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.

A reformer is disclosed in one embodiment of the invention as including a channel to convey a preheated plurality of reactants containing both a feedstock fuel and an oxidant. A plasma generator is provided to apply an electrical potential to the reactants sufficient to ionize one or more of the reactants. These ionized reactants are then conveyed to a reaction zone where they are chemically transformed into synthesis gas containing a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. A heat transfer mechanism is used to transfer heat from an external heat source to the reformer to provide the heat of reformation.

Systems and methods are provided for incorporating molten carbonate fuel cells into a heat recovery steam generation system (HRSG) for production of electrical power while also reducing or minimizing the amount of CO.sub.2 present in the flue gas exiting the HRSG. An optionally multi-layer screen or wall of molten carbonate fuel cells can be inserted into the HRSG so that the screen of molten carbonate fuel cells substantially fills the cross-sectional area. By using the walls of the HRSG and the screen of molten carbonate fuel cells to form a cathode input manifold, the overall amount of duct or flow passages associated with the MCFCs can be reduced.

The invention provides a composite material formed from an inorganic mesoporous, or mesoporous-like, material that is dispersed throughout a polymeric matrix formed by a crosslinked polymer that has acidic- or basic-residues and which may also optionally have further acidic- or basic-residues grafted onto the inorganic mesoporous material. The resulting composite material may be used to remove acidic or basic impurities from a gas in need thereof and can be easily regenerated.

In some examples, a method for treating a reforming catalyst, the method comprising heating a catalyst metal used for reforming hydrocarbon in a reducing gas mixture environment. The reducing gas mixture comprises hydrogen and at least one sulfur-containing compound. The at least one sulfur-containing compound includes one or more of hydrogen sulfide, carbonyl sulfide, carbonyl disulfide and organic sulfur-containing compounds such as thiophenes, thiophanes, sulfides (RSH), disulfides (RS.sub.2R′), tri-sulfides (RS.sub.3R′) and mercaptans (RSR′).

A fuel cell system according to the present invention includes a cell stack, a combustion part, a reformed water carburetor, a gas mixer, and a reformer. The cell stack is a cell stack that is configured by stacking fuel cells and generates electric power by using hydrogen-containing gas and oxygen-containing gas. The combustion part burns the hydrogen-containing gas and the oxygen-containing gas that have not been consumed in the cell stack. A reformed water carburetor is communicated with the combustion part via an exhaust gas passage and generates steam. The gas mixer, placed on the top of the combustion part. The reformer, placed on the top of the combustion part in contact with the gas mixer, is a reformer, generates the hydrogen-containing gas by reforming the mixed gas, and supplies the hydrogen-containing gas to the cell stack via the hydrogen gas passage.

The integrated processes herein provide improved carbon efficiency for processes based on coal or biomass gasification or steam methane reforming. Provided are also ethylene oxide carbonylation products such as beta-propiolactone and succinic anhydride having a bio-based content between 0% and 100%, and methods for producing and analyzing the same.

A fuel cell system and method for using a peak shaving gas, the system including: a fuel inlet configured to receive fuel from a fuel source; a catalytic partial oxidation (CPOx) reactor configured to at least partially oxidize the fuel during startup of the system; a blower configured to provide air to the CPOx reactor; a gas analyzer configured to determine a composition of fuel provided to the CPOx reactor from the fuel inlet; an oxidation catalyst configured to reduce an O.sub.2 content of fuel received from the CPOx reactor; a reforming catalyst configured to partially reform fuel received from the oxidation catalyst; and a stack of fuel cells configured to generate electricity using fuel received from the reforming catalyst.

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a fuel gas supply line, an oxidizing agent gas supply line, a fuel gas discharge line, and a reformer provided in the fuel gas supply line. A first circulating line circulates the fuel gas from the fuel gas discharge line to an upstream side of the reformer in the fuel gas supply line as a first circulating gas. The circulation device is provided in the fuel gas supply line, and suctions the first circulating gas by using the flow of the fuel gas flowing through the fuel gas supply line as a driving flow. A second circulating line circulates the fuel gas from a downstream side of the circulation device in the fuel gas supply line or the fuel gas discharge line to the upstream side of the circulation device in the fuel gas supply line as a second circulating gas.

A fuel cell system including a fuel cell, an off-gas reprocessing unit that is provided downstream of the fuel cell and that at least partially removes at least one of steam or carbon dioxide from an off-gas discharged from the fuel cell, a flow passage that is provided downstream of the off-gas reprocessing unit and that allows a reprocessed off-gas discharged from the off-gas reprocessing unit to flow therethrough, and a controlling unit that modulates the reaction constant K.sub.pa of a reaction A with respect to the reprocessed off-gas discharged from the off-gas reprocessing unit, to 1.22 or more.