Fuel reforming apparatus

Abstract

A fuel reforming apparatus for reforming a mixture of fuel and gas containing oxygen includes an air-fuel mixing chamber into which fuel and air are supplied in such a manner that the fuel and the air are mixed with each other; a reforming reaction chamber which is provided downstream of the air-fuel mixing chamber, and which includes a reforming catalyst for reforming the mixture; and a mixture flow chamber which is provided between the air-fuel mixing chamber and the reforming reaction chamber. The cross sectional area of an outlet of the air-fuel mixing chamber is smaller than the cross sectional area of an inlet of the reforming reaction chamber. An inner wall surface of the mixture flow chamber is formed such that the outlet of the air-fuel mixing chamber is smoothly continuous with the inlet of the reforming reaction chamber.

1 . A fuel reforming apparatus for reforming a mixture of fuel and gas containing oxygen, comprising: 
 a mixing chamber into which fuel and gas containing oxygen are supplied; and a reforming reaction chamber which is provided downstream of the mixing chamber, and which includes a reforming catalyst for reforming the mixture, wherein a cross sectional area of an outlet of the mixing chamber is smaller than a cross sectional area of an inlet of the reforming reaction chamber.    
     
     
         2 . The fuel reforming apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein air is supplied to the mixing chamber, as the gas containing oxygen.  
     
     
         3 . The fuel reforming apparatus according to  claim 2 , further comprising: 
 an air supply pipe for supplying the air to the mixing chamber; and    a gas supply pipe, wherein the fuel reforming apparatus is provided in a vehicle including an internal combustion engine; the gas supply pipe is connected to the air supply pipe and an exhaust pipe of the internal combustion engine; and exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine is supplied to the mixing chamber via the gas supply pipe, as the gas containing oxygen.    
     
     
         4 . The fuel reforming apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a mixture flow chamber that is provided between the mixing chamber and the reforming reaction chamber, wherein an inner wall surface of the mixture flow chamber is formed such that the outlet of the mixing chamber is smoothly continuous with the inlet of the reforming reaction chamber.    
     
     
         5 . The fuel reforming apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the mixing chamber has a capacity that is smaller than a capacity of the mixture flow chamber.  
     
     
         6 . The fuel reforming apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising: swirl flow generating portion that generates a swirl flow of the mixture in the mixing chamber.  
     
     
         7 . The fuel reforming apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the mixing chamber and the reforming reaction chamber has a circular cross section.  
     
     
         8 . The fuel reforming apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the mixing chamber has a circular cross section whose inner diameter is 5 to 15% of an inner diameter of the inlet of the reforming reaction chamber.  
     
     
         9 . The fuel reforming apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a fluid injection valve that supplies a fluid used for a reforming reaction to the mixing chamber.    
     
     
         10 . The fuel reforming apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein the liquid injection valve injects water, as the fluid.  
     
     
         11 . A fuel reforming apparatus for reforming a mixture of fuel and gas containing oxygen, comprising: 
 a mixing chamber;    fuel supply means for supplying fuel to the mixing chamber;    gas supply means for supplying gas containing oxygen to the mixing chamber; and    a reforming reaction chamber which is provided downstream of the mixing chamber, and which includes a reforming catalyst for reforming a mixture of the supplied fuel and the supplied gas, wherein a cross sectional area of an outlet of the mixing chamber is smaller than a cross sectional area of an inlet of the reforming reaction chamber.    
     
     
         12 . The fuel reforming apparatus according to  claim 11 , further comprising: swirl flow generating means for generating a swirl flow of the mixture in the mixing chamber.