A volume of natural gas including a volume of methane and a volume of other alkanes may be cleaned of the other alkanes using a steam reformer system to create synthesis gas.

A synthesis gas plant for producing synthesis gas, said synthesis gas plant including an electrically heated reforming reactor system including a first catalyst active for catalyzing steam methane reforming reaction, said electrically heated reforming reactor system being arranged to receive a feed gas comprising hydrocarbons and outletting a first synthesis gas stream. The synthesis gas plant also includes a post converter downstream the electrically heated reforming reactor system, said post converter housing a second catalyst active for catalyzing steam methane reforming/methanation reactions and reverse water gas shift reaction, said post converter being arranged to receive at least part of said first synthesis gas stream and outletting a second synthesis gas stream. Furthermore, the synthesis gas plant includes means for adding a heated CO.sub.2 rich gas stream to the at least part of the first synthesis gas stream upstream the post converter and/or into the post converter.

An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell system for preventing carbon deposition in a fuel cell stack to be supplied with reformed gas. A fuel cell system 10A of the present invention includes a partial oxidation reformer 22 for partially oxidizing raw fuel to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen, a shift reactor 23 for shift reacting the carbon monoxide with steam to produce carbon dioxide and hydrogen, a fuel cell stack 20 for generating electric power by electrochemical reaction between oxidant gas and the hydrogen which is produced in at least one of the partial oxidation reformer 22 and the shift reactor 23, and an exhaust gas recirculation pipe P6 for supplying steam contained in exhaust gas of the fuel cell stack 20 to the shift reactor 23.

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.

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.

A apparatus may extract temperature for each region of a feed water and steam system of a thermoelectric power plant with respect to a combustible combination including one or more combustibles, extract one or more vectors for each region from the temperatures extracted for each region, generate one or more combustible clusters, each cluster including one or more combustible combinations having similar properties from the extracted vectors, and extract a characteristic component of a combustible combination that increases or decreases a boiler performance index from among one or more combustible combinations included in the one or more combustible clusters.

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.

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.

A process for on-site hydrogen reforming is disclosed. The process includes providing a combined reformer heat exchanger component in which heated air, steam, and hydrocarbon fuel react to form process gas containing hydrogen, and the process gas is cooled via the heat exchanger. The combined components enable reductions in size, materials, costs, and heat loss. Additionally, as the heat exchanger side of the component operates at a cooler temperature, an uninsulated flange for access to the catalyst chamber can be used. A combined combustion heat exchanger component is also provided with similar advantages. Process gas is processed, and hydrogen gas is produced via a purification process.

Systems and methods for pyrolysis using an induction source of energy. A system can include: a reaction chamber, the reaction chamber having a cylindrical shape, the reaction chamber containing a catalyst; a fluidization plate connected to a first end of the reaction chamber; a gas input receiver connected to the fluidization plate; and a mechanism connected to a second end of the reaction chamber, wherein, during operation of the system: hydrocarbon gas is received at the gas input receiver; the input gas is forced through the fluidization plate; the fluidized gas mixes with the catalyst, resulting in at least one catalyzed molecule; the at least one catalyzed molecule undergo pyrolysis, resulting in at least two cracked elements; and the at least two cracked elements are removed from the system via the at least one output mechanism.