A multi-stage shift reactor includes a vessel having an inner chamber configured to contain a first shift catalyst, the first shift catalyst configured to receive anode exhaust gas form a fuel cell and to output a first shifted gas, and an outer chamber annularly disposed about the inner chamber and configured to contain a second shift catalyst, the second shift catalyst configured to receive the first shifted gas and output a second shifted gas. The shift reactor further includes a water injection port downstream from the inner chamber and packing between the water injection port and the outer chamber, the packing configured to prevent liquid water from passing therethrough.

Disclosed is a technology based upon the nesting of tubes to provide chemical reactors or chemical reactors with built in heat exchanger. As a chemical reactor, the technology provides the ability to manage the temperature within a process flow for improved performance, control the location of reactions for corrosion control, or implement multiple process steps within the same piece of equipment. As a chemical reactor with built in heat exchanger, the technology can provide large surface areas per unit volume and large heat transfer coefficients. The technology can recover the thermal energy from the product flow to heat the reactant flow to the reactant temperature, significantly reducing the energy needs for accomplishment of a process.

Disclosed is a technology based upon the nesting of tubes to provide chemical reactors or chemical reactors with built in heat exchanger. As a chemical reactor, the technology provides the ability to manage the temperature within a process flow for improved performance, control the location of reactions for corrosion control, or implement multiple process steps within the same piece of equipment. As a chemical reactor with built in heat exchanger, the technology can provide large surface areas per unit volume and large heat transfer coefficients. The technology can recover the thermal energy from the product flow to heat the reactant flow to the reactant temperature, significantly reducing the energy needs for accomplishment of a process.

A chemical reactor including reformer tubes for reforming a first feed stream including a hydrocarbon gas and steam. The chemical reactor includes one or more reformer tubes arranged to being heated by an electrically driven heat source. The reformer tube includes a first inlet for feeding said first feed stream into a first reforming reaction zone of the reformer tube, and a feed conduit arranged to allow a second feed stream into a second reforming reaction zone of the reformer tube. The second reforming reaction zone is positioned downstream of the first reforming reaction zone. The feed conduit is configured so that the second feed stream is only in contact with catalyst material in the second reforming reaction zone. A process of producing CO rich synthesis gas at low S/C conditions.

A cylindrical shift converter (4) is disposed within an annular heat exchanger (28, 24) which has an outer wall (5). A plurality of spiral rods (90) create a plurality of spiral gas passages (26a) between the outer wall and a thin shell (92). The outer diameter of the thin shell is at least about 3/16 inch (about 4 mm) less than the inner diameter of an inner wall (20) of an annular hydrodesulfurizer (10), to facilitate inserting the shift converter and heat exchanger into the hydrodesulfurizer to form a unitized assembly (2). The spiral passages open into the hydrodesulfurizer.

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.

A multi-stage shift reactor includes a vessel having an inner chamber configured to contain a first shift catalyst, the first shift catalyst configured to receive anode exhaust gas form a fuel cell and to output a first shifted gas, and an outer chamber annularly disposed about the inner chamber and configured to contain a second shift catalyst, the second shift catalyst configured to receive the first shifted gas and output a second shifted gas. The shift reactor further includes a water injection port downstream from the inner chamber and packing between the water injection port and the outer chamber, the packing configured to prevent liquid water from passing therethrough.

Disclosed is a technology based upon the nesting of tubes to provide chemical reactors or chemical reactors with built in heat exchanger. As a chemical reactor, the technology provides the ability to manage the temperature within a process flow for improved performance, control the location of reactions for corrosion control, or implement multiple process steps within the same piece of equipment. As a chemical reactor with built in heat exchanger, the technology can provide large surface areas per unit volume and large heat transfer coefficients. The technology can recover the thermal energy from the product flow to heat the reactant flow to the reactant temperature, significantly reducing the energy needs for accomplishment of a process.

A fuel reforming device includes a combustion part including a burner; an exhaust part configured to circulate an exhaust gas that is generated from the combustion part; and a reactor that is configured to generate hydrogen from a raw material by absorbing heat from the exhaust gas circulating in the exhaust part. The reactor includes a heat storage member that is configured to absorb the heat from the exhaust gas during operation of the combustion part, store the absorbed heat, and provide the absorbed heat to the reactor.

A hydrogen generator includes a hydro-desulfurizer, a reformer, a reactor and an electric heater. The hydro-desulfurizer is operative to remove a sulfur compound in a raw material and including a tubular first wall. The reformer is operative to generate a hydrogen-containing gas by using the raw material supplied from the hydro-desulfurizer. The reactor includes a tubular second wall provided coaxially with the first wall so as to be opposed to the first wall. The electric heater is annularly provided in a gap between the first wall and the second wall so as to extend in an axial direction of the first wall and turn back in the axial direction of the first wall. The electric heater includes a first portion contacting the first wall and a second portion contacting the second wall. A connecting portion, which connects the first portion and the second portion, has elasticity.