monoxide remover 6 bypassing the reformer 4. Since the bypass 23 is a simple pipe and has a smaller heat capacity than the reformer 4, the mixed gas flows into the carbon monoxide remover 6 through the reformer 4 as compared with the first embodiment. The temperature drop of the mixed gas flowing into the carbon oxide remover 6 is reduced. That is, in the second embodiment in which the temperature of the mixed gas flowing into the carbon monoxide remover 6 is higher, the reaction speed in the carbon monoxide remover 6 is higher, and the progress of the oxidation reaction is faster. According to this, the temperature of the carbon monoxide removal catalyst 6 can be increased more quickly than in the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the fuel reforming apparatus according to the third embodiment. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In the first embodiment, whether or not the temperature of the carbon monoxide remover 6 has risen to a certain degree is determined based on the elapsed time from the start of activation. The temperature is detected by the sensor 26 and the controller 27 determines whether or not the temperature of the carbon monoxide remover 6 has risen to a certain degree based on the detected temperature, and determines that the temperature of the carbon monoxide remover 6 has risen to a certain degree. When this is done, the valve 18 is opened.

The control performed by the controller 27 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. However, other than the valve 18, the sequential control is performed based on the time from the start of the activation as in the first embodiment. Therefore, only the driving of the valve 18 is described in FIG. 5 is started after the valve 20 is opened. It should be noted that parts other than the valve 18 will be described as needed.

First, at S1, it is checked whether the valve 20 is open. If the valve 20 is open, air is mixed with the mixed gas and flows into the carbon monoxide remover 6, and the temperature of the carbon monoxide remover 6 rises due to the oxidation reaction.
Proceed to the following.

In step S2, the temperature T0 of the carbon monoxide remover 6 detected by the sensor 26 is read, and is read from a predetermined value T.
And 1 in S3. At low temperatures, a high concentration of carbon monoxide in the hydrogen-rich gas may be adsorbed on the carbon monoxide removal catalyst and cover the catalyst surface without reacting. The predetermined value T1 is a temperature at which such a situation does not occur. For example, 60 ° C. If T0 is equal to or less than T1, the process returns to S2.

When T0 exceeds T1, the routine proceeds to S4, where the valve 1
Open 8. As a result, air is mixed with the mixed gas from the vaporizer 2 and flows into the reformer 4 to be oxidized.
Temperature rises. Then, the hydrogen-rich gas flows out of the reformer 4 and is oxidized in the carbon monoxide remover 6 to keep the temperature of the carbon monoxide remover 6 raised. Thereafter, when an evaporator (not shown) is in a state where methanol and water can be sufficiently vaporized, the vapor is supplied to the flow path 5 and the operation of the combustor 1 and the vaporizer 2 is stopped.

In S5, the temperature T0 of the carbon monoxide remover 6 is read, and this is compared with a predetermined value T2 in S6. The predetermined value T2 indicates that the concentration of carbon monoxide in the hydrogen-rich gas is 40, for example.
The temperature which can be reduced to ppm or less (the temperature at which the carbon monoxide removal catalyst is activated) is, for example, 150 ° C. T0 is T2
If not, the process returns to S5. If T0 exceeds T2, it is determined that the carbon monoxide removal catalyst has been activated, and the flow in FIG. 5 ends. Subsequent operations are the same as in the first embodiment.

As described above, in the third embodiment, it is determined whether or not the carbon monoxide removal catalyst has been activated based on the temperature of the carbon monoxide remover 6, so that it is particularly necessary to restart the fuel reformer when it is restarted. When the temperature of the carbon monoxide remover 6 before the start is different from that at the time of cold and is already high, the time to start the reaction of the reformer 4 can be advanced, thereby starting the fuel reformer. Time can be reduced.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the fuel reforming apparatus according to the fourth embodiment, and the same parts as those in the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In the fourth embodiment, similarly to the third embodiment, the temperature of the carbon monoxide remover 6 is detected by the sensor 26, and the controller 31 controls the valve 1 based on the detected temperature.
8 as well as shutoff valves 24 and 25
Is opened and closed by the controller 31. For this reason, when the content of control performed by the controller 31 is shown as a flowchart in FIG. 7, it is almost the same as in the third embodiment as can be seen by comparing with the flowchart in FIG. 5 of the third embodiment. Switching the gas flow at the opening timing (shutoff valve 2
5 and the shut-off valve 24 is closed). In the fourth embodiment, the same operation and effect as in the third embodiment are produced.

In the first and second embodiments, the sequential control based on the time from the start of activation has been described. However, as in the third and fourth embodiments, a controller is provided, and a sequential function is provided by using a timer function provided in the controller. Control may be performed.

In the third embodiment, a case has been described in which the temperature of the carbon monoxide remover 6 is detected by a sensor and whether or not the carbon monoxide removal catalyst has been activated is determined based on the detected value. The concentration of carbon monoxide at the outlet of the remover 6 may be detected by a sensor, and whether the carbon monoxide removal catalyst has been activated may be determined based on the detected value.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a characteristic diagram showing a comparison of a startup time between the first embodiment and the related art.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a third embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a control method according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a control method according to a fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Combustor 2 Vaporizer 3, 5, 7, 8 Flow path 4 Reformer 6 Carbon monoxide remover 9 Methanol pump 14 Air compressor 18, 20 Valve 23 Bypass path 24, 25 Shutoff valve 26 Temperature sensor 27, 31 Controller

Continued on the front page F term (reference) 4G040 EA02 EA06 EA07 EB03 EB31 EB43 4G140 EA02 EA06 EA07 EB03 EB31 EB43 5H027 AA02 BA01 BA16 BA17 KK21 KK42 MM12 MM13

Claims (7)

[Claims] A fuel vapor generating means for generating fuel vapor; a reformer for generating a hydrogen-rich gas by an oxidation reaction between the fuel vapor from the fuel vapor generating means and an oxidizing agent; In a fuel reformer equipped with a carbon monoxide remover that reduces carbon oxides by an oxidation reaction with an oxidant in series in this order, the oxidation reaction in the carbon monoxide remover is started first at startup, and then A fuel reformer comprising a control unit for starting an oxidation reaction in a reformer. 2. The fuel reformer according to claim 1, wherein the reactants of the oxidation reaction in the carbon monoxide remover at the time of startup are fuel vapor and an oxidant. 3. The means for supplying a fuel vapor and an oxidant to a carbon monoxide remover is characterized in that the fuel vapor from the fuel vapor generating means flows out through a reformer without causing an oxidation reaction, and then the oxidant is discharged. 3. A fuel reforming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said means is a means for mixing and flowing the mixture into a carbon monoxide remover. 4. A fuel vapor generating means comprising: a combustor that generates a high-temperature gas by an oxidation reaction between a fuel and an oxidant; and a vaporizer that vaporizes the fuel with the high-temperature gas to produce a fuel vapor. 4. The ratio between the fuel flow rate and the air flow rate is set so that the combustion atmosphere of the fuel in the combustor is at or slightly leaner than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio.
A fuel reforming apparatus according to claim 1. 5. A first connection between a fuel vapor generating means and a reformer.
A flow path, a second flow path connecting the reformer and the carbon monoxide remover, a bypass branching off from the first flow path, bypassing the reformer and joining the second flow path, Flow path switching means for selectively switching a flow path of fuel vapor from the generation means between a bypass path and a flow path passing through a reformer, and a means for supplying fuel vapor and an oxidant to the carbon monoxide remover However, the flow path is switched to the bypass path side using the flow path switching means, and after the fuel vapor from the fuel vapor generation means flows through the bypass path which is the switched flow path, the oxidizing agent is mixed and the oxidation is performed. 3. A means for flowing into a carbon remover.
The fuel reforming apparatus according to claim 1. 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for measuring a time from the start of the start, and controlling a timing of starting an oxidation reaction in the reformer based on the measured time.
6. The fuel reformer according to any one of items 1 to 5. 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for detecting a temperature of the carbon monoxide remover, wherein a timing for starting an oxidation reaction in the reformer is controlled based on the detected temperature. 6. The fuel reforming apparatus according to any one of 6 to 6.