A metal/α-MoC.sub.1-x load-type single-atomic dispersion catalyst, a synthesis method therefor, and applications thereof. The catalyst uses α-MoC.sub.1-x as carrier, and has metal that has the mass fraction ranging from 1-100% and that is dispersed on carrier α-MoC.sub.1-x in the single atom form. The catalyst provided in the present application can be adapted to a wide alcohol/water proportion in hydrogen production based on aqueous-phase reforming of alcohols, outstanding hydrogen production performance can be obtained at a variety of proportions, and catalysis performance of the catalyst is much higher than that of metal loaded with an oxide carrier. Especially when the metal is Pt, catalysis performance of the catalyst provided in the present application in the hydrogen production based on aqueous-phase reforming of alcohols is much higher than that of a Pt/α-MoC.sub.1-x load-type catalyst on the α-MoC.sub.1-x carrier on which Pt is disposed on a layer form in the prior art. The hydrogen production performance of the catalyst provided in the present application can be higher than 20,000 h.sup.−1 at the temperature of 190° C.

Hydrogen generation assemblies, hydrogen purification devices, and their components are disclosed. In some embodiments, the devices may include a permeate frame with a membrane support structure having first and second membrane support plates that are free from perforations and that include a plurality of microgrooves configured to provide flow channels for at least part of the permeate stream. In some embodiments, the assemblies may include a return conduit fluidly connecting a buffer tank and a reformate conduit, a return valve assembly configured to manage flow in the return conduit, and a control assembly configured to operate a fuel processing assembly between run and standby modes based, at least in part, on detected pressure in the buffer tank and configured to direct the return valve assembly to allow product hydrogen stream to flow from the buffer tank to the reformate conduit when the fuel processing assembly is in the standby mode.

In a fuel cell system for a submarine, hydrogen gas having a reduced carbon monoxide content while the hydrogen gas passes through a purification unit using a selective oxidation reaction can be supplied as a raw material to a fuel cell, so that electrode activity deterioration which may be caused by carbon monoxide can be prevented. In addition, the fuel cell system for a submarine can be miniaturized and weight-reduced and allows gas unreacted in a fuel cell stack to be burnt and recycled to supply heat to a reforming unit, thereby minimizing the amount of discharge gas.

Hydrogen generation assemblies and methods of generating hydrogen are disclosed. In some embodiments, the method may include receiving a feed stream in a fuel processing assembly of the hydrogen generation assembly; and generating a product hydrogen stream in the fuel processing assembly from the received feed stream. Generating a product hydrogen stream may, in some embodiments, include generating an output stream in a hydrogen generating region from the received feed stream, and generating the product hydrogen stream in a purification region from the output stream. The method may additionally include receiving the generated product hydrogen stream in a buffer tank of the hydrogen generation assembly; and detecting pressure in the buffer tank via a tank sensor assembly. The method may further include stopping generation of the product hydrogen stream in the fuel processing assembly when the detected pressure in the buffer tank is above a predetermined maximum pressure.

Presented are processes for the beneficial conversion of CO.sub.2 and other environmentally destructive compounds to their constituent parts by the application of thermal plasma containing activated species whereby the interaction of the plasma with the compounds and reactions of CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2 generate more environmentally friendly compounds comprising in part oxygen and hydrogen. The thermal plasma may be vibro-shear plasma generated by the superheating of either steam, gas or a combination of both.

A multi-fuel fuel cell system is based on the distributed hydrogen production and fuel cell technologies is presented. The system includes fuel supply unit, fuel processor, fuel cell, heat exchange and oxidizer supply units. The fuel processor is a plasma-catalytic reformer. The heat exchange unit is a multiflow heat exchanger which is of a cascading structure from bottom top or a concentric cylinder structure from inside to outside. The multiflow heat exchanger has the function of balancing the heat of fuel processor and fuel cell. The fuel storage is connected to the fuel processor by the pipeline and provides fuel for the fuel processor. The outlet of fuel processor is connected via the multiflow heat exchanger to the fuel cell anode, and provides reactant for the fuel cell.

A highly compact heat integrated fuel processor, which can be used for the production of hydrogen from a fuel source, suitable to feed a fuel cell, is described. The fuel processor assembly comprises a catalytic reforming zone (29) and a catalytic combustion zone (28), separated by a wall (27). Catalyst able to induce the reforming reactions is placed in the reforming zone and catalyst able to induce the combustion reaction is placed in the combustion zone, both in the form of coating on a suitable structured substrate, in the form of a metal monolith. FeCrAIY steel foils, in corrugated form so as to enhance the available area for reaction, can be used as suitable substrates. The reforming and the combustion zones can be either in rectangular shape, forming a stack with alternating combustion/reforming zones or in cylindrical shape forming annular sections with alternating combustion/reforming zones, in close contact to each other. The close placement of the combustion and reforming catalyst facilitate efficient heat transfer through the wall which separates the reforming and combustion chambers.

Provided is a hydrogen production reactor as a reactor producing a reforming gas including hydrogen, in which a burning unit and a reforming unit are sequentially arranged and spaced apart from each other in a concentric structure based on a raw material transfer pipe positioned at a central axis of the reactor, including a heating raw material transfer pipe supplying a raw material to the burning unit, a burning unit burning the supplied raw material and supplying heat to the reforming unit, a reforming raw material phase change pipe positioned within the burning unit and heating the supplied raw material, and a reforming unit reforming the phase-changed raw material supplied from the reforming raw material phase change pipe, wherein the reforming raw material phase change pipe is provided as a coil surrounding an outer circumferential surface of a lower end of the heating raw material transfer pipe.

Method for stable ethanol steam reforming, wherein a catalytic ethanol reforming is carried out in two vessels operating in parallel mode both filled in with a catalyst active for this reaction, with the first vessel acting in operation mode, generating an hydrogen rich stream, and the parallel vessel, acting in regeneration mode, made flowing with steam in order to carry out the gasification of carbonaceous compounds deposited on the catalyst.

A hydrogen permeable membrane device is provided that includes a porous ceramic layer having a material that includes zirconia, Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), /Al.sub.2O.sub.3, and/or YSZ /Al.sub.2O.sub.3, and a porous Pd film or porous Pd-alloy film deposited on the a mesoporous ceramic layer.