JP2007254163A - Fuel treatment device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To more facilitate the maintenance and check works of a burner. <P>SOLUTION: The burner 19a is disposed in the center of a base plate 46 at the bottom of a vacuum heat insulating container 20, and a combustion gas duct 48 extending close to the ceiling of the container is disposed above the burner. A heat insulating material 51 and a cylindrical air passage forming device 52 are coaxially disposed around a lower region of the combustion gas duct 48. The air passage forming device 52 is configured to allow air 30 supplied from the outside of the container to flow inside to be supplied to the burner 19a. A reformer 5 is disposed in an upper region of the combustion gas passage 54 in the outer periphery in an upper region of the combustion gas duct 48. A low temperature shift converter 6 and a CO selective oxidization reactor 7 are disposed in a lower region of the combustion gas passage 54 in the outer periphery of the air passage forming device 52 where influences of heat from a combustion gas 41 passing through the combustion gas duct 48 are prevented by the heat insulating effect of the heat insulating material 51 and the heat exchanging effect of air 30 passing through the air passage forming device 52. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel processing apparatus that performs a reforming process using city gas, LPG, or the like as a raw material (raw fuel), and generates a hydrogen-rich reformed gas (fuel gas) to be supplied to a fuel cell.

  A fuel cell is expected to be an effective power generation device because it has higher thermal efficiency and less environmental pollution than other power generation methods using fuel. In particular, the polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) generates power at a low temperature of 100 ° C. or lower, and has a high output density. Therefore, the polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) can be reduced in size as compared with other types of fuel cells. In recent years, it has been used as a power generator for small-scale business use or home use because it has advantages such as little deterioration and easy start-up.

  A general configuration of a power generation device (PEFC power generation device) using the polymer electrolyte fuel cell is as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, both surfaces of a solid polymer electrolyte membrane in which a fluorine ion exchange membrane is used as an electrolyte are sandwiched by both gas diffusion electrodes of a cathode (air electrode) 2 and an anode (fuel electrode) 3. The solid polymer fuel cell 1 is formed by stacking the cells formed through a separator (not shown) as a stack. On the inlet side of the anode 3 in the polymer electrolyte fuel cell 1, a fuel processor 4 comprising a reformer 5, a low temperature shift converter 6, a CO selective oxidation reactor (CO remover) 7 in this order, and a humidification A vessel 8 is provided. Thereby, after desulfurizing the raw material (raw fuel) 9 such as city gas (natural gas) and LPG supplied from the fuel supply unit by the desulfurizer 10, the raw material preheater (raw fuel vaporizer) 11 preheats it. Then, it is supplied to the fuel processor 4 together with the steam 13 guided from the water evaporator 12 and heated to about 700 ° C. in the reformer 5 of the fuel processor 4 to perform steam reforming. The resulting reformed gas (fuel gas) 14 is guided to the low-temperature shift converter 6 to be lowered to about 200 to 250 ° C. for a shift reaction, and further in the CO selective oxidation reactor 7 about 100 to 120 ° C. The CO is removed by lowering the temperature to the front and back. Thereafter, the reformed gas 14 delivered from the fuel processing device 4 is humidified by the humidifier 8 and then supplied to the anode 3 of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell 1. On the other hand, air 15 as an oxidizing gas is supplied to the inlet side of the cathode 2 after being compressed by a compressor (air blower) 16 and then passed through the humidifier 8.

  With this configuration, in the polymer electrolyte fuel cell 1, hydrogen in the reformed gas 14 supplied to the anode 3 side and oxygen in the air 15 supplied to the cathode 2 side are electrochemically converted. Reaction (fuel cell reaction) is performed, and the electromotive force generated at this time is taken out.

  After the fuel cell reaction by the polymer electrolyte fuel cell 1, unreacted hydrogen remains in the anode offgas 17 discharged from the outlet of the anode 3. For this purpose, the anode off-gas 17 is introduced into a burner (not shown) attached to the reformer 5 of the fuel processor 4 and burned, and steam reforming which is an endothermic reaction in the reforming chamber of the reformer 5. It is used as a heat source for advancing the quality reaction.

  Further, in view of the small calorific value of the anode off-gas 17, a part of the raw material 9 such as city gas and LPG supplied from the fuel supply unit is used as the fuel 9 a for the burner of the fuel processing device 4. By supplying and burning, when the fuel processor 4 is operated and steam reforming of the raw material 9 is performed in the reformer 5, the amount of heat that is insufficient only by the calorific value of the anode offgas 17 is compensated. It is.

  On the other hand, when the fuel processor 4 is started, before the raw material 9 is supplied to the reformer 5, it is necessary to raise the temperature of the reformer 5 to a required temperature in advance. Further, since the polymer electrolyte fuel cell 1 is not yet started, the anode off gas 17 is not supplied to the burner of the fuel processing device 4. Therefore, when the fuel processor 4 is started up, only the refueling fuel 9a such as the city gas or LPG is supplied as the combustion fuel to the burner of the fuel processor 4 and burned. Reference numeral 18 denotes a cooling unit in the polymer electrolyte fuel cell 1.

  By the way, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the fuel processor 4 including the reformer 5, the shift converter 6 and the CO selective oxidation reactor 7 includes the reformer 5, the shift converter 6 and the CO selective oxidation. By arranging the reactor 7 in series in the vertical direction, the thermal elongation in the axial direction can be alleviated, and the burner 19, the water evaporator 12, the raw material preheater 11 and the like related to the reformer 5 are 1 Conventionally, a type that is organized into one unit has been proposed.

  That is, the unitized fuel processor 4 includes a vacuum heat insulation container 20 having a vacuum heat insulation layer 20c between a container inner cylinder 20a and a container outer cylinder 20b having a required height and closed at the upper end. The upper end portion of the base outer cylinder 22 provided on the upper side of the outer peripheral edge portion of the base plate 21 is connected to the lower end portion of the base plate 21 in an airtight manner. At the center of the base plate 21, a base inner cylinder 23 is provided that rises to the vicinity of the middle portion in the vertical direction of the vacuum heat insulating container 20. A burner (combustion device) 19 is provided inside the upper end of the base inner cylinder 23. is there.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the burner 19 is formed as a hollow cylinder having a burner cone 24 formed with a plurality of air blowing holes 25 in the vertical direction at a circumferentially required interval portion of the peripheral wall, and an upper end of the base inner cylinder 23. It is arranged concentrically on the inner side, and between the upper ends of the base inner cylinder 23 and the burner cone 24 is closed by a ring-shaped closing plate 26, and the lower end of the burner cone 24 is a bottom plate (blocking plate) 27. The air 30 supplied from the lower end side to the inside of the base inner cylinder 23 through the duct 29 from the air supply pipe 28 shown in FIG. 5 passes through the inside of the base inner cylinder 23 and the outer periphery of the burner cone 24. After being guided to the side, the air can be supplied to the inside of the burner cone 24 through the air blowing holes 25.

  At the center of the burner cone 24, a crown tower 31 is disposed in a core shape with a predetermined gap from the bottom plate 27. Furthermore, an anode offgas supply pipe (fuel gas supply pipe) 33 having a lower end connected to a fuel gas connection seat 32 provided on the lower side of the base inner cylinder 23 and connected to an anode offgas pipe (not shown), The anode off-gas supply pipe 33 is inserted into and communicated with the inside of the base inner cylinder 23 and penetrates through the center of the bottom plate 27 of the burner cone 24. Further, at a position closer to the upper portion of the anode offgas supply pipe 33, a tip end portion of a refueling fuel supply pipe 34 inserted into the anode offgas supply pipe 33 through a side wall portion in the middle of the anode offgas supply pipe 33. (Upper end part) is stored concentrically. Thus, during normal operation of the fuel processing apparatus, the anode offgas 17 supplied through the anode offgas supply pipe 33 after passing through the anode offgas pipe and the fuel gas connection seat 32 from the fuel cell (not shown), and the additional fuel supply The mixed fuel of the additional fuel 9a supplied from the pipe 34 passes through only the additional fuel 9a supplied from the additional fuel supply pipe 34 through the lower side of the crown tower 31 when the fuel processor is started. The air is supplied to an annular flame holding space formed on the outer periphery of the crown tower 31 and can be burned by using the air 30 supplied from the air blowing holes 25 of the burner cone 24.

  35 is a spark rod for igniting the burner 19, and the spark rod 35 is attached to the inside of a short tube 37 attached to the lower side of the opening 36 provided at one side of the bottom plate 27 of the burner cone 24. Further, the bottom plate 37a of the short tube 37 is attached so as to penetrate from below, and only the discharge portion 35a serving as the upper end portion protrudes to the inside of the burner cone 24 through the opening 36 of the bottom plate 27. It is.

  Further, a furnace cylinder 38 extending in the vertical direction is connected to the upper side of the base inner cylinder 23 up to the vicinity of the ceiling of the container inner cylinder 20 a of the vacuum heat insulating container 20. Inside the furnace tube 38, a closed guide cylinder 39 having a lower end extending in a vertical direction from a position above the required dimension of the burner 19 to a position protruding above the upper end of the furnace cylinder 38 is concentrically formed. A guide plate 40 having a diameter larger than that of the furnace tube 38 is attached to the upper end portion (projecting end portion) of the guide tube 39 while being inserted therethrough. As a result, the combustion gas 41 at a high temperature (about 1000 to 1200 ° C.) generated by the combustion of the anode off-gas 17 and the additional fuel 9a in the burner 19 is transferred to the inner peripheral surface of the furnace tube 38 and the outer peripheral surface of the guide tube 40. And is guided by the guide plate 40 to reverse the gas flow direction of the combustion gas 41 downward, so that the container inner cylinder 20a and the furnace cylinder 38 are guided. And a combustion gas flow path 42 formed as a vertical cylindrical space between the base inner cylinder 23 and the base inner cylinder 23 is allowed to flow downward toward the exhaust port 43 provided on the side wall of the base outer cylinder 22. I can do it.

  In the upper region of the combustion gas flow path 42 located on the outer periphery of the furnace tube 38, a plurality of, for example, six reformers 5 having a vertically long cylindrical shape are disposed at a required interval in the circumferential direction. A water evaporator 12 for generating steam 13 (see FIG. 4) to be supplied to the reformer 5 is provided in the combustion gas flow path 42 below each reformer 5. Further, a low-temperature shift converter 6 and a CO selective oxidation reactor 7 connected in series downstream from the reformer 5 are connected to the lower region of the combustion gas passage 42 located on the outer periphery of the base inner cylinder 23 from above. They are arranged in order. 44 is a spiral plate provided in the upper region of the combustion gas flow path 42 in which each reformer 5 is disposed, and the combustion gas 41 directed downward from the upper end side of the upper region of the combustion gas flow path 42 By flowing along the spiral plate 44, the combustion gas 41 can flow in a direction transverse to the reformers 5, and from the combustion gas 41 to the reformers 5. The heat transfer efficiency can be increased. Reference numeral 45 denotes a raw fuel vaporizer disposed on the outer periphery of the low temperature shift converter 6.

  With the above configuration, the high-temperature combustion gas 41 generated by the burner 19 is heated to a high temperature when it rises through the gap between the inner peripheral surface of the furnace tube 38 and the outer peripheral surface of the guide tube 40. Due to radiation from the furnace tube 38 (radiation heat transfer) and convection heat transfer from the combustion gas 41 flowing downward along the spiral plate 44 after reaching the upper end of the furnace tube 38, Each reformer 5 is heated to about 700 ° C., and the raw material gas (preheated in the raw fuel vaporizer 45 and supplied to the reformer 5 in each reformer 5 ( A reforming gas is generated by advancing a steam reforming reaction by steam (not shown) supplied from the water evaporator 12 and not shown. Further, the combustion gas 41 which has been supplied as a heat source for the steam reforming reaction in each reformer 5 and whose temperature has been lowered is supplied with the remaining heat to each reformer 5 by the water evaporator 12. It will come to be used as a heat source for generating steam.

  The reformed gas generated in each reformer 5 is subjected to a shift reaction by the low temperature shift converter 6 and a CO removal process by the CO selective oxidation reactor 7 in order, and is supplied to the fuel cell. A reformed gas is generated. At this time, since the temperature of the combustion gas 41 after being used as a heat source for generating water vapor in the water evaporator 12 is lowered to about 200 to 250 ° C., when the shift reaction in the low temperature shift converter 6 proceeds. There is no problem. Further, when passing around the low-temperature shift converter 6, the temperature of the combustion gas 41 is further lowered to 100 to 120 ° C. due to the preheating of the raw material gas in the raw fuel vaporizer 45, so that the CO 2 There is no problem when the CO removal process in the selective oxidation reactor 7 is advanced, and the combustion gas 41 that has passed around the CO selective oxidation reactor 7 is exhausted from the exhaust port 43 of the base outer cylinder 22 to the outside. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-127634 A

  However, the fuel processing apparatus shown in Patent Document 1 is excellent as a fuel processing apparatus of a type in which the reformer 5, the low temperature shift converter 6, and the CO selective oxidation reactor 7 are integrated together. The inventors have further developed the fuel processing apparatus as described above, and have made the present invention by adding improvements for facilitating maintenance and inspection work of the burner 19.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to have a configuration in which a reformer, a low temperature shift converter, and a CO selective oxidation reactor are arranged in series in the vertical direction, and moreover, maintenance and inspection work of the burner is further performed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel processing apparatus that can be easily performed.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention provides a burner at the center of the base plate provided at the bottom of the vacuum heat insulation container corresponding to claim 1, and up to the vicinity of the ceiling of the vacuum heat insulation container above the burner. Combustion gas duct provided to extend, a heat insulating material provided on the outer periphery of the lower region of the combustion gas duct, and arranged to extend vertically on the outer periphery of the heat insulating material, A cylindrical air flow path forming device that can be supplied to the burner after being circulated through the air flow path, and an outer peripheral side of the upper region of the combustion gas duct and an outer peripheral side of the air flow path forming device, A combustion gas flow path for allowing the combustion gas reaching the upper end of the combustion gas duct to flow downward; a reformer for steam reforming the raw material provided in the upper region of the combustion gas flow path; and a lower position of the reformer Set up A water evaporator configured to generate water vapor to be supplied to the reactor, and a low temperature connected to a downstream side of the reformer and disposed in a lower region of the combustion gas flow path that is an outer periphery of the air flow path forming device A shift converter and a CO selective oxidation reactor are provided.

  Further, in the above configuration, the air flow path forming device includes an outer cylinder member having a height corresponding to the lower region of the combustion gas duct, and an intermediate cylinder member having a height slightly lower than the outer cylinder member. Are attached concentrically on the base plate with a required gap therebetween, and further, an inner cylinder member extending in a vertical direction from a position above the required dimension of the base plate to a height position corresponding to the outer cylinder member is formed on the intermediate cylinder member. The inner cylinder member is arranged concentrically with a required gap on the inside, and the upper end portion of the inner cylinder member and the upper end portion of the outer cylinder member are disposed above the intermediate cylinder member via a ring-shaped blocking member. And an air intake port for supplying air from the outside of the container is provided at a required position corresponding to the gap between the outer cylinder member and the intermediate cylinder member in the base plate.

  Further, the heat transfer promoting member having irregularities on the outer peripheral surface portion is inserted inside the upper region of the combustion gas duct in each configuration described above, and the outer peripheral surface portion of the heat transfer promoting member and the upper region of the combustion gas duct are arranged. A gap is formed between the inner circumferential surface and the inner circumferential surface so as to rise while disturbing the flow of the combustion gas. Specifically, the heat transfer promoting member in the above configuration is configured by winding a wire around the outer periphery of the guide tube closed at the lower end.

  The water evaporator in each of the above-described configurations is configured by a plurality of spiral heat transfer tubes having different diameters, and each of the spiral heat transfer tubes is concentric with a cylindrical combustion gas flow path on the outer periphery of the combustion gas duct. It is set as the structure arrange | positioned in the shape.

  Further, in each of the above-described configurations, a plurality of water preheaters are provided on the upstream side of the water evaporator, and the water preheaters are respectively provided on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the low temperature shift converter in the lower region of the combustion gas flow path. The flow rate of the flow rate of the combustion gas passing through the inner peripheral combustion gas flow channel and the flow rate of the combustion gas passing through the outer peripheral combustion gas flow channel in the inner peripheral combustion gas flow channel and the outer peripheral combustion gas flow channel formed. The number is distributed according to the ratio.

  Further, in each of the above-described configurations, a temperature switch for detecting a temperature rise on the outer surface of the container is provided at a required portion on the outer surface of the vacuum heat insulating container.

According to the fuel processing apparatus of the present invention, the following excellent effects are exhibited.
(1) A burner is provided at the center of the base plate provided at the bottom of the vacuum heat insulating container, a combustion gas duct provided on the upper side of the burner so as to extend to the vicinity of the ceiling of the vacuum heat insulating container, and a lower region of the combustion gas duct A heat insulating material provided on the outer periphery and the outer periphery of the heat insulating material are arranged so as to extend in the vertical direction so that the air taken in from the outside of the container can be supplied to the burner after flowing through the internal air flow path. A cylindrical air flow path forming device, and a combustion that is provided on the outer peripheral side of the upper region of the combustion gas duct and the outer peripheral side of the air flow path forming device, and distributes the combustion gas that has reached the upper end of the combustion gas duct downward A gas flow path, a reformer for steam reforming the raw material provided in the upper region of the combustion gas flow path, and a steam provided at a lower position of the reformer to be supplied to the reformer. Some water A generator, and a low-temperature shift converter and a CO selective oxidation reactor that are connected to the downstream side of the reformer and disposed in the lower region of the combustion gas flow path that is the outer periphery of the air flow path forming device. Since it is configured, high temperature combustion gas generated by supplying anode off gas or additional fuel to the burner and burning it is guided upward through the combustion gas duct, and then the combustion gas flow path is directed downward from the upper end. The reformer disposed in the upper region of the combustion gas flow path is heated to a predetermined temperature and steam reforming of the raw material is performed in the reformer to generate a reformed gas. Can be made. Further, the combustion gas after being used for heating the reformer is used as a heat source for generating steam to be supplied to the reformer by a water evaporator disposed below the reformer. Can be provided. On the other hand, since the heat insulating material and the air flow path forming device are provided on the outer periphery of the lower region of the combustion gas duct, heat transfer from the lower region of the combustion gas duct to the outer peripheral direction is performed by the heat insulating material. While being able to be suppressed, the heat transmitted to the outer peripheral side through the heat insulating material can be cooled by air flowing through the air flow path of the air flow path forming device. Moreover, since the air that receives heat when it flows through the air flow path forming device can be supplied to the burner for consumption and consumed, it is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the air flow path forming device. There is a risk that the low temperature shift converter and the CO selective oxidation reactor will be heated above the optimum temperature range of the shift reaction and the CO removal reaction under the influence of the heat of the high temperature combustion gas passing through the lower region of the combustion gas duct. Can be prevented. Therefore, after the steam reforming of the raw material in the reformer, a shift reaction can be performed by the low-temperature shift converter, and further, a reformed gas formed by CO removal treatment in the CO selective oxidation reactor can be generated.
(2) Moreover, since the burner is disposed immediately above the base plate that is the lowermost part of the vacuum heat insulating container, the burner can be more easily maintained and inspected.
(3) The air flow path forming device includes an outer cylinder member having a height corresponding to the lower region of the combustion gas duct and an intermediate cylinder member having a height slightly lower than the outer cylinder member, with a required gap therebetween. The inner cylinder member is mounted concentrically on the base plate and extends vertically from a position above the required dimension of the base plate to a height position corresponding to the outer cylinder member, with a required gap inside the intermediate cylinder member. It arranges concentrically, connects the upper end part of the inner cylinder member and the upper end part of the outer cylinder member via a ring-shaped closing member, and further, in the gap between the outer cylinder member and the intermediate cylinder member in the base plate By providing an air intake for supplying air from the outside of the container at the corresponding required position, the air flow path over almost the entire surface of the peripheral wall surface is provided twice in the radial direction. Sky supplied from the entrance The lower end portion of the air flow path forming device that is once raised from the lower end portion to the upper end portion of the air flow path forming device through the outer air flow channel and then below the inner cylindrical member through the inner peripheral air flow channel Therefore, the air flow path forming device can be cooled over the entire surface.
(4) A heat transfer promoting member having irregularities on the outer peripheral surface portion is inserted inside the upper region of the combustion gas duct so that the outer peripheral surface portion of the heat transfer promoting member and the inner periphery of the upper region of the combustion gas duct are disposed. By constructing a gap between the upper surface of the combustion gas duct and the surface, the upper region of the combustion gas duct can be efficiently heated to radiate from the upper region of the combustion gas duct. Thus, the reformer disposed in the upper region of the combustion gas flow path can be heated more efficiently.
(5) By forming the heat transfer promoting member by winding a wire around the outer periphery of the guide cylinder closed at the lower end, it is possible to easily form irregularities on the outer peripheral surface portion of the heat transfer promoting member.
(6) The water evaporator is composed of a plurality of spiral heat transfer tubes having different diameters, and each of the spiral heat transfer tubes is concentrically arranged in a cylindrical combustion gas flow path on the outer periphery of the combustion gas duct. By adopting the arrangement, the heat exchange with the combustion gas flowing in the combustion gas flow path formed as a cylindrical space can be performed more efficiently.
(7) A plurality of water preheaters are provided on the upstream side of the water evaporator, and the water preheaters are respectively formed on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the low temperature shift converter in the lower region of the combustion gas flow path. According to the flow rate ratio between the flow rate of the combustion gas passing through the inner peripheral combustion gas flow channel and the flow rate of the combustion gas passing through the outer peripheral combustion gas flow channel in the circumferential combustion gas flow channel and the peripheral combustion gas flow channel By adopting a configuration that is distributed and arranged in numbers, water can be preheated evenly in each water preheater.
(8) By adopting a configuration in which a temperature switch for detecting the temperature rise of the outer surface of the container is provided at a required portion of the outer surface of the vacuum heat insulating container, the vacuum insulating container Since it becomes possible to detect the deterioration of the degree of vacuum of the vacuum heat insulating layer, if the temperature switch exceeds a preset required temperature, the operation of the entire fuel processing device can be stopped. Even if the degree of vacuum in the vacuum heat insulation layer of the vacuum heat insulation container deteriorates for some reason and the heat insulation performance deteriorates, it is possible to prevent the possibility that external equipment may be affected by heat leaking from the inside of the vacuum heat insulation container. Is possible.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIGS. 1 to 3 show an embodiment of a fuel processing apparatus of the present invention, and a vacuum heat insulating container 20 comprising a container inner cylinder 20a, a container outer cylinder 20b and a vacuum heat insulating layer 20c similar to those shown in FIG. An outer peripheral edge portion of a base plate 46 provided with an exhaust port 47 at a required portion near the outer periphery is attached to the lower end portion of the base plate 46 so as to be detachable and airtight, and above the central portion of the base plate 46 which is the lowermost portion of the vacuum heat insulating container 20. A burner 19a is provided.

  On the upper side of the burner 19a, a combustion gas duct 48 extending in the vertical direction is provided up to the vicinity of the ceiling of the container inner cylinder 20a. The combustion gas duct 48 has a diameter-expanded portion 48a in which a region having a required length dimension at the upper part is enlarged by a required dimension compared to the lower region, and the required lower end is closed inside the diameter-expanded portion 48a. A heat transfer facilitating member 49 comprising a guide tube 49a having a length and a wire 49b spirally wound around the outer periphery of the guide tube 49a is concentrically inserted and disposed, and the lower end of the guide tube 49a has the diameter expanded. It faces the lower end of the part 48a. As a result, between the inner peripheral surface of the enlarged diameter portion 48a of the combustion gas duct 48 and the outer peripheral surface of the heat transfer promoting member 49 that is formed into an uneven shape due to the presence of the wire 49b wound around the guide tube 49a. The combustion gas 41 generated by the combustion of the burner 19a and guided upward through the combustion gas duct 48 is circulated upward through the gap while disturbing the flow of the combustion gas 41 so as not to become a laminar flow. To be able to.

  A guide plate 50 having a diameter larger than that of the enlarged diameter portion 48a of the combustion gas duct 48 is attached to the upper end portion (protruding end portion) of the guide tube 49a serving as the upper end portion of the heat transfer promoting member 49, and the enlarged diameter portion. The combustion gas 41 passing through 48a and reaching the upper end of the combustion gas duct 48 is guided by the guide plate 50 so that the gas flow direction of the combustion gas 41 can be reversed downward.

  Around the lower region of the combustion gas duct 48, a cylindrical air flow path forming device 52 extending in the vertical direction so as to correspond to the lower region of the combustion gas duct 48 is arranged concentrically, and the upper surface side of the base plate 46 Attach to. The air flow path forming device 52 has air flow paths 53a and 53b formed therein, and after the air 30 supplied from the air supply pipe 28 outside the container is circulated through the air flow paths 53a and 53b. The air flow path forming device 52 can be supplied to the burner 19a at the center portion of the base plate 46 located inside the lower end portion. A heat insulating material 51 is interposed in the gap between the lower region of the combustion gas duct 48 and the air flow path forming device 52. Thereby, the heat transfer from the lower region of the combustion gas duct 48 through which the high-temperature combustion gas 41 generated by the combustion of the burner 19a flows is reduced by the heat insulating action of the heat insulating material 51, and further, The heat transmitted to the outer peripheral direction through the heat insulating material 51 is exchanged with the air 30 flowing through the air flow paths 53a and 53b of the air flow path forming device 52, and the air 30 heated by this heat exchange is a burner. By supplying the air 19 for combustion to the air 19a and consuming it, heat transfer to the outer peripheral side of the air flow path forming device 52 can be prevented.

  A cylindrical space communicating vertically between the inner peripheral surface of the container inner cylinder 20a, the outer peripheral surface of the enlarged diameter portion 48a of the combustion gas duct 48, and the outer peripheral surface of the air flow path forming device 52. As shown in FIG. 5, a combustion gas flow channel 54 is formed as a part, and an upper region of the combustion gas flow channel 54 located on the outer periphery of the enlarged diameter portion 48a of the combustion gas duct 48 has a circumferential interval of 6 as shown in FIG. A basic reformer 5 is disposed, and a water evaporator 12 is provided below each reformer 5. Further, the heat insulating material 51 and the air flow path forming device 52 prevent heat from being transmitted from the lower region of the combustion gas duct 48 below the combustion gas flow channel 54 located on the outer periphery of the air flow path forming device 52. In the region, the water evaporator 12, the low-temperature shift converter 6 and the CO selective oxidation reactor 7 connected to the downstream side of each reformer 5 are arranged in order from above.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the air flow path forming device 52 is closer to the center than the exhaust port 47 on the base plate 46 and surrounds the lower regions of the burner 19a and the combustion gas duct 48 with a predetermined interval therebetween. An outer cylinder member 52a having a height corresponding to the lower region of the combustion gas duct 48 at a required radial position, and having a lower end enlarged by a required dimension, and a height dimension higher than that of the outer cylinder member 52a. The intermediate cylindrical members 52b set to be slightly lower are arranged concentrically with a required gap in the radial direction, and are attached to the upper surface of the base plate 46 in an airtight manner. Inside the intermediate cylinder member 52b, an inner cylinder member 52c extending in a vertical direction from a position above the required dimension of the base plate 46 to a height position corresponding to the outer cylinder member 52a is disposed between the intermediate cylinder member 52b and a required gap. A ring-shaped closing member 52d in which the upper end portion of the inner cylinder member 52c and the upper end portion of the outer cylinder member 52a are arranged at a position higher than the intermediate cylinder member 52b by a required dimension. Connect through. Further, an air intake 55 is provided at a required position in the circumferential direction between the lower end attachment portion of the outer cylinder member 52a and the lower end attachment portion of the intermediate cylinder member 52b in the base plate 46, An air supply pipe 28 for guiding the air 30 supplied from an air supply unit (not shown) is connected. As a result, a cylindrical outer peripheral air flow path 53a is formed between the outer cylinder member 52a and the intermediate cylinder member 52b so that a required portion in the circumferential direction at the lower end communicates with the air intake port 55. Between the cylindrical member 52b and the inner cylindrical member 52c, the upper end communicates with the outer peripheral air flow path 53 through the upper side of the intermediate cylindrical member 52 and the lower end passes through the lower side of the inner cylindrical member 52c. A cylindrical inner peripheral air flow path 53b communicating with the space inside 52, that is, the center side of the base plate 46 where the burner 19a is provided is formed. Thus, the air 30 supplied from the air supply pipe 28 through the air intake 55 is once raised from the lower end portion to the upper end portion of the air flow path forming device 52 through the outer peripheral air flow path 53a, and then The air flow path forming device 52 is lowered again to the lower end portion of the air flow path forming device 52 through the inner peripheral air flow channel 53b so that the air flow path forming device 52 can be cooled over the entire surface. The air 30 after being used for cooling 52 can be supplied to the burner 19a as combustion air 30.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the burner 19a is blown out in the vertical direction in multiple stages in the circumferential interval of the peripheral wall as shown in FIG. 6 inside the lower end portion of the inner cylinder member 52c of the air flow path forming device 52. A burner cone 24 having a hole 25 and a lower end closed by a bottom plate (blocking plate) 27 is disposed concentrically, and the upper end of the burner cone 24 and the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylinder member 52c are arranged. The space is closed by a ring-shaped closing plate 26. As a result, the air 30 supplied through the lower part of the inner cylinder member 52c of the air flow path forming device 52 is guided to the outer peripheral side of the burner cone 24 inside the inner cylinder member 52c, and then each air blow-out is performed. It can be supplied to the inside of the burner cone 24 through the hole 25.

  At the center of the burner cone 24, a crown tower 31 is disposed in a core shape with a predetermined gap from the bottom plate 27. In addition, an upper end portion of a short tubular fuel supply pipe 56 is provided in communication with the central portion of the bottom plate 27 of the burner cone 24 so as to penetrate the central portion of the base plate 46 in the vertical direction. An anode off-gas pipe 57 that guides the anode off-gas 17 discharged from the anode of the fuel cell (not shown) is provided at one side of the lower end of the fuel supply pipe 56 that projects downward from the base plate 46 via a drain chamber 58. Connect to communication. Further, inside the fuel supply pipe 56, the tip of the refueling fuel supply pipe 34 inserted through the bottom of the fuel supply pipe 56 is stored concentrically. As a result, during normal operation of the fuel processing apparatus, the anode offgas 17 supplied to the fuel supply pipe 56 after the drain is removed from the anode offgas pipe 57 through the drain chamber 58 and the additional fuel supply pipe 34. The additional fuel supplied from the additional fuel 9a is supplied, and when the fuel processor is started, only the additional fuel 9a supplied from the additional fuel supply pipe 34 is passed through the underside of the crown tower 31. Supplying it to the annular flame-holding space formed in the outer periphery of the tower 31, and burning it using the air 30 supplied from the air blowing hole 25 of the burner cone 24, thereby generating a high-temperature combustion gas 41. I can do it.

  The spark rod 35 for igniting the burner 19a is disposed inside a cylindrical member 59 attached so as to reach the base plate 46 below the opening 36 provided on one side of the bottom plate 27 of the burner cone 24. The base plate 46 is inserted so as to be inserted from below, and only the discharge part 35a which is the upper end part of the spark rod 35 protrudes to the inside of the burner cone 24 through the opening part 36 of the bottom plate 27. Thus, a spark can be generated between the crown tower 31 or the bottom plate 27 of the burner cone 24.

  The lower end portion of the combustion gas duct 48 is connected to the upper end portion of the burner cone 24. As a result, the lower end is blocked by the ring-shaped blocking plate 26 at the upper end of the burner 19a between the outer peripheral surface of the combustion gas duct 48 and the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylinder member 52c of the air flow path forming device 52. A cylindrical space is formed, and the heat insulating material 51 provided on the outer periphery of the combustion gas duct 48 is accommodated in the cylindrical space.

  The water evaporator 12 is provided in a combustion gas passage 54 formed as the cylindrical space. From the viewpoint of enabling efficient heat exchange with the combustion gas 41 flowing from the upper side to the lower side of the combustion gas channel 54, as shown in FIGS. The heat transfer tubes are connected in parallel as a plurality of helical heat transfer tubes having different helical diameters, for example, three helical heat transfer tubes 60a, 60b, 60c having a large, medium, and small helical diameter, It is preferable that the heat transfer tubes 60a, 60b, 60c are arranged concentrically in the cylindrical combustion gas flow channel 54.

  Furthermore, from the viewpoint of suppressing the flow resistance when the combustion gas 51 flows through the installation location of the water evaporator 12 in the combustion gas flow channel 54, the spiral pitches of the spiral heat transfer tubes 60a, 60b, 60c are substantially equal. In addition, it is preferable that the height positions of the spiral heat transfer tubes 60a, 60b, 60c adjacent in the radial direction are shifted in the vertical direction.

  As described above, when a plurality of series of evaporator heat transfer tubes are provided in the water evaporator 12, a water preheating portion is individually provided at an upstream position of each evaporator heat transfer tube, and the plurality of water preheating portions are provided. In the lower region of the combustion gas flow channel 54, the inner peripheral combustion gas flow channel 54a and the outer peripheral combustion gas flow channel 54b formed by being divided into the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the low temperature shift converter 6, respectively, The number of distributions corresponding to the flow rate ratio of the combustion gas 41 distributed and distributed to the peripheral combustion gas flow channel 54a and the peripheral combustion gas flow channel 54b is arranged.

  That is, for example, as described above, when three series of helical heat transfer tubes 60a, 60b, 60c are provided in the water evaporator 12, the inner peripheral surface of the low temperature shift converter 6 and the outer peripheral surface of the air flow path forming device 52 are provided. The inner peripheral combustion gas flow channel 54a formed between the outer peripheral surface of the low temperature shift converter 6 and the outer peripheral combustion gas flow channel 54b formed between the outer peripheral surface of the container inner cylinder 20a. The inner diameter and outer diameter of the low-temperature shift converter 6 are set in advance so that the area ratio is 1: 2, and are provided on the upstream side of the spiral heat transfer tubes 60a, 60b, 60c of the water evaporator 12, respectively. Of the three water preheating sections 61, one system water preheating section 61 is disposed in the inner circumferential combustion gas flow path 54a, and the remaining two water preheating sections 61 are disposed in the outer circumferential combustion gas flow path 54b. Try to arrange. In this way, the combustion gas 41 that has flowed from above through the combustion gas passage 54 and reached the position where the low-temperature shift converter 6 is disposed is transferred to the combustion gas passages 54a and 54b on the inner and outer peripheral sides. The flow ratio is distributed so as to be approximately 1: 2. Thereby, the ratio of the total amount of heat of the combustion gas 41 flowing through the inner peripheral combustion gas flow channel 54a and the total amount of heat of the combustion gas 41 flowing through the outer peripheral combustion gas flow channel 54b is approximately 1. : 2 so that the amount of water to be preheated by the one water preheating unit 61 disposed in the inner peripheral combustion gas flow channel 54a and the outer combustion gas flow channel 54b are disposed. The two water preheating sections 61 correspond to the ratio of the amount of water to be preheated so that the water preheating sections 61 can preheat water almost evenly.

  A reformed gas pipe 62 for recovering the reformed gas 14 connected to the lower end serving as the outlet of the CO selective oxidation reactor 7 is inserted through the exhaust port 47 of the base plate 46 and positioned below the base plate 46. The reformed gas pipe 62 is inserted under the exhaust port 47 of the base plate 46 and led to the lower position of the base plate 46, and the lower position of the base plate 46. A box-shaped exhaust duct 63 is provided to cover the anode off-gas pipe 57 whose tip is connected to the drain chamber 58. Further, the reformed gas pipe 62 and the anode off-gas pipe 57 are disposed inside the final exhaust gas pipe 64 connected to the exhaust duct 63 so as to be inserted over a required length range. Thus, when the final exhaust gas 41a exhausted from the vacuum heat insulating container 20 through the exhaust port 47 is exhausted through the exhaust duct 63 and the final exhaust gas pipe 64, the heat remaining in the final exhaust gas 41a Both the reformed gas 14 flowing through the reformed gas pipe 64 and the anode off gas 17 flowing through the anode off gas pipe 57 can be kept warm.

  Furthermore, since the CO selective oxidation reactor 7 and the low temperature shift converter 6 are both exothermic reaction reactors, the CO selective oxidation reactor 7 is provided with a cooling water pipe 65 and the low temperature shift converter 6 is provided with a cooling water pipe 66. The cooling water pipes 65 and 66 are connected in series to a cooling water supply line 67, and the CO selective oxidation reactor 7 and the low temperature shift converter are supplied by the cooling water supplied from the cooling water supply line 67. 6 can be cooled in order, and a check valve 68 is provided between each of the cooling water pipes 65 and 66, and the check valve 68 passes through the cooling water pipe 65 on the CO selective oxidation reactor 7 side. By pressurizing water, the boiling point is raised so that the CO selective oxidation reactor 7 can be maintained in a temperature range of about 100 to 120 ° C. which is the optimum temperature.

  When the cooling water after being used for cooling the CO selective oxidation reactor 7 is further heated by being used for cooling the low temperature shift converter 6 whose optimum temperature range is about 200 to 250 ° C., Water vapor is generated. For this purpose, the raw material 9 supplied via the raw material preheater 71 provided on the upper side of the low temperature shift converter 6 from the raw material supply line 70 and the water vapor 13 generated by the water evaporator 12 are mixed and then modified. Cooling of the CO selective oxidation reactor 7 and the low temperature shift converter 6 is performed by connecting the downstream side of the cooling water pipe 66 of the low temperature shift converter 6 to the mixing header 69 to be distributed and supplied to the mass device 5. The steam generated after having been used for the above-mentioned process can be used for steam reforming of the raw material 9 in each reformer 5.

  Furthermore, a temperature switch 72 is provided at a required location on the outer surface of the container outer cylinder 20b of the vacuum heat insulating container 20, and the surface temperature of the container outer cylinder 20b is a required set temperature, for example, a temperature range of about 60 to 100 ° C. When the temperature rises above a preset temperature, the operation of the entire fuel processor may be stopped. In this way, when the degree of vacuum in the vacuum heat insulating layer 20c of the vacuum heat insulating container 20 is deteriorated (decreased) for some reason, the deterioration of the vacuum degree is accompanied by a decrease in the heat insulating performance of the vacuum heat insulating container 20. Since the temperature switch 72 can detect the temperature rise of the container outer cylinder 20b that occurs, it is possible to prevent the heat inside the vacuum heat insulating container 20 from leaking to the outside and affecting external devices. become able to.

  73 is a nitrogen gas supply line connected to the downstream end of the anode offgas pipe 57. By supplying a very small amount of nitrogen gas 74 from the nitrogen gas supply line 73 into the anode offgas pipe 57 at all times, A constant air flow from the off-gas pipe 57 toward the burner 19a can always be generated, and during the warm-up at the beginning of the operation of the fuel processing apparatus, that is, the anode off-gas 17 is not generated in the fuel cell. When the burner 19a is operated only with the burning fuel 9a, the inflow to the anode off-gas pipe 57 side due to diffusion of the burning fuel 9a can be prevented in advance.

  In the upper region of the combustion gas flow channel 54 where the reformers 5 are disposed, the combustion gas 41 flowing from the upper side to the lower side of the combustion gas flow channel 54 in the same manner as the spiral plate 44 shown in FIG. A plurality of spiral plates 44 for flowing the flow so as to traverse each reformer 5 in the radial direction are arranged so as to draw one or multiple spirals, for example, two strips so as to draw a double spiral. Thus, when convective heat transfer is performed from the combustion gas 41 to each reformer 5, the amount of heat applied to each reformer 5 can be made more equal.

  75 is an evaporator water supply line connected to the upstream side of each water preheater 61, and 76 is an air line for supplying air 77 to the CO selective oxidation reactor 7. In addition, the same components as those shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  When the anode off-gas 17 and the additional fuel 9a are supplied to the burner 19a and burned to operate the fuel processing apparatus having the above-described configuration, the high-temperature combustion gas 41 is guided upward through the combustion gas duct 48, and the combustion gas duct If the flow is disturbed by the unevenness formed by the wire 49b while passing through the gap between the enlarged diameter portion 48a of the 48 and the heat transfer promoting member 49, the enlarged diameter portion 48a of the combustion gas duct 48 is heated and the expanded Each reformer 5 disposed around the diameter portion 48a is heated by radiation from the diameter portion 48a. Furthermore, when the combustion gas 41 that has been led to the upper end of the combustion gas duct 48 and then travels downward in the upper region of the combustion gas flow path 54 is circulated across the reformer 5 along the spiral plate 44. Further, each reformer 5 is heated by convective heat transfer from the combustion gas 41, and thereby, the steam reforming by the raw material 9 and the steam 13 supplied from the mixing header 69 is performed in each heater 5. A quality reaction is performed to generate the reformed gas 14.

  The combustion gas 41 that has been used for heating the reformers 5 is guided to the water evaporator 12 disposed below the reformers 5 and used as a heat source for generating the steam 13. Is done. At this time, since the water evaporator 12 has a configuration in which the spiral heat transfer tubes 60a, 60b, and 60c are arranged concentrically, the water vapor 13 can be generated efficiently.

  Combustion gas 41 whose temperature has been lowered to about 200 to 250 ° C. by being used as a heat source for generating water vapor 13 in the water evaporator 12 is fed into a raw material preheater 71 provided on the upper side of the low temperature shift converter 6. 9, and when passing through the inner peripheral combustion gas flow channel 54 a and the outer peripheral combustion gas flow channel 54 b formed on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the low temperature shift converter 6, the water preheating unit 61. Is used as a heat source for preheating water supplied to the water evaporator 12, and then passes through the periphery of the CO selective oxidation reactor 7 through an exhaust port 47 provided in the base plate 46, the exhaust duct 63 and the final exhaust gas. Exhaust through tube 64.

  At this time, since the heat insulating material 51 and the air flow path forming device 52 are provided on the outer periphery of the lower region of the combustion gas duct 48 through which the high-temperature combustion gas 41 generated in the burner 19a is circulated, the combustion The heat transfer from the lower region of the gas duct 48 to the outer peripheral direction is insulated by the heat insulating material 51 and can be cooled by the air 30 flowing through the air flow paths 53a and 53b of the air flow path forming device 52. Therefore, the low-temperature shift converter 6 and the CO selective oxidation reactor 7 disposed in the lower region of the combustion gas flow channel 54 that is the outer peripheral side position of the air flow channel forming device 52 are disposed in the lower region of the combustion gas duct 54. Under the influence of the heat of the high-temperature combustion gas 41 that passes through, it is possible to prevent the possibility of being heated above the optimum temperature range for the shift reaction and the CO removal reaction.

  Therefore, according to the fuel processing apparatus of the present invention, after the raw material 9 is steam reformed by the reformer 5, the shift reaction is performed by the low temperature shift converter 6, and the CO selective oxidation reactor is further subjected to CO removal treatment. The reformed gas 14 can be generated.

  Moreover, since the burner 19a that generates the combustion gas 41 that is a heat source for performing steam reforming in the reformer 5 is provided immediately above the base plate 46 that is the lowest part of the vacuum heat insulating container 20, Maintenance and inspection work of the burner 19a can be performed more easily.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the number of the reformers 5 provided in the upper region of the combustion gas channel 54 is not limited to the cross-sectional shape of the combustion gas channel 54 or the above modification. You may change suitably according to the cross-sectional area of the quality device 5. Although the combustion gas duct 48 is shown as having an enlarged diameter portion 48a in the upper region, the combustion gas duct 48 may have a simple straight tube shape as long as the reformer 5 can be heated by radiation from the upper region of the combustion gas duct 48. Further, the heat transfer promotion member 49 provided by being inserted inside the upper region of the combustion gas duct 48 disturbs the flow of the combustion gas 41 flowing upward along the outer peripheral surface portion of the heat transfer promotion member 49 so that the gas flow is generated. A configuration other than the configuration in which the wire 49b is wound around the outer periphery of the guide tube 49a may be adopted as long as the outer peripheral surface portion has irregularities that can prevent laminar flow.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the water evaporator 12 is preferably of a type in which a plurality of helical heat transfer tubes 60a, 60b, 60c are arranged concentrically, but the combustion gas flow path 54b. As long as the water vapor 13 can be generated by using the heat of the combustion gas 41 provided inside, any type of water vapor may be adopted. In FIG. 1, the water evaporator 12 is shown as flowing water in a direction parallel to the flow direction of the combustion gas 41 in the combustion gas flow path 54. It is good also as a thing of the form which distributes.

  Further, as the CO selective oxidation reactor 7, a methanator that performs methanation that is a reverse reaction to the steam reforming reaction may be used.

  In the case where a liquid raw material having a high boiling point such as kerosene is used as the raw material 9, the raw material preheater 71 is replaced with the upper side of the low temperature shift converter 6, and the inner peripheral combustion gas flow on the inner peripheral side of the low temperature shift converter 6 is used. You may make it provide in the position of the water preheating part 61 provided in the path 54a.

Of course, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

It is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a fuel processor of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cutaway side view showing a burner portion of the apparatus of FIG. 1. The arrangement | positioning of the heat exchanger tube in the water evaporator of the apparatus of FIG. 1 is shown, (A) is a schematic plan view, (B) is a schematic cut | disconnected side view. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of a general polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator. It is a cutaway side view showing an outline of a conventionally proposed fuel processor. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cutaway side view showing a burner portion of the fuel processor of FIG. 5.

Explanation of symbols

5 Reformer 6 Low Temperature Shift Converter 7 CO Selective Oxidation Reactor 9 Raw Material 12 Water Evaporator 13 Water Vapor 19a Burner 20 Vacuum Insulated Container 30 Air 46 Base Plate 47 Exhaust Port 48 Combustion Gas Duct 48a Expanding Part (Upper Region)
49 Heat Transfer Promoting Member 49a Guide Tube 49b Wire 51 Heat Insulating Material 52 Air Flow Forming Device 52a Outer Tube Member 52b Intermediate Tube Member 52c Inner Tube Member 52d Closure Member 53a, 53b Air Flow Channel 54 Combustion Gas Flow Channel 54a Inner Side Combustion Gas channel 54b Outer peripheral combustion gas channel 55 Air intake port 57 Anode off-gas piping 60a, 60b, 60c Spiral heat transfer tube 61 Water preheater 72 Temperature switch

Claims (7)

  A burner is provided at the center of the base plate provided at the bottom of the vacuum heat insulation container, and a combustion gas duct provided above the burner so as to extend to the vicinity of the ceiling of the vacuum heat insulation container, and provided at the outer periphery of the lower region of the combustion gas duct. A heat insulating material, and a cylinder that is arranged on the outer periphery of the heat insulating material so as to extend in the vertical direction so that air taken in from the outside of the container can be supplied to the burner after flowing through the internal air flow path. Shaped air flow path forming device, and a combustion gas flow path that is provided on the outer peripheral side of the upper region of the combustion gas duct and on the outer peripheral side of the air flow path forming device, and distributes the combustion gas reaching the upper end of the combustion gas duct downward A water vapor reformer configured to steam reform the raw material provided in the upper region of the combustion gas flow path, and to generate steam supplied to the reformer at a position below the reformer vessel And a low-temperature shift converter and a CO selective oxidation reactor that are connected to the downstream side of the reformer and disposed in the lower region of the combustion gas flow path that is the outer periphery of the air flow path forming device. The fuel processing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.   The air flow path forming device includes an outer cylinder member having a height corresponding to the lower region of the combustion gas duct, and an intermediate cylinder member having a height slightly lower than the outer cylinder member, with a required gap in the radial direction. The inner cylinder member extending concentrically on the base plate and extending vertically from the position above the required dimension of the base plate to the height position corresponding to the outer cylinder member, and the required gap inside the intermediate cylinder member. The base plate is disposed concentrically, and is connected to the upper end portion of the inner cylinder member and the upper end portion of the outer cylinder member via a ring-shaped blocking member disposed above the intermediate cylinder member. The fuel processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an air intake for supplying air from outside the container is provided at a required position corresponding to a gap between the outer cylinder member and the intermediate cylinder member.   An inner surface of the upper area of the combustion gas duct is disposed so as to pass through a heat transfer promotion member having irregularities on the outer peripheral surface portion, and the outer peripheral surface portion of the heat transfer acceleration member and the inner peripheral surface of the upper region of the combustion gas duct The fuel processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a gap is formed between the gas flow and the combustion gas flow to rise while disturbing the flow.   4. The fuel processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the heat transfer promoting member is configured by winding a wire around the outer periphery of the guide cylinder closed at the lower end.   The water evaporator is composed of a plurality of spiral heat transfer tubes having different diameters, and each of the spiral heat transfer tubes is concentrically disposed in a cylindrical combustion gas flow path on the outer periphery of the combustion gas duct. The fuel reformer according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the fuel reformer is configured as described above.   A plurality of water preheaters are provided on the upstream side of the water evaporator, and each water preheater is formed on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the low temperature shift converter in the lower region of the combustion gas flow path. Distributing the gas flow path and the outer combustion gas flow path in a number corresponding to the flow rate ratio between the flow rate of the combustion gas passing through the inner combustion gas flow path and the flow rate of the combustion gas passing through the outer combustion gas flow path 6. The fuel processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fuel processing apparatus is arranged as described above.   The fuel processing apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, wherein a temperature switch for detecting a temperature rise of the outer surface of the container is provided at a required portion of the outer surface of the vacuum heat insulating container.

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