| US 7,575,611 B2 | ||
| Fuel processor for use in a fuel cell system | ||
| Jennifer Brantley, Dublin, Calif. (US); Kenneth Newell, Livermore, Calif. (US); David Sopchak, Oakland, Calif. (US); Ian W. Kaye, Livermore, Calif. (US); Jesse Thompson, Brentwood, Calif. (US); and Arpad Somogyvari, Livermore, Calif. (US) | ||
| Assigned to UltraCell Corporation, Livermore, Calif. (US) | ||
| Filed on Aug. 08, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/835,747. | ||
| Claims priority of provisional application 60/836859, filed on Aug. 09, 2006. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2008/0118796 A1, May 22, 2008 | ||
| Int. Cl. B01J 7/00 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 48—61 [48/119; 48/127.9; 48/128; 48/62 R; 48/89; 422/188; 422/189; 422/190; 422/191; 422/193; 422/198; 422/211; 422/222; 422/236] | 16 Claims |
| 1. A fuel processor for use in a fuel cell system, comprising:
regenerator chamber having a first inlet to receive an air flow;
a substantially U-shaped burner flow chamber positioned within the regenerator, the burner flow chamber having a second inlet
to receive the air flow from the regenerator and defining a substantially U-shaped burner air flow path; and
a substantially U-shaped reformer flow chamber having a third inlet to receive the air flow from the burner chamber, the reformer
flow chamber defining a substantially U-shaped reformer air flow path, wherein the burner flow chamber is nested within the
reformer flow chamber and wherein the burner air flow path and the reformer air flow paths are concurrent flow paths; and
wherein the burner flow chamber and the reformer flow chamber are primarily formed within a monolithic structure formed from
a single piece of metal that is positioned substantially within the regenerator chamber; and wherein neither the fuel processor
nor the monolith structure have a cylindrical cross sectional configuration.
|