When the product gas producing operation is stopped, a stand-by operation is executed in which a product gas filling up a reforming processing unit is circulated, in a state in which an adsorbent of adsorption towers is maintained in a state in which adsorption target components are desorbed, and the heating of a reformer by a heating burner is maintained, and when the stand-by operation is stopped and the product gas producing operation is started, initial operation processing is executed in which immediately after the start, a source gas and steam are supplied to the reformer to produce a reformed gas, and the reformed gas from the reforming processing unit supplied to the adsorption towers to produce the product gas, and then the product gas producing operation in which the product gas is collected in a product gas tank is executed.

A control method of a combustion system for controlling combustion of fuel within a combustor, the combustion system including the combustor having a catalyst for promoting the combustion and a first heater arranged so as to be able to supply heat to the catalyst, including: supplying the fuel and oxidizing gas to the combustor along with providing the heat to the catalyst by the first heater; and deactivating the first heater at a prescribed timing and increasing a flow rate of the fuel greater than that have been set before deactivating the first heater, wherein the prescribed timing is determined as a timing at which a generated heat of the fuel prior to deactivation of the first heater becomes equal to or greater than a heat required for raising a temperature of the fuel having the flow rate after increased up to a light-off temperature of the catalyst.

In a fuel cell system, for example HTPEM fuel cells. a valve system is employed by selectively guiding exhaust gas from the burner either to the reformer for heating the reformer, especially during normal operation, or to by-pass the reformer in startup situations in order to heat the fuel cell stack before starting heating the reformer. Optionally, a compact burner/reformer unit is provided.

A control method of a combustion system for controlling combustion of fuel within a combustor, the combustion system including the combustor having a catalyst for promoting the combustion and a first heater arranged so as to be able to supply heat to the catalyst, including: supplying the fuel and oxidizing gas to the combustor along with providing the heat to the catalyst by the first heater; and deactivating the first heater at a prescribed timing and increasing a flow rate of the fuel greater than that have been set before deactivating the first heater, wherein the prescribed timing is determined as a timing at which a generated heat of the fuel prior to deactivation of the first heater becomes equal to or greater than a heat required for raising a temperature of the fuel having the flow rate after increased up to a light-off temperature of the catalyst.

The invention relates to a process for the start-up of an autothermal reformer, wherein syngas is produced in the autothermal reformer during start-up through steam reforming. To facilitate autoignition in the autothermal reformer reactor of the autothermal reformer, the reformed syngas is recycled to an upstream section of the autothermal reformer reactor and is mixed with process steam and a hydrocarbon containing process stream. As soon as a minimum hydrogen threshold concentration at the upstream section of the autothermal reformer reactor is reached in the mixed process stream, oxygen is added to the burner of the ATR reactor to obtain autoignition of the mixed process stream. Due to the process of the invention, an external hydrogen source for facilitating autoignition of the mixed stream can be omitted. The invention further relates to a plant configured to carry out the process of the invention.

A method can be utilized to startup into a normal operating state a steam reformer arrangement for the production of hydrogen, methanol, or ammonia. A plurality of burners that are coupled to at least one reactor having reformer tubes may be controlled and regulated. In particular, startup may be performed out and regulated in an automated manner by the burners ensuring normal operation, in particular non-startup burners, being ignited indirectly as a function of temperature by means of burners provided specifically for startup, in particular pilot burners and startup burners, as a function of automatically evaluated flame monitoring at least at the pilot burners. This method provides time savings and savings of outlay in terms of personnel and also high operational reliability.

Disclosed is a reforming system using an off gas as a cooling medium, which includes: a compressor configured to compress a feed gas; a cooling system a heat exchanger connected to the compressor and configured to cool the feed gas, the temperature of which has been raised in a compression process, by a cooling medium including cooling water; a reformer configured to generate a synthesis gas including hydrogen by reacting the feed gas, which passed through the heat exchanger, with water; a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) unit configured to separate hydrogen from the synthesis gas generated by the reformer and discharge the off gas; and an off gas line configured to feed the off gas discharged from the PSA unit to the heat exchanger such that the heat exchanger utilizes the off gas as the cooling medium.

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a method of starting a fuel reformer including a heating element and a subsequent autothermal reformer includes contacting a first fluid comprising oxygen with the heating element, passing the first fluid into the autothermal reformer to preheat a reformer catalyst within the autothermal reformer to a first temperature, reducing flow of the first fluid into the autothermal reformer, introducing a fuel into the autothermal reformer subsequent to preheating the reformer catalyst to initiate a partial oxidation reaction and generating additional heat, increasing flow of the fuel and first fluid to initiate autothermal reforming, and controlling the temperature of the reformer catalyst by supplying a cooling fluid, the first fluid, and the fuel and adjusting flow of each.

In a process for the start-up of a hydrodesulfurization section, comprising the steps of providing a natural gas feed, passing the natural gas feed through the waste heat section of a reformer, thereby heating the natural gas feed, and passing the heated natural gas feed through a hydrodesulfurization section, thereby heating the hydrodesulfurization section while producing a desulfurized natural gas stream, a part of the desulfurized natural gas stream is provided as fuel for the reformer, while the remainder of the desulfurized natural gas is recycled to at least one point upstream the waste heat section.

A system for controlling hydrogen production from water-reactive aluminum includes a regulator. For example, the regulator may include a plurality of discrete objects and a retainer. Each one of the discrete objects includes aluminum in an activated form reactable with water to produce hydrogen. The retainer may encase the plurality of discrete objects collectively in an elongate shape having an axial dimension greater than a radial dimension. Within the elongate shape, the plurality of discrete objects may define voids therebetween. The retainer may be permeable across its thickness such that water may enter the retainer to react with the activated form of aluminum of the discrete objects in a local concentration that promotes heat generation for rapid reaction while water about the retainer may globally cool the material in the retainer, with the combination promoting rapid and efficient reaction of aluminum to produce hydrogen.