Method and device for generating a hydrogen-rich gas

Abstract

A method for operating a gas-generation device, which comprises a partial oxidation reactor with a downstream steam reformer, includes in order to start the gas-generation device, a quantity of air in all the operating phases is set in such a way that oxygen levels in the partial oxidation product gas caused by unburnt air constituents are minimized. Furthermore, an adiabatic, catalytic after-treatment stage, in which oxygen constituents of the partial oxidation product gas are converted, is connected between the partial oxidation reactor and the steam reformer.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for operating a gas-generation device for generating a hydrogen-rich gas from at least one of partial oxidation of an oxygen/fuel mixture or catalytic steam reforming of a water/fuel mixture, said method comprising: 
 metering a fuel into a partial oxidation reactor;    starting combustion of the fuel by metering in oxygen-containing gas into the partial oxidation reactor, wherein a quantity of oxygen-containing gas corresponds at most to the stoichiometric ratio for complete fuel conversion;    heating at least the partial oxidation reactor of the gas-generation device by heat from said combusting;    reducing the quantity of the oxygen-containing gas and metering in water when an operating temperature for the partial oxidation reactor is reached, wherein at least one of a quantitative flow of the oxygen-containing gas or of the water is set such that an oxygen/fuel/water mixture is converted into hydrogen as completely as possible; and    further reducing the quantity of the oxygen-containing gas when the operating temperature of a downstream steam reformer is reached, so that only partial conversion of the fuel takes place in the partial oxidation reactor, and a remaining part of the fuel is converted in the downstream steam reformer.    
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein, when the operating temperature of the steam reformer is reached, the supply of the oxygen-containing gas is interrupted.  
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 1 , further comprising heating the steam reformer.  
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 passing product gas that is generated in the partial oxidation reactor ( 1 ) through an adiabatic, catalytic after-treatment stage; and    converting unburnt parts of the fuel/oxygen mixture or of the fuel/oxygen/water mixture of the product, thereby minimizing an oxygen content in the product gas before it is fed to the steam reformer.    
     
     
         5 . A gas-generation device for generating a hydrogen-rich gas from at least one of partial oxidation of an oxygen/fuel mixture or catalytic steam reforming of a water/fuel mixture, comprising: 
 a partial oxidation reactor;    a steam reformer downstream of the partial oxidation reactor;    an adiabatic, catalytic after-treatment stage arranged between the partial oxidation reactor and the steam reformer.    
     
     
         6 . A device according to  claim 5 , wherein the catalytic after-treatment stage comprises a precious metal-containing catalyst.  
     
     
         7 . A device according to  claim 5 , wherein the catalytic after-treatment stage comprises a catalyst support having a low heat capacity.  
     
     
         8 . A device according to  claim 5 , further comprising heating means for heating at least one of the steam reformer or the adiabatic, catalytic after-treatment stage.  
     
     
         9 . A device according to  claim 5 , wherein the adiabatic catalytic after-treatment is integrated into the partial oxidation reactor or the steam reformer.