Abstract: For a reforming device that generates fuel gas for fuel cells by decomposing hydrocarbon compounds such as natural gas and then using a hydrogen separation composite to selectively transmit hydrogen, a hydrogen separation composite having the following structure is used. A porous support medium made of ceramics, etc. is formed, and a hydrogen separation metal is supported in the pores so as to fill the inside of the support medium. It is also possible to support a reforming catalyst. By doing this, it is possible to increase the area at which the hydrogen separation metal contacts gas, so the hydrogen transmission performance is increased. Furthermore, to prevent raw material gas leaks due to pin holes, high pressure gas is supplied to the hydrogen extraction side, and the total pressure is made higher than the pressure on the raw material gas supply side without making the hydrogen partial pressure higher.

Abstract: A fuel cell of the invention has a hydrogen permeable metal layer, which is formed on a plane of an electrolyte layer that has proton conductivity and includes a hydrogen permeable metal. The fuel cell includes a higher temperature zone and a lower temperature zone that has a lower temperature than the higher temperature zone. The hydrogen permeable metal layer includes a lower temperature area A corresponding to the lower temperature zone and a higher temperature area B corresponding to the higher temperature zone. The lower temperature area A and the higher temperature area B have different settings of composition and/or layout of components. This arrangement effectively prevents potential deterioration of cell performance due to an uneven distribution of internal temperature of the fuel cell including the hydrogen permeable metal layer.

Abstract: The fuel cell system 1 has a reformer 2 and a fuel cell 3. The reformer 2 has a reforming reaction channel 21 that generates a hydrogen-containing reformed gas Ga and a heat exchange channel 22 for heating. The fuel cell 3 has an anode channel 32 to which the hydrogen-containing reformed gas Ga is supplied, a cathode channel 33 to which an oxygen-containing gas Gc is supplied, and an electrolyte 31 formed between them. The electrolyte 31 is a laminate of a hydrogen-separating metal layer 311 and a proton conductor layer 312. The fuel cell system 1 has a cathode offgas line 46 for feeding the cathode offgas Oc discharged from the cathode channel 33 to the reforming reaction channel 21.

Abstract: The fuel cell 60 comprises a proton-conductive, solid electrolyte layer and a hydrogen-permeable metal layer joined to the electrolyte layer. When the fuel cell 60 generates power, reformed gas produced in a reformer 62 is supplied as fuel gas to the anode of the fuel cell 60. When power generation by the fuel cell 60 is stop, air supplied by a blower 67 is fed to the anode of the fuel cell 60, so that the fuel gas within the fuel cell 60 is replaced by air.

Abstract: Fuel cells 100 of the invention are operable at a temperature of about 500° C. The unit cell has a solid oxide electrolyte layer formed on a hydrogen separable metal layer. An anode has a catalyst supported thereon to accelerate a reforming reaction of methane. A fuel gas is produced by reforming a hydrocarbon-containing material in a reformer 20. Setting a lower reaction temperature enables production of the fuel gas containing both methane and hydrogen. In the fuel cells 100 receiving a supply of the fuel gas, the reforming reaction of methane contained in the fuel gas proceeds simultaneously with consumption of hydrogen contained in the fuel gas. This methane reforming reaction is endothermic to absorb heat produced in the process of power generation and thereby equalizes the operation temperature of the fuel cells 100.

Abstract: The present invention provides a receiving optical subassembly (ROSA) with a co-axial shape and a stem for mounting semiconductor devices thereon that improves the high frequency performance of the ROSA. The ROSA mounts a photodiode (PD) and a pre-amplifier on a stem and the stem has a hollow the PD and the pre-amplifier are mounted therein. Since the hollow has a depth substantially equal to a thickness of the pre-amplifier, the bonding wire from the pre-amplifier to the surface of the stem may become shortest to reduce the parasitic inductance of the bonding wire and to enhance the high frequency performance of the ROSA.

Abstract: The present invention has as an object to produce a thinner electrolyte layer in a solid oxide type fuel cell. In a solid oxide type fuel cell, a solid oxide electrolyte layer 110 is grown on the surface of a hydrogen-permeable metal layer 120. A structure is provided for preventing interlayer separation of the hydrogen-permeable metal layer 120 and the electrolyte layer 110 due to expansion of the hydrogen-permeable metal layer 120 during permeation of hydrogen. As the separation preventing mechanism, there can be employed a structure that prevents expansion of the hydrogen-permeable metal layer 120, or a structure wherein the electrolyte layer is divided to ameliorate stress during expansion. By so doing, the electrolyte layer can be thinned sufficiently.

Abstract: A fuel reforming apparatus includes a premixed fuel tank. In the premixed fuel tank, premixed fuel which is formed by emulsifying gasoline and water that are mixed with each other at a predetermined ratio, using a emulsifier. The premixed fuel is sprayed into a vaporizing portion through a nozzle. Heat can be supplied to the vaporizing portion by the reformer in which oxidation reaction proceeds, a first heating portion, and air supplied to the vaporizing portion through a heat exchanger. The premixed fuel sprayed into the vaporizing portion is vaporized immediately by the thus supplied heat, and is supplied to the reformer. In addition, air which has been humidified in a humidifying module cam be supplied to the vaporizing portion.

Abstract: In a fuel reforming apparatus having a reformer for reforming a raw fuel containing a hydrocarbon-containing compound so as to produce a hydrogen-rich fuel gas for use in a fuel cell, a carbon removal process for removing carbon deposited on a reforming catalyst contained in the reformer is executed by controlling the amount of the raw fuel supplied to the reformer and the amount of the oxygen supplied to the reformer so that a ratio of the number of oxygen atoms O supplied to the reformer to the number of carbon atoms supplied to the reformer becomes larger than an appropriate range of the O/C ratio that is to be established during a normal operation of the reformer.

Abstract: A power system of the invention includes fuel cells and a fuel gas generation system that generates a fuel gas to be supplied to the fuel cells. At the time of stopping supply of hydrogen, the fuel gas generation system selectively uses a stop process that replaces hydrogen in a hydrogen separator unit with the air for removal of hydrogen and a pause process that allows hydrogen to remain in the hydrogen separator unit. The stop process is selected when the fuel gas generation system stops the supply of hydrogen for a long time period. The pause process is selected when the fuel gas generation system temporarily stops the supply of hydrogen. The arrangement of the invention desirably shortens a restart time of the fuel gas generation system and reduces a potential energy loss.

Abstract: In a fuel cell system 10, a cracking unit 20 is provided upstream of a reformer 36. When the cracking unit 20 is supplied with oxygen and gasoline as a hydrocarbon-based fuel, the gasoline is partially oxidized and decomposed using oxidation-generated heat to give a hydrocarbon with a lower carbon number. The hydrocarbon with the lower carbon number obtained by such gasoline pyrolysis is fed to the reformer 36 and supplied to a reforming reaction zone.

Abstract: A fuel injector (6) and spark plug (7) are arranged in a combustion chamber (5) of an internal combustion engine. By forming by stratification a self-ignitable preliminary air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber (5), a spatial distribution is given to the density of the preliminary air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber (5). Part of the preliminary air-fuel mixture formed in the combustion chamber (5) is ignited by the spark plug (7) to cause combustion by flame propagation, then the remaining preliminary air-fuel mixture is successively made to self-ignite and burn with a time lag. The ignition timing is set so that the ratio of the preliminary air-fuel mixture made to burn by self-ignition becomes more than a predetermined lower limit and less than a knocking generation limit.

Abstract: The invention provides an electrolyte membrane that allows an operating temperature of a solid polymer membrane fuel cell to be raised and an operating temperature of a solid oxide fuel cell to be lowered. This electrolyte membrane can be used in a fuel cell that is operable in an intermediate temperature range. The invention also provides a fuel cell using such an electrolyte membrane. The electrolyte membrane has a hydrated electrolyte layer, and dense layers made of a hydrogen permeable material that are formed on both sides of this electrolyte layer. Both sides of the electrolyte membrane are coated with dense layers. Consequently, evaporation of moisture contained in the electrolyte layer is suppressed, and increase in the resistance of the membrane is inhibited. As a result, the range of the operating temperature of the fuel cell can be enlarged.

Abstract: A hydrogen extraction unit has reformed gas flow channel plates, hydrogen separation plates, and purge gas flow channel plates, which are designed as thin metal plate members. The hydrogen extraction unit is constructed by laminating these thin plate members and then bonding them together by diffusion bonding. Each of reformed gas flow channel holes formed in the reformed gas flow channel plates constitutes a flow channel for reformed gas together with a correspondingly adjacent one of the hydrogen separation plates. Each of purge gas flow channel holes formed in the purge gas flow channel plates constitutes, together with a correspondingly adjacent one of the hydrogen separation plates, a flow channel for purge gas with which hydrogen extracted from reformed gas is mixed.

Abstract: The technique of the present invention enhances the separation efficiency and the production efficiency of hydrogen in a hydrogen production system for fuel cells, while reducing the size of the whole fuel gas production system. In the fuel gas production system of the present invention, a hydrocarbon compound is subjected to multi-step chemical processes including a reforming reaction, a shift reaction, and a CO oxidation to give a hydrogen-rich fuel gas. Gaseous hydrogen produced through the reforming reaction is separated by a hydrogen separation membrane having selective permeability to hydrogen. The residual gas after the separation of hydrogen has a low hydrogen partial pressure and undergoes the shift reaction at the accelerated rate. The hydrogen-rich processed gas obtained through the shift reaction and the CO oxidation joins with the separated hydrogen and is supplied to fuel cells.

Abstract: A fuel injector (6) and spark plug (7) are arranged in a combustion chamber (5) of an internal combustion engine. By forming by stratification a self-ignitable preliminary air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber (5), a spatial distribution is given to the density of the preliminary air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber (5). Part of the preliminary air-fuel mixture formed in the combustion chamber (5) is ignited by the spark plug (7) to cause combustion by flame propagation, then the remaining preliminary air-fuel mixture is successively made to self-ignite and burn with a time lag. The ignition timing is set so that the ratio of the preliminary air-fuel mixture made to burn by self-ignition becomes more than a predetermined lower limit and less than a knocking generation limit.

Abstract: A hydrogen extraction unit has reformed gas flow channel plates, hydrogen separation plates, and purge gas flow channel plates, which are designed as thin metal plate members. The hydrogen extraction unit is constructed by laminating these thin plate members and then bonding them together by diffusion bonding. Each of reformed gas flow channel holes formed in the reformed gas flow channel plates constitutes a flow channel for reformed gas together with a correspondingly adjacent one of the hydrogen separation plates. Each of purge gas flow channel holes formed in the purge gas flow channel plates constitutes, together with a correspondingly adjacent one of the hydrogen separation plates, a flow channel for purge gas with which hydrogen extracted from reformed gas is mixed.

Abstract: In a fuel reforming apparatus having a reformer for reforming a raw fuel containing a hydrocarbon-containing compound so as to produce a hydrogen-rich fuel gas for use in a fuel cell, a carbon removal process for removing carbon deposited on a reforming catalyst contained in the reformer is executed by controlling the amount of the raw fuel supplied to the reformer and the amount of the oxygen supplied to the reformer so that a ratio of the number of oxygen atoms O supplied to the reformer to the number of carbon atoms supplied to the reformer becomes larger than an appropriate range of the O/C ratio that is to be established during a normal operation of the reformer.

Abstract: In a fuel cell system 10, a cracking unit 20 is provided upstream of a reformer 36. When the cracking unit 20 is supplied with oxygen and gasoline as a hydrocarbon-based fuel, the gasoline is partially oxidized and decomposed using oxidation-generated heat to give a hydrocarbon with a lower carbon number. The hydrocarbon with the lower carbon number obtained by such gasoline pyrolysis is fed to the reformer 36 and supplied to a reforming reaction zone.

Abstract: A fuel reforming apparatus includes a reforming catalyst, a filtering member, a raw material supply flow passage and a processed gas flow passage. The filtering member has a plurality of cells. A reforming catalyst is carried on a surface of a partition on the side of the processed gas flow passage. If raw gas including hydrocarbon fuel is supplied to the fuel reforming apparatus and filtered by the filtering member, soot included in the raw gas is trapped by gaps in the partition, and the hydrocarbon fuel is reformed into reformed gas including hydrogen and carbon monoxide on the reforming catalyst. By increasing the amount of air supplied from a blower at intervals of time, the soot trapped by the partition is removed by combustion.