Abstract: Methods and systems for producing a synthetic fuel are disclosed. In some embodiments, the methods and systems include the following: thermally reforming methane and carbon dioxide to generate a syngas including a first quantity of carbon monoxide and a first quantity of hydrogen; oxidizing the quantity of first carbon monoxide with a metal to produce metal oxide and carbon thereby separating oxygen from the carbon monoxide; gasifying the carbon using steam to produce a second quantity of carbon monoxide and a second quantity of hydrogen; reacting the metal oxide with methane to produce metal oxide, carbon dioxide, and a third quantity of hydrogen; and synthesizing the first quantity of carbon monoxide, the first quantity of hydrogen, the second quantity of hydrogen, and the third quantity of hydrogen to form the synthetic fuel.

Abstract: Methods and systems for generating hydrogen and separating carbon dioxide from a feed stream including hydro-carbons and water are disclosed. In some embodiments, the method includes the following: providing a catalytic chamber including a monolithic structure having surfaces coated with carbon dioxide adsorbing materials and one or more washcoated layers of combined steam reforming, water gas shift, and combustion catalysts; directing the feed stream into said catalytic chamber; controlling the feed stream so that it has a temperature range that allows the reactive generation of carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas but does not cause substantial development of coke between hydrocarbons in the feed stream and said surfaces of said monolithic structure; and adsorbing said carbon dioxide generated by heating the feed stream, wherein said carbon dioxide is adsorbed onto carbon dioxide adsorbing materials on said surfaces of said monolithic structure.

Abstract: Methods and systems for producing a synthetic fuel are disclosed. In some embodiments, the methods and systems include the following: thermally reforming methane and carbon dioxide to generate a syngas including a first quantity of carbon monoxide and a first quantity of hydrogen; oxidizing the quantity of first carbon monoxide with a metal to produce metal oxide and carbon thereby separating oxygen from the carbon monoxide; gasifying the carbon using steam to produce a second quantity of carbon monoxide and a second quantity of hydrogen; reacting the metal oxide with methane to produce metal oxide, carbon dioxide, and a third quantity of hydrogen; and synthesizing the first quantity of carbon monoxide, the first quantity of hydrogen, the second quantity of hydrogen, and the third quantity of hydrogen to form the synthetic fuel.

Abstract: Methods and systems for generating hydrogen and separating carbon dioxide from a feed stream including hydro-carbons and water are disclosed. In some embodiments, the method includes the following: providing a catalytic chamber including a monolithic structure having surfaces coated with carbon dioxide adsorbing materials and one or more washcoated layers of combined steam reforming, water gas shift, and combustion catalysts; directing the feed stream into said catalytic chamber; controlling the feed stream so that it has a temperature range that allows the reactive generation of carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas but does not cause substantial development of coke between hydrocarbons in the feed stream and said surfaces of said monolithic structure; and adsorbing said carbon dioxide generated by heating the feed stream, wherein said carbon dioxide is adsorbed onto carbon dioxide adsorbing materials on said surfaces of said monolithic structure.

Abstract: Methods and systems for increasing the generation of methane from a biomass are disclosed. In some embodiments, the method includes the following: decomposing a biomass to produce an gaseous effluent including methane; decomposing a portion of the gaseous effluent in the presence of catalysts to form a decomposed stream including hydrogen, carbon monoxide; converting substantially all of the carbon monoxide in the decomposed stream to carbon dioxide to produce a feed stream including hydrogen and carbon dioxide; and mixing the feed stream with the biomass to facilitate decomposition of the biomass. In some embodiments, the system includes a bioreactor for generating methane from a biomass and additional devices for producing a feed stream including hydrogen and carbon dioxide that is recirculated to the bioreactor to accelerate the production of methane. The additional devices include a catalytic reforming reactor and a shift reactor.

Abstract: Methods and systems for producing hydrogen from a biomass are disclosed. In some embodiments, the method includes decomposing a biomass to produce an aqueous effluent including nitrogen species, generating ammonia from the nitrogen species, combusting the ammonia in the presence of catalysts to decompose the ammonia to hydrogen and nitrogen, and combusting a portion of the hydrogen and the nitrogen to provide heat for combusting the ammonia. In some embodiments, the system includes a bioreactor for decomposing a biomass to produce an aqueous effluent including nitrogen species, a mechanism for generating ammonia gas from the nitrogen species, a catalytic reforming reactor for converting the ammonia gas to hydrogen gas and nitrogen gas, a combustor for combusting a portion of the hydrogen gas and the nitrogen gas to provide heat for converting the ammonia gas, and a separator for isolating the hydrogen gas.

Abstract: Methods and systems for gasifying process streams are described. In some embodiments, a method for gasifying a process stream includes gasifying the process stream in a first chamber to generate one or more product gases, transporting at least a portion of the one or more product gases to a second chamber, combusting at least a portion of the one or more product gases in the presence of one or more catalysts in the second chamber to generate a heat energy, and indirectly providing the heat energy from the second chamber to the first chamber as a primary heat source to drive gasification of the process stream.

Abstract: The invention disclosed is a method for improving the selectivity of a desired chemical reaction over an undesired chemical reaction utilizing a reactor having at least one channel having a catalyst positioned thereon and a presenting a reactant flow stream at a known flow rate and inlet temperature over the catalyst at a velocity such that a boundary layer formed thereby relative to said catalytic surface defines a thickness that is sufficiently less than the thickness of a fully developed boundary layer over said catalytic surface whereby the desired chemical reaction occurs preferentially over the undesired chemical reaction.

Abstract: The invention disclosed is a method for improving the selectivity of a desired chemical reaction over an undesired chemical reaction utilizing a reactor having at least one channel having a catalyst positioned thereon and a presenting a reactant flow stream at a known flow rate and inlet temperature over the catalyst at a velocity such that a boundary layer formed thereby relative to said catalytic surface defines a thickness that is sufficiently less than the thickness of a fully developed boundary layer over said catalytic surface whereby the desired chemical reaction occurs preferentially over the undesired chemical reaction.

Abstract: The present invention is a method, and an apparatus for practicing the method, that creates a product stream and a heat of reaction from a fuel-rich fuel/air mixture and then contacts the product stream with a sufficient quantity of additional air to completely combust all of the fuel, to which air a portion of the heat of reaction has been transferred.

Abstract: The invention disclosed is a method for the reduction of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide in a gas stream comprising carbon monoxide, hydrogen and water vapor, wherein the carbon monoxide and hydrogen have a mole ratio greater than 5:1, with substantially reduced methanation. The invention utilizes a reactor having at least one channel having a catalyst positioned thereon and a flow rate of the gas stream over the catalyst such that a boundary layer having a thickness less than a maximum thickness boundary is created.

Abstract: The invention disclosed is a method for the reduction of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide in a gas stream comprising carbon monoxide, hydrogen and water vapor, wherein the carbon monoxide and hydrogen have a mole ratio greater than 5:1, with substantially reduced methanation. The invention utilizes a reactor having at least one channel having a catalyst positioned thereon and a flow rate of the gas stream over the catalyst such that a boundary layer having a thickness less than a maximum thickness boundary is created.

Abstract: The present invention is a method for operating a fuel-rich catalytic reactor in a catalytic combustion system, wherein two different fuels having dissimilar reactivity are consecutively used. In this method, a fuel-rich fuel/air mixture comprising a first fuel contacts a catalyst to create a product stream and a heat of reaction. The reactor is operated such that mass transfer of oxygen to the catalyst surface limits the rate of catalytic reaction. The catalyst is backside cooled by a cooling stream comprising air that extracts at least a portion of the heat of reaction before contacting the product stream. The cooling stream flow is sufficient to completely combust all of the remaining fuel. A second fuel is then substituted for the first fuel, and the steps are repeated.

Abstract: The invention disclosed herein is a method and apparatus for use therewith for creating flow passages of approximately equal cross section whereby a flow of a fluid through any passage will be approximately equal to the flow of a fluid through another passage.

Abstract: The present invention is a method, and an apparatus for practicing the method, that creates a product stream and a heat of reaction from a fuel-rich fuel/air mixture and then contacts the product stream with a sufficient quantity of additional air to completely combust all of the fuel, to which air a portion of the heat of reaction has been transferred.

Abstract: The present invention is a method, and an apparatus for practicing the method, that creates a product stream and a heat of reaction from a fuel-rich fuel/air mixture and then contacts the product stream with a sufficient quantity of additional air to completely combust all of the fuel, to which air a portion of the heat of reaction has been transferred.

Abstract: The present invention is a method, and an apparatus for practicing the method, that creates a product stream and a heat of reaction from a fuel-rich fuel/air mixture and then contacts the product stream with a sufficient quantity of additional air to completely combust all of the fuel, to which air a portion of the heat of reaction has been transferred.

Abstract: A catalytic firebox reactor employing an exothermic catalytic reaction channel and multiple cooling conduits for creating a partially reacted fuel/oxidant mixture. An oxidation catalyst is deposited on the walls forming the boundary between the multiple cooling conduits and the exothermic catalytic reaction channel, on the side of the walls facing the exothermic catalytic reaction channel. This configuration allows the oxidation catalyst to be backside cooled by any fluid passing through the cooling conduits. The heat of reaction is added to both the fluid in the exothermic catalytic reaction channel and the fluid passing through the cooling conduits. After discharge of the fluids from the exothermic catalytic reaction channel, the fluids mix to create a single combined flow. A further innovation in the reactor incorporates geometric changes in the exothermic catalytic reaction channel to provide streamwise variation of the velocity of the fluids in the reactor.