Abstract: A reformer system (11) having a hydrodesulfurizer (12) provides desulfurized natural gas feedstock to a catalytic steam reformer (16), the outflow of which is treated by a water gas shift reactor (20) and optionally a preferential CO oxidizer (58) to provide reformate gas (28, 28a) having high hydrogen and moderate carbon dioxide content. To avoid damage to the hydrodesulfurizer from overheating, any deleterious hydrogen reactants, such as the oxygen in peak shave gas or olefins, in the non-desulfurized natural gas feedstock (35) are reacted (38) with hydrogen (28, 28a; 71) to convert them to alkanes (e.g., ethylene and propylene to ethane and propane) and to convert oxygen to water in a catalytic reactor (38) having no sulfide sorbent, and cooled (46), below a temperature which would damage the reactor, by evaporative cooling with pressurized hot water (42). Hydrogen for the desulfurizer and the hydrogen reactions may be provided as recycle reformate (28, 28a) or from a mini-CPO (67), or from other sources.

Abstract: A system and method for operating fuel cell power plant 10 includes enclosing fuel bearing components, such as fuel cell stack 28 and reformer 24, into a fuel compartment 12 separate from motorized components in a motor compartment 14, and consuming leaked fuel in the fuel compartment 12 using a fuel bearing component such as cell stack 28 and/or burner 26, thereby reducing fuel emissions from the plant.

Abstract: A sodium chloride electrolysis cell (9) receives a portion of its electrical power (47, 48: 50, 51) from a phosphoric acid fuel cell (44) which receives fuel at its anode inlet (43) from a water cooled catalytic reactor (26) that converts oxygen in the byproduct output (19) of the sodium chlorate electrolysis cell to hydrogen and water. A utility grid (53) may provide through a converter (55) power to support the electrochemical process in the sodium chlorate electrolysis cell. Temperature of the water cooled catalytic reactor is determined by the vaporization of pressurized hot water, the pressure of which may be adjusted by a controller (36) and a valve (38) in response to temperature (40).

Abstract: Fuel processing by a reformer (42) and a shift reactor (44) converts hydrocarbon feedstock (12) and steam (36) to hydrogen-rich reformate (11), such as for use in a fuel cell power plant (47). Some of the reformate is recycled through a restriction (18) to the inlet (15) of a feedstock pump (14), thereby increasing its pressure sufficiently to cause recycle flow through a hydrodesulfurizer (21) and the secondary inlet (26) of an ejector (28) driven by the steam (36). Recycle pressure (48) is maintained by steam pressure through a valve (34) regulated by a controller (17).

Abstract: A reformer system (11) having a hydrodesulfurizer (12) provides desulfurized natural gas feedstock to a catalytic steam reformer (16), the outflow of which is treated by a water gas shift reactor (20) and optionally a preferential CO oxidizer (58) to provide reformate gas (28, 28a) having high hydrogen and moderate carbon dioxide content. To avoid damage to the hydrodesulfurizer from overheating, any deleterious hydrogen reactants, such as the oxygen in peak shave gas or olefins, in the non-desulfurized natural gas feedstock (35) are reacted (38) with hydrogen (28, 28a; 71) to convert them to alkanes (e.g., ethylene and propylene to ethane and propane) and to convert oxygen to water in a catalytic reactor (38) having no sulfide sorbent, and cooled (46), below a temperature which would damage the reactor, by evaporative cooling with pressurized hot water (42). Hydrogen for the desulfurizer and the hydrogen reactions may be provided as recycle reformate (28, 28a) or from a mini-CPO (67), or from other sources.

Abstract: A system and method for operating fuel cell power plant 10 includes enclosing fuel bearing components, such as fuel cell stack 28 and reformer 24, into a fuel compartment 12 separate from motorized components in a motor compartment 14, and consuming leaked fuel in the fuel compartment 12 using a fuel bearing component such as cell stack 28 and/or burner 26, thereby reducing fuel emissions from the plant.

Abstract: A sodium chlorate electrolysis cell (9) receives a portion of its electrical power (47, 48; 50, 51) from a phosphoric acid fuel cell (45) which receives fuel at its anode inlet (43) from a water cooled catalytic reactor (26) that converts oxygen in the byproduct output (21) of the sodium chlorate electrolysis cell to hydrogen and water. A utility grid (53) may provide through a converter (55) power to support the electrochemical process in the sodium chlorate electrolysis cell. Temperature of the water cooled catalytic reactor is determined by the vaporization of pressurized hot water, the pressure of which may be adjusted by a controller (36) and a valve (38) in response to temperature (40).

Abstract: Fuel processing by a reformer (42) and a shift reactor (44) converts hydrocarbon feedstock (12) and steam (36) to hydrogen-rich reformate (11), such as for use in a fuel cell power plant (47). Some of the reformate is recycled through a restriction (18) to the inlet (15) of a feedstock pump (14), thereby increasing its pressure sufficiently to cause recycle flow through a hydrodesulfurizer (21) and the secondary inlet (26) of an ejector (28) driven by the steam (36). Recycle pressure (48) is maintained by steam pressure through a valve (34) regulated by a controller (17).

Abstract: A platform architecture shifts the networked computing paradigm from PC+Network to a system using trusted mobile internet end-point (MIEP) devices and cooperative agents hosted on a trusted server. The MIEP device can participate in data flows, arbitrate authentication, and/or participate in implementing security mechanisms, all within the context of assured end-to-end security. The MIEP architecture improves platform-level capabilities by suitably (and even dynamically) partitioning what is done at the MIEP nodes, the network, and the server based infrastructure for delivering services.

Abstract: A reformer system (11) having a hydrodesulfurizer (12) provides desulfurized natural gas feedstock to a catalytic steam reformer (16), the outflow of which is treated by a water gas shift reactor (20) and optionally a preferential CO oxidizer (58) to provide reformate gas (28, 28a) having high hydrogen and moderate carbon dioxide content. To avoid damage to the hydrodesulfurizer from overheating, any deleterious hydrogen reactants, such as the oxygen in peak shave gas or olefins, in the non-desulfurized natural gas feedstock (35) are reacted (38) with hydrogen (28, 28a; 71) to convert them to alkanes (e.g., ethylene and propylene to ethane and propane) and to convert oxygen to water in a catalytic reactor (38) cooled (46), below a temperature which would damage the reactor, by evaporative cooling with pressurized hot water (42). Hydrogen for the desulfurizer and the hydrogen reactions may be provided as recycle reformate (28, 28a) or from a mini-CPO (67), or from other sources.

Abstract: In a hydrocarbon fueled reformed gas fuel cell system having a rated power, a process for cooling reformed gas from a fuel processor prior to feeding the reformed gas to a shift converter includes the steps of providing a cooling zone having a hot gas inlet, a cooled gas outlet and a water inlet, feeding the reformed gas at a temperature of between 600 to 900° F. to the hot gas inlet, redirecting the reformed gas in the cooling zone so as to provide a swirling recirculating flow of the reformed gas in the cooling zone, atomizing water into droplets and contacting the droplets with the redirected reformed gas so as to cool the reformed gas and vaporize the water, and removing a stream of cooled reformed gas from the cooling zone wherein the reformed gas is at a temperature between 400 to 500° F. and the stream is substantially free of water droplets.

Abstract: A precooler for use in a fuel cell system between a thermal reformer and a shift converter includes an atomizing water inlet in combination with a swirling inducing reformed gas inlet which act to increase the resistance time of the reformed gas in the precooler so as to effectively cool same.

Abstract: A hydrogen desulfurizer (11) includes a tank (17) designed for downflow of hydrocarbon feedstock containing a plurality of layers (41-44) of catalyst interspersed with layers (46-49) of adsorbent. The layers may all comprise baskets, the adsorbent comprising pellets, such as zinc oxide pellets; the catalysts may be wash-coated on catalyst support such as monolith or foams, or may be wash-coated on netted wire mesh instead of being contained in a basket. The catalyst is heated to between about 442° F. (250° C.) and about 932° F. (500° C.). A mini-CPO (36) supplies hydrogen to the desulfurizer (11). Heaters (53, 55), which may either be electric or circulating heated fluid may also be used.

Abstract: Existing (already installed) plain old telephone service (POTS) wiring at a customer premises is used as the wiring infrastructure for a local area network and additionally continues to provide ordinary POTS services at the customer premises. The network signals associated with the local area network and the POTS signals delivering POTS services coexist on the POTS wiring at the customer premises using frequency division multiplexing. In additional to POTS service, the subscriber loop also provides access to xDSL (digital subscriber line) signals associated with a wide area network (WAN). Thus three distinct networks (the PSTN associated with POTS, xDSL and the LAN) coexist on a single wiring infrastructure.

Abstract: Oxides of nitrogen are adsorbed onto the surfaces of gas passages (68) in a bed (57, 100) that has relative rotation with respect to a gas inlet distributor (76, 101). The manifold has a baffle (85) or ribs (121, 122) that causes constantly flowing engine exhaust (53) to enter the gas passages over a large portion of a revolution of the adsorption bed or the distributor, and causes constantly flowing regeneration gas (54) to thereafter pass through those passages during a small portion of each revolution. The passages may be formed by planar (66a) or helical (66b) radial walls (66), a serpentine wall (70), a monolith (126), or a honeycomb (127). Either the distributor (101) or the bed (57) may be rotated to distribute the gases.

Abstract: Oxides of nitrogen are adsorbed onto the surfaces of gas passages (68) in a bed (57, 100) that has relative rotation with respect to a gas inlet distributor (76, 101). The manifold has a baffle (85) or ribs (121, 122) that causes constantly flowing engine exhaust (53) to enter the gas passages over a large portion of a revolution of the adsorption bed or the distributor, and causes constantly flowing regeneration gas (54) to thereafter pass through those passages during a small portion of each revolution. The passages may be formed by planar (66a) or helical (66b) radial walls (66), a serpentine wall (70), a monolith (126), or a honeycomb (127). Either the distributor (101) or the bed (57) may be rotated to distribute the gases.

Abstract: A precooler for use in a fuel cell system between a thermal reformer and a shift converter includes an atomizing water inlet in combination with a swirling inducing reformed gas inlet which act to increase the resistance time of the reformed gas in the precooler so as to effectively cool same.

Abstract: A precooler for use in a fuel cell system between a thermal reformer and a shift converter includes an atomizing water inlet in combination with a swirling inducing reformed gas inlet which act to increase the resistance time of the reformed gas in the precooler so as to effectively cool same.

Abstract: A precooler for use in a fuel cell system between a thermal reformer and a shift converter includes an atomizing water inlet in combination with a swirling inducing reformed gas inlet which act to increase the resistance time of the reformed gas in the precooler so as to effectively cool same.

Abstract: Existing (already installed) plain old telephone service (POTS) wiring at a customer premises is used as the wiring infrastructure for a local area network and additionally continues to provide ordinary POTS services at the customer premises. The network signals associated with the local area network and the POTS signals delivering POTS services coexist on the POTS wiring at the customer premises using frequency division multiplexing. In additional to POTS service, the subscriber loop also provides access to xDSL (digital subscriber line) signals associated with a wide area network (WAN). Thus three distinct networks (the PSTN associated with POTS, xDSL and the LAN) coexist on a single wiring infrastructure.