A fuel processing system and method for a sulfur bearing fuel include a hydrodesulfurization reactor followed by an adsorbent bed for removing sulfur or sulfur containing species from the fuel. In certain embodiments, the adsorbent bed is a ZnO bed. In another embodiment, a fuel processing system and method for a sulfur bearing fuel include a steam reformer, a hydrodesulfurization reactor, and an adsorbent bed.

Disclosed is a desulfurizer of a fuel cell. The desulfurizer includes a pipe extended long and having one side that is open and the other side that is closed; a cap coupled to one side of the pipe and closing the pipe; a plurality of baffles installed in an inner space of the pipe and sequentially partitioning the inner space in a direction crossing a length direction of the pipe; an inflow pipe penetrating through the cap and the plurality of baffles and communicating from the outside of the pipe to the inner space of the pipe; and an outflow pipe installed in the cap and communicating the outside of the pipe and the inner space of the pipe.

Systems and methods are provided for a fuel cell including a fuel desulfurization system. The method includes receiving fuel from a fuel source in a first phase and depressurizing the fuel in the first phase in a vacuum system to convert at least a portion of the fuel into a second phase. The method further includes reforming the portion of the fuel in the second phase to create a hydrogen enriched fuel in the second phase, and delivering the hydrogen enriched fuel in the second phase to a fuel cell stack.

Disclosed is a desulfurizer of a fuel cell. The desulfurizer includes a pipe extended long and having one side that is open and the other side that is closed; a cap coupled to one side of the pipe and closing the pipe; a plurality of baffles installed in an inner space of the pipe and sequentially partitioning the inner space in a direction crossing a length direction of the pipe; an inflow pipe penetrating through the cap and the plurality of baffles and communicating from the outside of the pipe to the inner space of the pipe; and an outflow pipe installed in the cap and communicating the outside of the pipe and the inner space of the pipe.

A modular fuel cell subsystem includes multiple rows of modules, where each row comprises a plurality of fuel cell power modules and a power conditioning module containing a DC to AC inverter electrically connected the power modules. In some embodiments, a single gas and water distribution module is fluidly connected to multiple rows of power modules, and a single mini power distribution module is electrically connected to each of the power conditioning module in each row of modules. In some embodiments, each row of modules further includes a fuel processing module located on an opposite side of the plurality of fuel cell power modules from the power conditioning module. Fuel and water connections may enter each row from the side of the row containing the fuel processing module, and electrical connections may enter each row from the side of the row containing the power conditioning module.

Provided is a desulfurizer for removing a sulfur compound contained in a fluid, comprising a desulfurization agent for removing the sulfur compound from the fluid and a housing which contains the desulfurization agent and the inside of which the fluid flows through. The desulfurization agent includes a metal organic framework. The metal organic framework has copper ions and organic ligands. The organic ligands include 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid and 1,3-benzenedicarboxylic acid.

Provided is a fuel cell system capable of further increasing electric power generation efficiency, compared to the current circumstances, with respect to a fuel cell SOFC that generates electric power by supplying a reformed gas obtained by steam reforming to a fuel electrode. A steam reformer that reforms a hydrocarbon fuel by a steam reforming reaction; a fuel cell that operates by introducing a reformed gas to a fuel electrode; and an anode off-gas circulation path that removes condensed water while cooling an anode off-gas, and introduces the anode off-gas to the steam reformer are provided. A condensation temperature in a condensing device is controlled by a control unit that controls a steam partial pressure of the anode circulated to the steam reformer, and S/C adjustment is adapted to high-efficiency electric power generation.

A system and method for synthesizing a nanoparticle material includes dissolving a metal nitrate in deionized water, adding a hydrogel precursor in the deionized water containing the dissolved metal nitrate to create an aqueous solution, heating the aqueous solution, cooling the aqueous solution to create a solid gel, and calcinating the solid gel to create a metal oxide nanoparticle material. The metal oxide nanoparticle material may include a zinc oxide-based nanoparticle material. The hydrogel precursor may include an agarose gel. The solid gel may be calcinated at approximately 600 C. The solid gel may be calcinated for approximately five hours in the presence of air. The aqueous solution may be heated to a boil. The aqueous solution may be heated at a temperature of 100 C.

A fuel cell reactor, preferably a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) reactor, for performing direct conversion of a hydrocarbon-containing gas to a higher hydrocarbons product is confined by walls, where reactants are flown in the anode compartments and air is introduced to the cathode compartments, and where oxygen is transferred from one side of the walls to the other side to promote or inhibit a chemical reaction. The process for direct conversion of a hydrocarbon-containing gas to a higher hydrocarbons product takes place in the anode compartment of the reactor, in which produced hydrogen, limiting the conversion to the equilibrium, is reacted in situ with oxygen ions transferred from the cathode compartment to produce steam, thereby removing the equilibrium-limiting hydrogen from the reaction.

A fuel cell system includes a hot box, a stack of fuel cells disposed in the hot box, and a desulfurization subsystem. The desulfurization subsystem may include a sulfur adsorption reactor containing a metal oxide, such as ZnO, configured to adsorb sulfur species from fuel, a first fuel conduit configured to provide fuel to the reactor, and a second fuel conduit configured to receive fuel from the reactor. The desulfurization subsystem may be configured to heat the reactor to an operating temperature ranging from about 200 C. to about 450 C., using heat generated in the hot box.