SBIR Phase I: On Board Diesel Fuel to Hydrogen Converter

该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目针对下一代汽车（PNGV）计划的质子交换膜（PEM）燃料电池。 每加仑汽油能跑80英里（或能量当量），续航里程300英里的汽车，其价格是典型的美国汽车购买者可以接受的。 如果能找到一种实用的方法，将液态烃燃料在船上转化为燃料电池可以使用的氢燃料，PEM燃料电池可以提供电源。 目前可用于将烃燃料转化为氢气的技术是蒸汽重整。 由于两个原因，该方法不适合在车辆上使用。 首先，蒸汽重整反应是吸热的，这意味着必须产生热量并将热量传递到蒸汽重整反应器，这对于机载使用来说是复杂和笨重的。 其次，通过蒸汽重整产生的氢气含有大量的CO和二氧化碳，如果不进行广泛的纯化，就不能用于燃料电池。 这种纯化对于机载使用也是复杂和麻烦的。 该SBIR项目正在研究的技术通过改进的蒸汽重整反应生产氢气。 这种改进的反应是温和放热的，避免了向反应器供热的需要，并且它产生高纯度的氢气。 因此，可以避免常规蒸汽重整的许多问题。 第一阶段将包括一系列实验，这些实验将为该概念在车载制氢中的应用提供实验室规模的概念验证。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project addresses proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells for the Partnership for a Next Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) program. Automobiles capable of 80 miles per gallon (or the energy equivalent) and a range of 300 miles are sought at a cost that would be acceptable to typical American automobile buyers. PEM fuel cells may provide the power source if a practical method can be found for on-board conversion of liquid hydrocarbon fuels to a hydrogen fuel which these fuel cells can use. Presently available technology for converting hydrocarbon fuels to hydrogen is steam reforming. This process is unsuited to use on board a vehicle for two reasons. First, the steam reforming reaction is endothermic, meaning that heat must be generated and transferred to the steam reforming reactor, which is complex and cumbersome for on-board use. Second, the hydrogen produced by steam reforming contains large amounts of CO and carbon dioxide and cannot be used in fuel cells without extensive purification. Such purification is also complex and cumbersome for on-board use. The technology under study in this SBIR project produces hydrogen via a modified steam reforming reaction. This modified reaction is mildly exothermic, obviating the need to supply heat to the reactor, and it produces hydrogen with high purity. Thus, many of the problems of conventional steam reforming may be avoided. Phase I will include a series of experiments which will provide bench scale proof of concept for the application of the concept to on-board hydrogen generation.