A method for producing hydrogen by controlling an exothermic reaction provides a metal, input to a reaction chamber, at a first flow rate. An acid is provided and input to the reaction chamber at a second flow rate. The combination of the metal and acid produces hydrogen under pressure in the reaction chamber. Hydrogen is output from the reaction chamber at a first pressure and at a third flow rate. The first pressure and the third flow rate are determined. Each of the first flow rate of the metal and the second flow rate of the acid are controlled as a function of the first pressure and third flow rate.

Provided is an accommodation body that accommodates a raw material including a hydride from which a hydrogen-containing gas is capable of being obtained by subjecting the raw material to a dehydrogenation reaction. The raw material and a dehydrogenation product produced in combination with the hydrogen-containing gas by the dehydrogenation reaction are capable of being loaded together in an internal space.

Provided is a hydrogen supply system that supplies hydrogen. The hydrogen supply system includes: a dehydrogenation reaction unit that subjects a raw material including a hydride to a dehydrogenation reaction to obtain a hydrogen-containing gas; a circulation system that circulates a reaction inactive fluid to the dehydrogenation reaction unit; and a control unit that controls the hydrogen supply system. The control unit circulates the reaction inactive fluid with the circulation system in a case where production of the hydrogen-containing gas in the dehydrogenation reaction unit is stopped.

A fuel reformer for producing a steam reforming reaction between fuel and water on a reforming catalyst includes a fuel injection part that injects and supplies fuel into the reforming catalyst, and an injection control part that controls an injection amount of fuel by the fuel injection part. The injection control part controls the injection amount in order that a temperature of the reforming catalyst is not lower than a preset given temperature. The fuel reformer further includes a temperature obtaining part that measures or estimates the temperature of the reforming catalyst, and a target value calculation part that calculates a target value of the injection amount, such that the temperature of the reforming catalyst after fuel is injected by the fuel injection part is equal to or higher than the given temperature. The fuel injection part is controlled such that the injection amount coincides with the target value.

A process of hydrogen production comprising the steps of: subjecting a gaseous mixture comprising a hydrocarbon and steam, and having a steam to carbon ratio of at least 0.9:1, to adiabatic pre-reforming in a pre-reformer followed by autothermal reforming with an oxygen-rich gas in an autothermal reformer to generate a reformed gas mixture, optionally adding steam to the reformed gas mixture, increasing the hydrogen content of the reformed gas mixture by subjecting it to one or more water-gas shift stages in a water-gas shift unit to provide a hydrogen-enriched reformed gas, cooling the hydrogen-enriched reformed gas and separating condensed water therefrom, passing the resulting de-watered hydrogen-enriched reformed gas to a carbon dioxide separation unit to provide a carbon dioxide gas stream and a crude hydrogen gas stream, passing the crude hydrogen gas stream to a purification unit to provide a purified hydrogen gas and a fuel gas.

To provide a fuel cell device capable of extending the years of service life of a reformer by suppressing thermal runaways. The present invention is a solid oxide fuel cell device, including a fuel cell module having fuel cell units; a reformer disposed above the fuel cell units, for producing hydrogen by a partial oxidation reforming reaction and a steam reforming reaction; a vaporizing chamber disposed adjacent to the reformer; a combustion chamber for heating the vaporization chamber; a water supply device; an electrical generation oxidant gas supply device; and a controller for raising the fuel cell units to a temperature at which electrical generation is possible; whereby over the entire period of the startup step, the reforming oxidant gas supply device and water supply device are controlled so that partial oxidation reforming reactions do not occur independently in the reformer.

The present teachings provide multi-reformable fuel delivery systems and methods that can deliver, without the use of a liquid pump, any hydrocarbon fuel, i.e., a liquid or gaseous reformable fuel, for example, to at least one of a reformer, a vaporizer, a fuel cell stack, an afterburner and other assemblies and components of a fuel cell unit or system, More specifically, gas pressure can be used to control and deliver gaseous reformable fuels and/or liquid reformable fuels in the delivery systems and methods of the present teachings. The delivery systems and methods also can apply to the delivery of a liquid reactant such as water and gaseous reactants such as an oxygen-containing gas (e.g., air) and steam.

Disclosed are methods for accommodating changes in the conditions of partial oxidation of hydrocarbonaceous feedstock by changing characteristics of the hot oxygen used in the partial oxidation.

Hydrogen purification devices and their components are disclosed. In some embodiments, the devices may include at least one foil-microscreen assembly disposed between and secured to first and second end frames. The at least one foil-microscreen assembly may include at least one hydrogen-selective membrane and at least one microscreen structure including a non-porous planar sheet having a plurality of apertures forming a plurality of fluid passages. The planar sheet may include generally opposed planar surfaces configured to provide support to the permeate side. The plurality of fluid passages may extend between the opposed surfaces. The at least one hydrogen-selective membrane may be metallurgically bonded to the at least one microscreen structure.

A hydrogen gas production apparatus 1 includes: a vaporizer 5 configured to generate ammonia gas by heating liquid ammonia; a main thermal decomposition device 6 configured to decompose the ammonia gas generated in the vaporizer 5, into nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas, by heating the ammonia gas by causing a fuel gas to burn; a cooler 7 configured to cool a decomposition gas including the nitrogen gas and the hydrogen gas generated through the decomposition in the main thermal decomposition device 6; and a separator 8 configured to separate hydrogen gas from the decomposition gas having been cooled.