High performance fuel processing system for fuel cell power plant

1. In a fuel processing system (FPS) ( 110 ) for a fuel cell power plant ( 115 ) including a fuel cell stack assembly (CSA) ( 56 ), the FPS ( 110 ) including at least a water gas shift (WGS) reaction section ( 12 , 120 ) for receiving hydrocarbon reformate containing CO and reducing the concentration of CO in the reformate via the shift reaction, and at least a preferential oxidation (PROX) section ( 40 ) for further reducing the concentration of CO in the reformate to a concentration acceptable for operating the CSA ( 56 ), the improvement wherein:

the WGS section ( 12 , 120 ) includes a low temperature reactor ( 124 ) with a high activity catalyst therein for reducing the concentration of CO in the reformate to a relatively low level, thereby relatively reducing the structural volume of the FPS ( 110 ), said high activity catalyst comprises a noble-metal-on-ceria based, nanophase-structure catalyst in the low temperature reactor ( 124 ) of the WGS section ( 120 ) being active at temperatures as low as 250° C.

2. The fuel processing system of claim 1 wherein the high activity catalyst in the low temperature WGS reactor ( 124 ) reduces the concentration of CO in the reformate to about 2,000 ppmv or less.

3. The fuel processing system of claim 2 wherein the PROX section ( 40 ) comprises a low temperature PROX reactor ( 46 ), the low temperature PROX reactor ( 46 ) being the only PROX reactor in the FPS ( 110 ).

4. The fuel processing system of claim 3 wherein the concentration of CO in the reformate following the further reduction thereof in the low temperature PROX reactor ( 46 ) is less than about 10 ppmv.

5. The fuel processing system of claim 2 wherein said high activity catalyst with said reactor ( 124 ) of the WGS section ( 120 ) comprises a noble-metal-on-ceria-based, nanophase-structured catalyst.

6. The fuel processing system of claim 5 wherein said noble-metal-on-ceria-based catalyst comprises platinum (Pt) and rhenium (Re) mixed metal on a nanocrystaline, cerium oxide-based support.

7. The fuel processing system of claim 1 wherein said noble-metal-on-ceria-based catalyst comprises platinum (Pt) and rhenium (Re) mixed metal on a nanocrystaline, cerium oxide-based support.

8. The fuel processing system of claim 7 wherein said high activity catalyst has a catalyst activity of at least 0.18 moles of CO per moles of Pt per sec. (moles CO/moles Pt-sec.) at 250° C. for a gas composition of 1.5%-2.5% CO, 25%-35% H 2 O, 30-50% H 2 , 10-14% CO 2 , balance N 2 , a CO reaction order in the range of 0.0 to 0.10 and an activation energy of up to about 20 Kcal/mole CO.

9. In a fuel processing system (FPS) ( 110 ) for a fuel cell power plant ( 115 ) including a fuel cell stack assembly (CSA) ( 56 ), the FPS ( 110 ) including at least a water gas shift (WGS) reaction section ( 12 , 120 ) for receiving hydrocarbon reformate containing CO and reducing the concentration of CO in the reformate via the shift reaction, and at least a preferential oxidation (PROX) section ( 40 ) for further reducing the concentration of CO in the reformate to a concentration acceptable for operating the CSA ( 56 ), the improvement wherein:

the WGS section ( 12 , 120 ) includes a low temperature reactor ( 124 ) with a high activity catalyst for reducing the concentration of CO in the reformate to a relatively low level, thereby relatively reducing the structural volume of the FPS ( 110 ), said high activity catalyst in the low temperature reactor ( 124 ) of the WGS section ( 120 ) comprising a noble-metal-on-ceria-based, nanophase-structured catalyst comprising platinum (Pt) and rhenium (Re) mixed metal on a nanocrystaline, cerium oxide-based support.

10. The fuel processing system ( 110 ) of claim 9 wherein the WGS section reactor ( 124 ) is a low temperature, WGS reactor ( 124 ), and the high activity catalyst is included therein and is active at temperatures as low as 250° C.

11. The fuel processing system of claim 9 wherein the PROX section ( 40 ) comprises a low temperature PROX reactor ( 46 ), the low temperature PROX reactor ( 46 ) being the only PROX reactor in the FPS ( 110 ).

12. The fuel processing system of claim 11 wherein the concentration of CO in the reformate following the further reduction thereof in the low temperature PROX reactor ( 46 ) is less than about 50 ppmv.

13. In a fuel processing system (FPS) ( 110 ) for a fuel cell power plant ( 115 ) including a fuel cell stack assembly (GSA) ( 56 ), the FPS ( 110 ) including at least a water gas shift (WGS) reaction section ( 12 , 120 ) for receiving hydrocarbon reformate containing CO and reducing the concentration of CO in the reformate via the shift reaction, and at least a preferential oxidation (PROX) section ( 40 ) for further reducing the concentration of CO in the reformate to a concentration acceptable for operating the CSA ( 56 ), the improvement wherein:

the WGS section ( 12 , 120 ) includes a low temperature reactor ( 124 ) with a high activity catalyst for reducing the concentration of CO in the reformate to a relatively low level, thereby relatively reducing the structural volume of the FPS ( 110 ), said high activity catalyst in the low temperature reactor ( 124 ) of the WGS section ( 120 ) including at least platinum and having a catalyst activity of at least 0.18 moles of CO per moles of Pt per sec. (moles CO/moles Pt-sec.) at 250° C. for a gas composition of 1.5%-2.5% CO, 25%-35% H 2 O, 30-50% H 2 , 10-14% CO 2 , balance N 2 , a CO reaction order in the range of 0.0 to 0.10 and an activation energy of up to about 20 Kcal/mole CO.

14. The fuel processing system of claim 13 wherein said high activity catalyst with said reactor ( 124 ) of the WGS section ( 120 ) comprises a noble-metal-on-ceria-based, nanophase-structured catalyst comprising platinum (Pt) and rhenium (Re) mixed metal on a nanocrystaline, cerium oxide-based support.

15. The fuel processing system of claim 14 wherein the high activity catalyst in the low temperature WGS reactor ( 124 ) reduces the concentration of CO in the reformate to about 2,000 ppmv or less.

16. The fuel processing system of claim 15 wherein the PROX section ( 40 ) comprises a low temperature PROX reactor ( 46 ), the low temperature PROX reactor ( 46 ) being the only PROX reactor in the FPS ( 110 ).

17. The fuel processing system of claim 13 wherein said high activity catalyst with said reactor ( 124 ) of the WGS section ( 120 ) comprises at least platinum on a nanocrystaline, cerium-based mixed metal oxide support, the mixed metals of said support, in addition to cerium, further including at least a second metal, or mixture thereof, selected from the group consisting of Zr arid Hf, and a third metal, or mixture thereof, selected from the group consisting of Nb, Ta, Mo and W.

18. The fuel processing system of claim 17 wherein the cerium-based mixed-metal oxide support of said high activity catalyst has a surface area on a weight basis of at least about 150 m 2 /g, an average crystallite size of about 2 to 4 nm and agglomerated to form a skeletal structure with pores, average pore diameters being between about 4 and 9 nm and normally being greater than the average crystallite size, and wherein the surface area of the skeletal structure per volume of the material of the structure is greater than about 350 m 2 /cm 3 .