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 process for producing urea with controlled excess of CO.sub.2 and/or NH.sub.3. The process includes the steps of: reforming the hydrocarbon feed gas, thereby obtaining a synthesis gas comprising CH.sub.4, CO, CO.sub.2, H.sub.2 and H.sub.2O, shifting the synthesis gas, removing CO.sub.2 from the synthesis gas, removing residual H.sub.2O and/or CO.sub.2 from the synthesis gas, removing CH.sub.4, CO, Ar and/or He, and adding stoichiometric nitrogen to produce NH.sub.3 to the synthesis gas, synthesizing NH.sub.3 to obtain a NH.sub.3 product, and adding at least part of the product CO.sub.2 and at least part of the NH.sub.3 product to a urea synthesis step to make a urea product. The amount of excess CO.sub.2 and/or NH.sub.3 is controlled by adjusting the steam/carbon in the reforming step and/or the H.sub.2O addition upstream the shift step and/or adjusting the inlet temperature to at least one or more shift steps.

A hydrogen generator can include, in some aspects, a reaction chamber configured to contain a reagent; a supply water tank; water conduit tubing provided inside the reaction chamber, the water conduit tubing including a water conduit tubing inlet being fluidically connected to the supply water tank and a water conduit tubing outlet; a water dispenser provided inside the reaction chamber, the water dispenser including a water dispenser inlet being fluidically connected to the water conduit tubing outlet and a surface with a plurality of water outlet channels; a water pump; an electric power supply; a controller adapted to activate the water pump for transferring water through the hydrogen generator for interacting with the reagent in the reaction chamber to generate hydrogen gas, and a hydrogen collector provided inside the reaction chamber, the hydrogen collector including a surface with a plurality of gas inlet channels for receiving the hydrogen gas.

A fuel cell single unit including: a fuel cell element in which an anode layer and a cathode layer are formed so as to sandwich an electrolyte layer; a reducing gas supply path for supplying a gas containing hydrogen to the anode layer; an oxidizing gas supply path for supplying a gas containing oxygen to the cathode layer; and an internal reforming catalyst layer, which has a reforming catalyst for steam-reforming a fuel gas, in at least a part of the reducing gas supply path is provided. An external reformer, which has a reforming catalyst for steam-reforming the fuel gas, is provided upstream of the reducing gas supply path, and the fuel gas partially reformed by the external reformer is supplied to the reducing gas supply path.

Provided are a hydrogen purification device and a hydrogen purification method whereby hydrogen having a high purity can be purified at a high yield from a starting gas. The hydrogen purification device comprises: a starting gas source that supplies a starting gas, said starting gas containing hydrogen molecules and/or a hydride, to a discharge space; a plasma reactor that defines at least a part of the discharge space; a hydrogen flow channel that is connected to the discharge space; and leads out purified hydrogen from the starting gas source; a hydrogen separation membrane that partitions the discharge space from the hydrogen flow channel defines at least a part of the discharge space by one surface thereof and defines at least a part of the hydrogen flow channel by the other surface thereof; an electrode that is positioned outside the discharge space; and an adsorbent that is filled in the discharge space and adsorbs the starting gas. In the hydrogen purification method according to the present invention, the starting gas is adsorbed by the adsorbent in the discharge space. Hydrogen molecules, which have been desorbed from the adsorbent by discharge, are allowed to penetrate through the hydrogen separation membrane 4 and led out into the hydrogen flow channel.

A hydrogen producing apparatus includes a reforming unit, a feed unit, and a heating unit. The reforming unit includes a casing defining a receiving space and having gas intake and outlet ports, a plurality of reformers disposed in the receiving space, at least one gas pipe winding around one of the reformers, and a connecting pipe in fluidic communication with the gas pipe. The feed unit is in fluidic communication with the reformers and the connecting pipe such that air delivered from the gas intake port through the gas pipe and the connecting pipe is mixed with a fuel in the feed unit to form a reactant mixture to be fed to the reformers for hydrogen production. The heating unit includes a heater connected to the casing.

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 process for producing UREA, said process comprising the steps of:purification of a hydrocarbon feed gas removing Sulphur and/or chloride components if present, reforming the hydrocarbon feed gas in a reforming step where the steam/carbon ratio is less than 2.6 thereby obtaining a synthesis gas comprising CH4, CO, CO2, H2 and H2O, optionally adding H2O to the synthesis gas from the reforming step maintaining an overall steam/carbon less than 2.6, shifting the synthesis gas in a shift section comprising one or more shift steps preferably in series, optionally washing the synthesis gas leaving the shift section with water, removing CO2 from the synthesis gas from the shift section in a CO2 removal step to obtain a synthesis gas with less than 500 ppm CO2, preferably less than 20 ppm CO2 and a CO2 product gas, removing residual H2O and/or CO2 from the synthesis gas preferably in an absorbent step, removing CH4, CO, Ar and/or He preferably in a nitrogen wash unit and adding stoichiometric nitrogen to produce NH3 to the synthesis gas, synthesizing NH3 to obtain a NH3 product, adding at least part of the product CO2 and at least part of the NH3 product to a UREA synthesis step to make a UREA product, Wherein the amount of excess CO2 and/or NH3 is controlled by adjusting the steam/carbon in the reforming step and/or the H2O addition upstream the shift step and/or adjusting the inlet temperature to at least one of the one or more shift steps.

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.