A fuel cell system including a hydrocarbon fuel stream including a sulfur compound; a passive sorbent bed including a selective sulfur sorbent configured to remove the sulfur compound from the hydrocarbon fuel stream; a SCSO reactor, and an active sorbent bed comprising a sulfur oxide sorbent, wherein the active sorbet bed is configured to receive an effluent stream from the SCSO reactor and remove at least a portion of the sulfur oxides via the sulfur oxide sorbent. During start-up of the fuel cell system, the hydrocarbon fuel stream may be directed along a first flow pathway through the passive sorbent bed to remove the sulfur compound from the fuel stream during a first time period and then directed along a second flow pathway during a second time period that does not pass through the passive sorbent bed, e.g., once the SCSO reactor/active sorbent bed have reached operating temperature.

Membrane modules for hydrogen separation and fuel processors and fuel cell systems including the same are disclosed herein. The membrane modules include a plurality of membrane packs. Each membrane pack includes a first hydrogen-selective membrane, a second hydrogen-selective membrane, and a fluid-permeable support structure positioned between the first hydrogen-selective membrane and the second hydrogen-selective membrane. In some embodiments, the membrane modules also include a permeate-side frame member and a mixed gas-side frame member, and a thickness of the permeate-side frame member may be less than a thickness of the mixed gas-side frame member. In some embodiments, the support structure includes a screen structure that includes two fine mesh screens. The two fine mesh screens may include a plain weave fine mesh screen and/or a Dutch weave fine mesh screen. The fine mesh screens may be selected to provide at most 100 micrometers of undulation in the hydrogen-selective membranes.

The invention relates to a filter element (10), including a filter body (12) with a self-contained exterior side (50) which surrounds a self-contained interior side (52), at least one filter medium (16) being disposed between exterior side (50) and interior side (52) and the filter body (12) including at least in some areas at least one winding layer (14) with at least one adsorbent. The invention relates furthermore to a filter system (100) with a filter element (10) with a filter body (12) with a self-contained exterior side (50) which surrounds a self-contained interior side (52), at least one filter medium (16) being disposed between exterior side (50) and interior side (52), the filter body (12) including at least in some areas at least one winding layer (14) with at least one adsorbent.

Method and system for producing CO2, purified hydrogen and electricity from a reformed process gas feed using a solid oxide fuel cell. The method having the steps of: introducing the reformed process gas into the solid oxide fuel cell; converting hydrogen and CO of the reformed process gas in combination with oxygen into an anode off-gas including steam, CO.sub.2 and unconverted process gas; introducing the anode off-gas into a high temperature water gas shift reactor; in the high temperature water-gas shift reactor, converting CO and steam into CO.sub.2 and hydrogen, introducing the gas exiting the high temperature water-gas shift reactor into a low temperature water-gas shift membrane reactor, in the low temperature water-gas shift membrane reactor, converting CO and steam into CO.sub.2 and hydrogen, whereby the low temperature water-gas shift membrane reactor comprises a hydrogen pump producing purified hydrogen on a permeate side, while removing hydrogen from a feed side.

A fuel cell vehicle includes a lid, a switch, a sensor, and circuitry. The lid opens and closes a fuel inlet through which fuel gas is to be supplied to a tank. The switch takes an opening position to open the lid and a closing position to close the lid. The sensor detects whether the lid opens or closes the fuel inlet. The circuitry is configured to prohibit the fuel cell vehicle from travelling when the sensor detects that the lid opens the fuel inlet while the switch takes the opening position.

An air filter for a fuel cell vehicle may include a first filtration layer formed in a two-layered dust holding structure, a gas adsorption layer formed of amorphous activated carbon, a second filtration layer having amorphous pores formed therein, and a cover layer for maintaining a physical form of the air filter.

An electrochemical hydrogen pump includes: an electrolyte membrane; a cathode catalyst layer provided on one principal surface of the electrolyte membrane; an anode catalyst layer provided on the other principal surface of the electrolyte membrane; a pair of separators which include gas flow paths and which are provided so as to sandwich the cathode catalyst layer and the anode catalyst layer; and a voltage application portion applying a voltage between the cathode catalyst layer and the anode catalyst layer. In the electrochemical hydrogen pump, the one principal surface is disposed at an upper side in the gravity direction, and the cathode catalyst layer has a hydrophilic property.

An air supply system for a fuel cell includes: a fuel cell stack in which multiple unit cells are stacked and that generates electricity through chemical reactions, an air channel to supply incoming air containing oxygen to the fuel cell stack and to transfer air discharged from the fuel cell stack to the outside of the air supply system, and a gas adsorption unit that is disposed on the air channel, positioned near an outlet of the fuel cell stack, and adsorbs oxygen contained in the air introduced into the air channel.

A method for generating electrical energy by a fuel cell system operated with a reformate gas is provided. According to this method, a fuel cell system is provided. The fuel cell system has a first reactor and a second reactor. A gas separation unit is also provided. A portion of a first fuel gas is fed to the gas separation unit. A target gas including N.sub.2 or CO.sub.2 is separated by the gas separation unit. The separated target gas is fed into a protective housing of the fuel cell system. An H.sub.2-enriched tail gas formed in the gas separation unit is fed as a second fuel gas for operation of the fuel cell.

The present invention discloses a fuel supply for a fuel cell, the fuel cell including a liquid storage area that includes a liquid reactant, a reaction area that includes a solid reactant, wherein the liquid reactant is pumped into the reaction area such that the liquid reactant reacts with the solid reactant to produce reaction components, a product collection area that receives the reaction components, a barrier, and a container with an interior volume that substantially encloses the reaction area, liquid storage area, product collection area. The barrier separates and defines several of the aforementioned areas, and moves to simultaneously increase the product collector area and decrease the liquid storage area as the liquid reactant is pumped from the liquid storage area and the reaction components are transferred into the product collection area.