Fuel Cell fueling

Reforming of dirty diesel fuel into synthesis gas in GlidArc-I reactor

APPROACH

FEATURES

o Diesel Fuel conversion into Synthesis Gas via Partial Oxidation (POX)

o Diesel Fuel and Air feed with minimal preheat

o Prior Sulfur removal not required

o GlidArc-I assisted; non-catalytic

o Post-plasma "Thermal Mass" section

o Simplicity of operation

o Any Diesel fuels (including those containing up to 4% of Sulfur)

o POX at O₂/C~0.5 – 0.7 molar ratio

o Very low Electric Power requirements

o Easy to clean, manageable effluent (Synthesis Gas)

FUEL CHARACTERISTICS ~ 300 ppm Sulfur content (Canadian road Diesel)

H/C ratio of about 1.8

Boiling range between 100°C and 500°C (50% at 290°C)

REACTOR CONFIGURATION: Reactant inlets at top (fuel + air)

"Natural" premix

Slight preheat (< 100°C)

Two-zone reactor having a GlidArc-I section and a post-plasma section at ~ 950°C

Up to 8 kg/h throughput

PRODUCT GAS (dry basis) and OTHER IN/OUT DATA

@ 20 mL/min Diesel fuel + 91 L/min air: 33% (H₂ + CO)

3.3% CO₂

Some light HCs

No soot

Sulfur compounds broken down

6.9 m³(n)/h total dry gas output

2.2 m³(n)/h pure syngas output

0.28 kW electric power in GlidArc @ 10 kV

7.4 kW (calc. LHV of H₂ + CO)

(Electric power consumption}/{Output power of SynGas} = 1%

In our 2000/2001 studies we first showed the feasibility of methane, propane, cyclohexane, heptane, toluene, gasoline, and diesel oils reforming to the Synthesis Gas that can be then converted in Solid Oxide or Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (SOFC or MCFC) without any prior operation of very pure Hydrogen extraction from such syngas. ECP's tests in winter 2001/2002 already showed that syngas could also be obtained from molasses-like sugar solution in water, rapeseed oil, and ethanol.

In March 5, 2003, during the Poster Session of National Hydrogen Association (USA) in Washington D.C. ECP has released its further studies on GlidArc-assisted POX reforming of commercial Propane, highly-H₂S-polluted LPG as well as a pipeline grade Natural Gas. More details on Propane/LPG and Natural Gas reforming are then published in the proceedings of the First Int. Conf. On Fuel Cell Science, Engineering and Technology, Rochester, NY, April 21-23, 2003. The detailed paper on Rapeseed Oil (Canola) reforming are published in the proceeding of the "Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Conference and Trade Show", Vancouver, Canada, June 8-11, 2003. During the same Conference we also disclosed some details on our previous studies on cyclohexane, heptane, toluene, gasoline and various diesel oils (including logistic ones). The latest publications related to all these carbonaceous feed are pointed out on our Communication page.

The most important aspect of the GlidArc-based technology is its economic benefit in the production of syngas compared to competing catalytic (so more complex and delicate) technologies. Our reactor makes any syngas process less costly to build and could be the economic solution for many plants and smaller installations where a renewable bio-feed is available. Using such technology it would therefore be possible to get large amounts of a gas fuel from waste plant products, such as tons of leftover sugar cane, weeds, wood, and other byproducts of agriculture. Bio-Fuels derived from cellulose or other bioorganic waste can so became a viable component of tomorrow's energy produced for example in decentralized SOFC or MCFC fed by a CO + H₂ mix.

ECP is now ready to build the systems to generate the SynGas eat a scale equivalent to a 500 kW (LHV) output.

New GlidArc-III plasma is also under development. It allows a very quick and easy cold-start of POX reactors and then a production of catalytic radicals and ions for the POX process stabilization and security. Our first practical applications were successfully tested for Fuel Cells feeding.

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