HEAT AND HYDROGEN GENERATION DEVICE

• US 20180002175A1
• Filed: 06/28/2017
• Published: 01/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: TAKESHIMA, Shinichi, NISHIOKA, Hiromasa, FUJIWARA, Kiyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 10,494,256 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0261 containing a catalytic partial oxidation step [CPO]
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0811 by combustion of fuel
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0883 by indirect heat exchange
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/1614 Controlling the temperature
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/1619 Measuring the temperature
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/169 Controlling the feed
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/38 using catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/386 Catalytic partial combustion

Abstract

A burner combustion chamber (3), a reformer catalyst (4) to which burner combustion gas is fed, and a heat exchange part (13a) for heating the air fed to the burner (7) are provided. When the temperature of the reformer catalyst (4) exceeds the allowable catalyst temperature (TX) or when it is predicted the temperature of the reformer catalyst (4) will exceed the allowable catalyst temperature (TX), the air circulation route for guiding air to the burner (7) is switched from a high temperature air circulation route (13) for guiding air heated by the heat exchange part (13a) to the burner (7) to a low temperature air circulation route (14) for guiding air not flowing within the heat exchange part (13a) and lower in temperature than the air heated at the heat exchange part (13a) to the burner (7).

Claims

1. A heat and hydrogen generation device comprising a burner combustion chamber, a burner arranged in the burner combustion chamber for performing burner combustion, a fuel feed device able to control an amount of feed of fuel fed from the burner into the burner combustion chamber, an air feed device able to control a temperature and amount of feed of air fed from the burner into the burner combustion chamber, an ignition device for causing the fuel to ignite, a reformer catalyst to which burner combustion gas is fed, and an electronic control unit, said air feed device being provided with a heat exchange part for heating the air fed from the burner into the burner combustion chamber by the burner combustion gas, heat and hydrogen being generated by performing the burner combustion, wherein an allowable catalyst temperature enabling heat degradation of said reformer catalyst to be avoided is set in advance, and said electronic control unit controls said air feed device to lower the temperature of the air fed from said burner into the burner combustion chamber for maintaining the temperature of the reformer catalyst at below the allowable catalyst temperature when the burner combustion is being performed and when the temperature of said reformer catalyst exceeds said allowable catalyst temperature or it is predicted that the temperature of said reformer catalyst will exceed said allowable catalyst temperature.

2. The heat and hydrogen generation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said electronic control unit lowers the temperature of the air fed from said burner into the burner combustion chamber by stopping the feed of air heated at said heat exchange part into the burner combustion chamber and feeding air of a lower temperature than the air heated at said heat exchange part from said burner into said burner combustion chamber.

3. The heat and hydrogen generation device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said heat and hydrogen generation device further comprises a switching device for switching an air flow route for feeding air from said burner into said burner combustion chamber between a high temperature air flow route for feeding air heated at said heat exchange part and a low temperature air flow route for feeding air lower in temperature than the air heated at said heat exchange part, and said electronic control unit switches the air flow route for feeding air from said burner into said burner combustion chamber from said high temperature air flow route to said low temperature air flow route when lowering the temperature of the air fed into said burner combustion chamber.

4. The heat and hydrogen generation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the heat and hydrogen generation device starts to be operated, said electronic control unit performs a primary warm-up operation in which the temperature of the reformer catalyst is made to rise by performing burner combustion by a lean air-fuel ratio, and then performs a secondary warm-up operation in which the temperature of the reformer catalyst is made to rise and hydrogen is generated at the reformer catalyst by performing burner combustion by a rich air-fuel ratio.

5. The heat and hydrogen generation device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said electronic control unit predicts that the temperature of the reformer catalyst will exceed said allowable catalyst temperature when the primary warm-up operation is switched to the secondary warm-up operation and thereby lowers the temperature of the air fed from said burner into said burner combustion chamber.

6. The heat and hydrogen generation device as claimed in claim 4, wherein at the time of said primary warm-up operation, the O₂/C molar ratio of the air and fuel which are made to react is made 2.0 to 4.0.

7. The heat and hydrogen generation device as claimed in claim 4, wherein at the time of said secondary warm-up operation, the O₂/C molar ratio of the air and fuel which are made to react is made 0.5 to 0.56.

8. The heat and hydrogen generation device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said electronic control unit switches to said secondary warm-up operation if the temperature of said reformer catalyst exceeds a predetermined temperature when said primary warm-up operation is being performed.

9. The heat and hydrogen generation device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said electronic control unit switches to said secondary warm-up operation if the temperature of the air flowing out from the heat exchange part exceeds a predetermined temperature when said primary warm-up operation is being performed.

10. The heat and hydrogen generation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said electronic control unit switches an operating mode of the heat and hydrogen generation device to either a heat generating operating mode generating heat by performing a complete oxidation reaction by a lean air-fuel ratio and a heat and hydrogen generating operating mode generating heat and hydrogen by performing a partial oxidation reforming reaction by a rich air-fuel ratio.