JPH0576774A - Fuel reformer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a fuel reformer in which powdering of a granular reforming catalyst due to vibration or the like given from outside can be decreased in a reforming tube filled with the catalyst. CONSTITUTION:This fuel reformer consists of a furnace main body 1 equipped with a burner 2 and a reforming tube 3 which is filled with a reforming catalyst 4 and provided in the furnace main body. This reformer used to obtain hydrogen-rich reformed gas by introducing a source fuel gas to the reforming tube. The granular reforming catalyst to fill the reforming tube is preliminarily divided into portions of a specified amt. and each division is densely packed with a net 5 made of metal wires so that the net is tightly filled. These nets containing the catalyst are stacked up in the reforming tube and provided in the furnace. Thereby, powdering of the reforming catalyst can be preferably prevented since flowing and abrasion of catalyst particles are avoided even when vibration or the like is added to the reforming device, and thereby, the reforming device has a longer life.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fuel reformer suitable for a vehicle-mounted fuel cell power generator.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, an electric vehicle having a fuel cell power generator installed in a vehicle has been under development by taking advantage of the low pollution and high power generation efficiency of the fuel cell, and in parallel with this development project. Practical application of fuel cell power generators for vehicles is under way. FIG. 3 is a process flow diagram of such a fuel cell power generation device, in which methanol is used as a raw fuel for reforming into a hydrogen-rich gas in a fuel reformer (steam reforming).
Then, this is supplied to the fuel cell to generate electricity. The operating principle of the fuel cell is well known, and the description thereof is omitted here.

Next, a conventional structure of the above-mentioned fuel reformer is shown in FIG. In the figure, 1 is a reformer main body, 1a is a combustion gas exhaust port of the main body 1, 2 is a burner installed at the center of the top of the main body 1, and 3 is a reformer housed in the furnace surrounding the burner 2. The quality tubes 4 are granular reforming catalysts filled in the reforming tube 3. Although the reforming pipe 3 is schematically illustrated in the drawing, a double cylindrical pipe is adopted as an actual reforming pipe. With this configuration, when the aqueous methanol solution that is the raw fuel is vaporized and introduced from the inlet 3a of the reforming pipe 3, the hydrogen is reformed by steam by a contact reaction (endothermic reaction) with the reforming catalyst 4 filled in the pipe. Converted to rich reformed gas. Then, the reformed gas is supplied to the fuel cell in the subsequent stage through the outlet 3b of the reforming tube 3.

[0004]

By the way, if the above-described conventional fuel reformer is used by incorporating it into a vehicle-mounted fuel cell power generator as it is, the fuel reformer is used as the vehicle starts, runs, or stops. Is subject to repeated loads such as vibration and shaking, and impact loads. On the other hand, for the reforming catalyst filled in the reforming tube of the fuel reformer, a carrier (for example, alumina) having a particle size of about several millimeters is supported by binding a particulate copper-based catalyst with a binder. I am using. Therefore, when a repetitive load or impact load is applied to the reforming catalyst filled in the reforming pipe without restraint from the outside, the catalyst is rubbed with each other due to the rocking of the granular catalyst in the pipe due to the vibrating force, and the catalyst is rubbed. The fine particles are separated from the carrier and the catalyst particles are crushed to promote pulverization. Moreover, when powder of the catalyst is generated in the reforming pipe, the powder fills the voids between the catalyst particles and causes an increase in pressure loss of the gas flowing through the pipe. The amount of catalyst gradually decreases as it flows out of the reformer,
As a result, the capacity of the reformer gradually decreases. Furthermore, when the outflow amount of the catalyst powder from the reformer increases, the filters provided in the gas conduits between the reformer and the fuel cell become prematurely clogged and the filters need to be replaced in a short period. It also affects maintenance problems.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to additionally equip a simple member in the reforming pipe so as to pulverize the reforming catalyst filled in the pipe by vibration applied from the outside. It is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel reformer, which is particularly suitable for a vehicle-mounted fuel cell power generation device, in which fuel consumption can be reduced.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the fuel reformer of the present invention, the granular reforming catalyst to be filled in the reforming pipe is divided into substantially fixed amounts and gas permeability is improved. A flexible container is filled with the catalyst, and the catalyst-containing container is laminated and loaded in the reforming tube. A reticulated net braided with a metal wire such as stainless steel can be adopted for the flexible container in the above structure, and the reticulated net is tightly filled with a granular reforming catalyst without leaving a residual void. Is good.

[0007]

According to the above construction, the granular catalyst packed in the reforming tube is tightly packed into the container of the mesh net tightly so as to be packed into the container of the mesh net in a small amount. It is stacked in the tube without rattling. Therefore, even if vibration or the like is applied from the outside, the granular catalysts hardly flow individually and rub against each other or collide with each other, which reduces powdering of the catalyst.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, in which the same members corresponding to those in FIG. That is, in the configuration of FIG. 1, the reforming catalyst 4 filled in the reforming pipe 3 is preliminarily subdivided into a flexible container made into a mesh net shown by reference numeral 5 and divided into substantially fixed amounts, and The mesh nets 5 containing the catalyst are vertically stacked and loaded inside the reforming pipe 3. Here, the reticulated net 5 is, for example, a stainless steel wire, is a bag-shaped mesh of the mesh of which is smaller than the particle size of the granular catalyst, and the reforming catalyst 4 is closely packed in the reticulated net 5. So tightly packed.

With such a structure, even if a repeated load such as vibration or a shock load is applied to the fuel reformer mounted on the vehicle when the vehicle starts, runs, or stops, the reforming catalyst 4 filled in the reforming pipe 4 Are restrained in the mesh net 5, and the mesh net is loaded in the tube without rattling between the nets, so that the reforming catalyst 4 flows between the individual particles and rubs or collides with each other. As a result, pulverization due to vibration of the granular catalyst can be suppressed to a small extent.

[0010]

Since the fuel reformer of the present invention is configured as described above, even when it is applied to a vehicle-mounted fuel cell power generator, the fuel reformer can be used as the vehicle starts, runs, or stops. It is possible to reduce the pulverization of the reforming catalyst due to the vibration applied to the reformer, to prolong the life of the reforming catalyst and to maintain the reformer capacity stably.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of one mesh net in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a system flow diagram of a fuel cell power generator.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the structure of a conventional fuel reformer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 furnace body 2 burner 3 reforming pipe 4 reforming catalyst 5 reticulated net

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A fuel reformer in which a reforming pipe filled with a reforming catalyst is housed in a furnace equipped with a burner, and a raw fuel gas is introduced into the reforming pipe to obtain a hydrogen-rich reformed gas. In the above, the granular reforming catalyst to be filled in the reforming pipe is subdivided into substantially fixed amounts and is filled in a gas-permeable flexible container, and the catalyst-containing container is stacked and loaded in the reforming pipe. Fuel reformer. 2. The fuel reformer according to claim 1, wherein the flexible container is a mesh net woven with metal wires such as stainless steel. 3. The fuel reformer according to claim 1, wherein the reforming catalyst is tightly filled in the flexible container.