| US 7,537,738 B2 | ||
| Fuel processing system having a membrane separator | ||
| Annette M Brenner, Honeoye Falls, N.Y. (US); Tai-Chiang Yu, Pittsford, N.Y. (US); Yan Zhang, Victor, N.Y. (US); and Steffen Ruf, Wiesbaden (Germany) | ||
| Assigned to GM Global Technology Operations, Inc., Detroit, Mich. (US) | ||
| Filed on Jan. 21, 2003, as Appl. No. 10/348,127. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2004/0142220 A1, Jul. 22, 2004 | ||
| Int. Cl. C01B 3/24 (2006.01); B01J 8/02 (2006.01); H01M 8/06 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 422—196 [422/197; 422/211; 429/19; 429/34; 423/650] | 2 Claims |
| 1. A fuel processing system comprising:
a reactor for reforming a hydrocarbon fuel stream into a reformate stream comprising hydrogen and other constituents;
a membrane separator for removing hydrogen from said reformate stream, said membrane separator comprising a membrane relatively
permeable to hydrogen and relatively less permeable to said other constituents, said membrane separator including a plurality
of tubes for flowing said reformate across said membrane to cause separation of said hydrogen from said reformate stream,
said membrane separator comprising a palladium or palladium alloy layer defining a surface of each of said plurality of tubes;
a CO-reduction and cleanup system for further reforming of said reformate stream; and
a purge fluid system in communication with said membrane separator to facilitate hydrogen transport from said membrane separator,
wherein said purge fluid system comprises a stream, having lower hydrogen partial pressure than said reformate, for directing
removed hydrogen from said membrane separator; and
a water transfer device comprising a membrane relatively permeable to water and relatively less permeable to hydrogen for
separating steam from removed hydrogen.
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