Abstract: The invention provides an auxiliary power unit (APU) and process for electricity generation in combination with an internal combustion engine in which the APU includes a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) having an inlet for fuel, an inlet for air and/or engine exhaust gas, and an outlet for off-gas; and a catalytic partial oxidation reformer (CPOx) having an outlet which is connected to the inlet for fuel of the SOFC and an inlet for reactants, wherein the inlet for reactants is connected to an outlet for engine exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine through an evaporator having an inlet for fuel and an inlet for engine exhaust gas and an outlet which is connected to the inlet of the CPOx.

Abstract: A single valve (23, 50) directs engine exhaust (11, 12) toward alternative NOx traps (19, 20) which are adjacent to either diesel particulate filters (40, 41) or low temperature water gas shift catalysts (63, 64). Syngas is either provided from a source (54) or by in-line catalytic partial oxidizers (23, 24) which may have diesel oxidation catalysts ahead of them in the flow and which receive fuel from the engine fuel source (26) through nozzles (27, 28).

Abstract: A fuel processing system (FPS) (120, 220, 320) provides a hydrogen-rich reformate having a reduced level of CO (34, 234, 62), as for use in a fuel cell power plant (120). The FPS includes, in combination, a reformer (30, 230) for converting hydrocarbon feedstock (22) to reformate and a multistage hybrid WGS reactor (150, 250, 350) for converting CO with H2O in the reformate to H2 and CO2 to reduce the CO in the reformate. The multistage hybrid WGS reactor (150, 250, 350) has one stage (154, 254, 352) of active noble metal catalyst (174, 274, 374), typically platinum and/or rhenium, and an other stage (152, 252, 354) of Cu-based WGS catalyst (172, 272, 372), e.g. Cu/ZnO, whereby the collective volume of the one and the other stages is relatively small, being less than about ½ that of prior WGS reactors. The Cu-based WGS catalyst may be modified to reduce self-heat. Protection from sulfur in the reformate is also provided. The multistage hybrid WGS reactor (150, 250, 350) may further include an O2 guard.

Abstract: Oxides of nitrogen are adsorbed onto the surfaces of, and particulates are trapped in, pores of channels (130, 133, 139-151) in a porous, interdigitated ceramic particulate filter (57, 100) that has relative rotation with respect to a gas inlet distributor (76, 101). The distributor has a baffle (85) or ribs (121, 122) that causes constantly flowing engine exhaust (53) to enter the filter channels over a large portion of a revolution of the adsorption bed or the distributor, and causes constantly flowing syngas (54) to thereafter pass through those passages during a small portion of each revolution. Either the inlet gas distributor (101) or the filter bed (57) may be rotated to distribute the gases. Dual, alternately regenerated filters (35, 36) may be used.