Hydrogen-rich gas generator

• US 3,982,910 A
• Filed: 07/10/1974
• Issued: 09/28/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Administrator Of The National Aeronautics And Space Administration
• Original Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Administrator Of The National Aeronautics And Space Administration
• Inventors: Houseman, John, Cerini, Donald J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lindsay, Jr., Robert L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yeung, George C.
• Application Number:
  US05/487,156
• Time in Patent Office: 811 Days
• Field of Search: 48/116, 48/117, 48/118, 48/61, 48/63, 48/212, 48/197 R, 48/213, 23/281, 23/288 H, 23/288 K, 423/650, 123/1 A, 123/3, 252/373, 431/11, 431/41, 431/DIG. 65, 431/DIG. 68, 431/116, 431/162, 431/170
• US Class Current: 48/61
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/22 by decomposition of gaseous or liquid organic compounds C01B3/0005 takes precedence ; coking liquid carbonaceous materials C10B55/00
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/36 using oxygen or mixtures containing oxygen as gasifying agents
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 43/10 Engines or plants characterised by use of other specific gases, e.g. acetylene, oxyhydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 27/02 by catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/129 Energy recovery, e.g. by cogeneration, H2recovery or pressure recovery turbines

Abstract

A process and apparatus are described for producing hydrogen-rich product gases by mixing a spray of liquid hydrocarbon with a stream of air in a startup procedure and the mixture is ignited for partial oxidation, then the stream of air is heated by the resulting combustion to reach a temperature such that a signal is produced. The signal triggers a two way valve which directs liquid hydrocarbon from a spraying mechanism to a vaporizing mechanism with which a vaporized hydrocarbon is formed. The vaporized hydrocarbon is subsequently mixed with the heated air in the combustion chamber where partial oxidation takes place and hydrogen-rich product gases are produced.

Claims

1. A hydrogen generator comprising

means for defining a source of liquid hydrocarbon,

means for defining a source of air,

means establishing a partial oxidation region,

means to which said means defining a source of liquid carbon is connected for producing a spray of droplets from said liquid hydrocarbon source and injecting said spray into said partial oxidation region,

means for injecting air from said means defining a source of air into said partial oxidation region to be mixed with said spray,

means to which said partial oxidation region is connected for igniting said air-spray mixture to permit production of hot hydrogen-rich product gases,

means to which said means defining a source of air is connected for preheating air from said source prior to its injection into said partial oxidation region with said hot hydrogen-rich product gases,

means coupled to said means for preheating air for determining when the temperature of said preheated air exceeds a predetermined value and producing a signal,

means coupled to said means defining a source of liquid hydrocarbon for vaporizing said liquid hydrocarbon,

valve means responsive to said signal for terminating the application of liquid hydrocarbon from said source to said means for producing a spray of droplets and for directing it instead to said means for vaporizing liquid hydrocarbon to produce vaporized hydrocarbon,

means for directing said vaporized hydrocarbon to said means for injecting air to be mixed with said preheated air and injected therewith into said partial oxidation regions, and

means for removing hydrogen-rich product gases from said partial oxidation region.

2. A hydrogen generator as recited in claim 1 wherein there is included

means for mixing some of said hydrogen-rich product gases from said partial oxidation region with said preheated air and said vaporized hydrocarbon.

3. A hydrogen generator as recited in claim 1 wherein there is included catalyst means positioned within said means establishing a partial oxidation region for partially oxidizing the vaporized fuel on the surfaces of said catalyst means.

4. A hydrogen-rich generator as recited in claim 3 wherein said catalyst means is one of a group consisting of nickel, palladium, platinum and silver oxide.

5. A hydrogen generator comprising walls defining a chamber, said chamber having a separate preheating section and a burner section,

means defining a source of air,

means for passing air from said means defining a source of air through said preheating section to be preheated,

means defining a source of liquid hydrocarbon, burner means for injecting preheated air from said preheating section and a spray of liquid hydrocarbon from said means defining a source of liquid hydrocarbon into said burner section,

vaporizing means for forming a vaporized hydrocarbon from said liquid hydrocarbon,

means coupling said means defining a source of liquid hydrocarbon to said burner means including a valve means having a first position for directing said hydrocarbon fuel to said burner means and a second position for directing said hydrocarbon to said vaporizing means,

temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature of said preheated air and switching said valve means to its second position when it senses a temperature in excess of a predetermined level,

means for applying said vaporized hydrocarbon and said preheated air to said burner means to be mixed thereby and injected into said burner section,

igniter means adjacent the burner means in said combustion section for igniting the air-hydrocarbon output from said burner means whereby a partial oxidation of said hydrocarbon can occur with the production of hot hydrogen-rich product gases, and

means for passing said hot hydrogen-rich product gases from said combustion section through said preheating section for preheating said air.

6. A hydrogen generator as recited in claim 5 wherein said valve means includes a first exit port in the path of hydrocarbon fuel through said valve means to said burner means and a second exit port in the path of said fuel through said valve means to said vaporizer means,

said second exit port opening being greater than said first exit port opening.

7. A hydrogen generator as recited in claim 5 wherein there is included means to mix a portion of said hydrogen-rich product gases from said partial oxidation region with said mixture of vaporized hydrocarbon and air.

8. A hydrogen generator as recited in claim 7 wherein said means to mix a portion of said hydrogen-rich product gases with said mixture of vaporized liquid hydrocarbon and air includes

aspirator means having two inputs and an output,

means coupling one of said aspirator means inputs to receive preheated air from said preheater section and the other of said aspirator means inputs to receive hydrogen-rich gases from said burner section, and

means coupling said aspirator means output to said burner means.

9. A hydrogen generator as recited in claim 5 wherein there is included catalyst means placed in said burner section having surfaces over which gases in said burner section pass to said preheat section to be generated into hot hydrogen-rich product gases.

10. A hydrogen generator as recited in claim 9 wherein said catalyst means is one of a group consisting of nickel, palladium, platinum and silver oxide.

11. A hydrogen generator as recited in claim 5, wherein said vaporizing means comprises tubing wrapped around the walls defining said burner section.

12. A hydrogen generator as recited in claim 5 wherein said burner means includes

a pear shaped body positioned with its narrower end adjacent one end of said burner section and its other end extending into said burner section,

central passageway means passing through the center of said pear shaped body for injecting said liquid hydrocarbon spray into said burner section,

first passageway means for guiding said preheated air over said pear shaped body surface and into said burner section, including

a hollow cylinder within said burner section, said hollow cylinder enclosing said pear shapped body and extending into said burner section, and

means extending from the inside walls of said hollow cylinder toward the surface of said pear shaped body to form said first passageway means therewith,

said hollow cylinder outside walls being spaced from said chamber walls to define a second passageway therewith for returning some of said hydrogen-rich product gases to said first passageway to be mixed with said air and vaporized hydrocarbon fuel.

13. A hydrogen generator as recited in claim 5 wherein said burner means includes central passageway means for injecting liquid hydrocarbon fuel spray, and

spiral passageway means surrounding said central passageway means for injecting air into said burner section when said valve means is in its first position and a mixture of air and vaporized liquid hydrocarbon when said valve means is in its second position.

14. The method of producing hydrogen-rich product gases from liquid hydrocarbon comprising

providing a stream of air,

generating a spray of a first portion of said liquid hydrocarbon,

mixing a spray of said liquid hydrocarbon with said stream of air to produce a first mixture,

partially oxidizing said first mixture to produce hydrogen-rich hot product gases,

heating said stream of air prior to mixing with said liquid hydrocarbon spray by indirect heat exchange with the hydrogen-rich hot product gases to produce heated air,

measuring the temperature of said heated air and producing a signal when it exceeds the dewpoint of said liquid hydrocarbon,

vaporizing a second portion of said liquid hydrocarbon to produce a vaporized hydrocarbon, and

mixing said vaporized hydrocarbon with said heated air in place of said spray in response to said signal, and

partially oxidizing said mixture of vaporized hydrocarbon with said heated air instead of said first mixture to produce hydrogen-rich product gases.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein there is included the step of mixing some of said hydrogen-rich product gases with said mixture of vaporized hydrocarbon and preheated air.

16. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein said step of partially oxidizing said first mixture includes the step of

igniting said mixture in a confined space and thereafter passing over the surfaces of a catalyst.

17. The method as recited in claim 16 wherein said catalyst is one of the group consisting of nickel, platinum and silver oxide.