Compact devices for generating pure hydrogen

Abstract

A hydrogen generator comprising a hydrogen membrane reactor, a fuel supply, a reaction fuel supply line, an air supply, an air supply line, a combustion fuel supply line, a tail gas supply line, a combustion by-product line for transporting combustion by-products from the combustion chamber, and a reaction product line. A membrane assembly to be joined to a reactor chamber of a hydrogen generator, which comprises a membrane; and a membrane support comprising a sintered porous metal. A reactor assembly comprising a reaction chamber containing a porous metal substrate, two membrane assemblies, a fuel supply, a reaction fuel supply line, and a tail gas supply line and a reaction product line. Methods associated with the hydrogen generator, membrane assembly and reactor assembly.

Description

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates to hydrogen generating reactors and to hydrogen separation membranes.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

The growing popularity of portable electronic devices has produced an increased demand for compact and correspondingly portable electrical power sources to energize these devices. Developments in robotics and other emerging technology applications are further increasing the demand for small, independent power sources. At present, storage or rechargeable batteries are typically used to provide independent electrical power sources for portable devices. However, the amount of energy that can be stored in storage or rechargeable batteries is insufficient to meet the need of certain applications.

Hydrogen/air fuel cells (H/AFCs) have enormous potential as a replacement for batteries. Because they can operate on very energy-dense fuels, fuel cell-based power supplies offer high energy-to-weight ratios compared with even state-of-the-art batteries. Fuel cells are of particular interest to the military, where significant efforts are being made to reduce the weight of power supplies that soldiers must carry to support high-tech, field-portable equipment. There is also considerable potential for utilizing fuel cell-based power supplies for commercial applications, particularly for portable applications where small size and low weight are desirable.

A common H/AFC is a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell. PEM fuel cells are constructed of an anode and a cathode separated by a polymer electrolyte membrane. Functionally, fuel cells generate electricity by reacting hydrogen with oxygen to produce water. Since oxygen can typically be obtained from the ambient atmosphere, only a source of hydrogen must be provided to operate a fuel cell. Merely providing compressed hydrogen is not always a viable option, because of the substantial volume that even a highly compressed gas occupies. Liquid hydrogen, which occupies less volume, is a cryogenic liquid, and a significant amount of energy is required to achieve the extremely low temperatures required to liquefy gaseous hydrogen. Furthermore, there are safety issues involved with the handling and storage of hydrogen in the compressed gas form or in the liquid form.

One method of producing hydrogen is by processing hydrocarbons such as methane (natural gas), propane, butane, and liquid fuels such as gasoline, diesel and JP-8 or oxygenates such as methanol. The choice of fuel and the choice of the method of processing, such as steam reforming, partial oxidation, and autothermal reforming, depends to a large extent on the type of service, such as, portable, stationary or automotive.

Hydrogen can also be produced by cracking ammonia. The product stream from the fuel processor when a hydrocarbon fuel is used contains hydrogen in addition to unreacted hydrocarbons, other products such as CO, CO₂, and diluents such as nitrogen. In essence, the hydrogen concentration in the product stream can be in the 40 to 75 volumetric percent range depending on the type of fuel and the method of processing. Methods such as water gas shift and preferential oxidation are used to reduce the CO concentrations to acceptable levels of no more than 50 parts per million, but increase the complexity of the system.

Accordingly, it is desirable to develop a method to yield an efficient and low cost supply of pure hydrogen for fuel cells and other applications.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

According to a first aspect, a hydrogen generator is disclosed, the hydrogen generator comprises: a hydrogen membrane reactor having a reaction chamber and a combustion chamber, a fuel supply, a reaction fuel supply line, an air supply, an air supply line, a combustion fuel supply line; a tail gas supply line; a combustion by-product line; and a reaction product line for transporting hydrogen from the reaction chamber.

In the hydrogen generator, the reaction chamber of the hydrogen membrane reactor is in fluid connection with and heat exchange relationship with a combustion chamber, the reaction fuel supply line is for transporting the fuel from the fuel supply to the reaction chamber; the air supply line is for transporting oxygen from the air supply to the combustion chamber, the combustion fuel supply line is for transporting fuel from the fuel supply to the combustion chamber; the tail gas supply line is for transporting tail gases from the reaction chamber; the combustion by-product line is for transporting combustion by-products from the combustion chamber; and the reaction product line for transporting hydrogen from the reaction chamber.

In one embodiment the fuel supply is replaced by a reaction fuel supply and a combustion fuel supply, the reaction fuel supply line is for transporting the reaction fuel from the reaction fuel supply to the reaction chamber and the combustion fuel supply line is for transporting combustion fuel from the combustion fuel supply to the combustion chamber.

According to a second aspect, a hydrogen generator is disclosed, the hydrogen generator comprising: a hydrogen membrane reactor, an end plate, a membrane assembly and a hydrogen plenum.

In the hydrogen generator, the hydrogen membrane reactor comprises a separation plate and two chambers on either side of the separation plate, one chamber defining a reaction chamber containing a reaction catalyst coated to a porous metal substrate, and the other chamber defining a combustion chamber containing a combustion catalyst coated to a porous metal substrate. In the hydrogen generator the end plate is to close the combustion chamber on the side opposing the separation plate.

In the hydrogen generator, the membrane assembly contains a membrane and a membrane support sub-assembly, to close the reaction chamber on the side opposing the separation plate, wherein a membrane surface not in contact with the support sub-assembly is situated close to the catalyst substrate but separated from the catalyst substrate. In the hydrogen generator, the hydrogen plenum is located on the other side of the membrane assembly to provide a plenum for collecting hydrogen.

According to a third aspect a membrane assembly to be joined to a reaction chamber of a hydrogen generator having a hydrogen plenum to form a leak tight reactor sub-assembly, is disclosed. The membrane assembly comprises: a membrane; and a membrane support comprising a sintered porous metal.

In the membrane assembly, the membrane is sealed between a first surface of the membrane support and a frame. In the membrane assembly a second surface of the membrane support is connected to the hydrogen plenum.

According to a fourth aspect, a hydrogen generator is disclosed. The hydrogen generator comprises: a hydrogen membrane reactor, a feed pre-treatment chamber (herein also indicated as pre-reformer), a fuel supply, a reaction fuel supply line, a feed supply line, an air supply, an air supply line, a combustion fuel supply line, a tail gas supply line, a combustion by-product line, and a reaction product line.

In the hydrogen generator, the hydrogen membrane reactor comprises a reaction chamber and a combustion chamber, the combustion chamber in a fluid connection with and a heat exchange relationship with the reaction chamber. In the hydrogen reactor, the feed pre-treatment chamber is in a heat exchange relationship with the combustion chamber and in fluid connection with the reaction chamber.

In the hydrogen generator, the reaction fuel supply line is for transporting fuel from the fuel supply to the feed pre-treatment chamber, the feed supply line is for transporting treated fuel from the pre-treatment chamber to the reaction chamber, the air supply line is for transporting oxygen from the air supply to the combustion chamber, the combustion fuel supply line is for transporting fuel from the fuel supply to the combustion chamber, the tail gas supply line is for transporting tail gases from the reaction chamber, the combustion by-product line is for transporting combustion by-products from the combustion chamber; and the reaction product line is for transporting hydrogen from the reaction chamber.

According to a fifth aspect a hydrogen generator is disclosed, the hydrogen generator comprising a hydrogen membrane reactor, an end plate, a pre-treatment chamber, a membrane assembly, and a hydrogen plenum.

In the hydrogen generator, the hydrogen membrane reactor comprises a separation plate and two chambers on either side of the separation plate, one chamber defining a reaction chamber containing a reforming catalyst coated to a porous metal substrate, and the other chamber defining a combustion chamber containing a combustion catalyst coated to a porous metal substrate. In the hydrogen generator, the end plate is to close the combustion chamber on the side opposing the separation plate.

In the hydrogen generator, the pre-treatment chamber is bound by the combustion chamber on one side and a bottom plate on the other side and contains a reaction catalyst coated to a porous metal substrate. In the hydrogen generator, the bottom plate contains a winding of metal tubing on an outer surface to facilitate vaporization of water to steam.

In the hydrogen generator, the membrane assembly contains a membrane and a membrane support sub-assembly, to close the reaction chamber on the side opposing the separation plate, wherein a membrane surface not in contact with the support sub-assembly is situated close to the catalyst substrate but separated from the catalyst substrate.

In the hydrogen generator, the hydrogen plenum is located on the other side of the membrane assembly to provide a plenum for collecting hydrogen.

According to a sixth aspect, a hydrogen generator is disclosed, the hydrogen generator comprising: a hydrogen membrane reactor, an internal connector, a fuel supply, a reaction fuel supply line, an air supply, an air supply line, a combustion fuel supply line, a tail gas supply line, a combustion by-product line, and a reaction product line.

In the hydrogen generator, the hydrogen membrane reactor has a combustion chamber that is sandwiched between a first reaction chamber and a second reaction chamber wherein the combustion chamber is in a fluid connection with and in a heat exchange relationship with the first and second reaction chamber. In the hydrogen generator, the internal connector connects the first and second reaction chamber wherein the fluid exiting the first reaction chamber flows into the second reaction chamber.

In the hydrogen generator, the reaction fuel supply line is for transporting fuel from the reaction fuel supply to the first reaction chamber, the air supply line is for transporting oxygen from the air supply to the combustion chamber, the combustion fuel supply line is for transporting fuel from the fuel supply to the combustion chamber, the tail gas supply line is for transporting tail gases from the second reaction chamber, the combustion by-product line is for transporting combustion by-products from the combustion chamber, and the reaction product line for transporting hydrogen from the first and second reaction chamber.

According to a seventh aspect a membrane assembly is disclosed, the membrane assembly comprising a membrane support sub-assembly and a membrane.

In the membrane assembly, the membrane support sub-assembly comprises a sintered porous metal sealed to a perforated metal plate, wherein a gasket is disposed between a frame and the membrane, the membrane is sealed between the first surface of the support sub-assembly and the frame, and the second surface of the support sub-assembly is welded or brazed to the hydrogen plenum to form the membrane assembly.

According to a eight aspect a reactor sub-assembly is disclosed, the reactor sub-assembly comprising a reaction chamber containing a porous metal substrate, two membrane assemblies, a fuel supply, a reaction fuel supply line, a tail gas supply line and a reaction product line.

In the reactor sub-assembly, the reaction chamber with a substrate is sandwiched between the two membrane assemblies thereby providing two membrane surfaces for hydrogen separation. In the reactor sub-assembly, the fuel supply line is for transporting fuel or hydrogen containing feed to the reaction chamber, the tail gas supply line is for transporting tail gas from the reaction chamber, and the reaction product line is for transporting pure hydrogen out of each membrane assembly.

According to a ninth aspect, a hydrogen generator is disclosed, the hydrogen generator comprising: a hydrogen membrane reactor, a fuel supply, a reaction fuel supply line, an air supply, an air supply line, an combustion fuel supply line, a tail gas supply line, a combustion by-product line, and a reaction product line.

In the hydrogen generator, the hydrogen membrane reactor has a combustion chamber that is sandwiched between a first reaction chamber and a second reaction chamber wherein the combustion chamber is in a fluid connection with and in a heat exchange relationship with the first and second reaction chambers.

In the hydrogen reactor, the reaction fuel supply line is for transporting fuel from the fuel supply to the reaction chambers, the air supply line for transporting oxygen from the oxygen air supply to the combustion chamber, the combustion fuel supply line for transporting fuel from the fuel supply to the combustion chamber, the tail gas supply line is for transporting tail gases from the reaction chambers, the combustion by-product line is for transporting combustion by-products from the combustion chamber; and the reaction product line is for transporting hydrogen from the reaction chambers.

According to a tenth aspect a reactor sub-assembly is disclosed, the reactor subassembly comprises a reaction chamber and a membrane assembly.

In the reactor sub-assembly the membrane assembly spans a portion of the entire length of the reaction chamber, and a membrane-less section of the reaction chamber is disposed at the entry of the reaction chamber and is used for pre-treatment of a fuel to produce hydrogen containing gases that flow into a section of the reaction chamber exposed to the membrane assembly.

According to an eleventh aspect a method to generate hydrogen from a reaction fuel is disclosed, the method comprising: providing a hydrogen membrane reactor having a combustion chamber in fluid connection with and heat exchange relationship with a reaction chamber, providing a reaction fuel supply, transporting the reaction fuel from the reaction fuel supply to the reaction chamber through a first supply line; providing an air supply; transporting oxygen from the air supply to the combustion chamber through an air supply line; providing a combustion fuel supply; transporting the combustion fuel from the combustion fuel supply to the combustion chamber through a combustion fuel supply line; reacting the combustion fuel supply in the combustion chamber to provide heat and combustion by-products; reacting the reaction fuel supply with water in the reaction chamber to provide hydrogen and tail gases; transporting the tail gases from the reaction chamber through a tail gas supply line; transporting the combustion by-products from the combustion chamber through a combustion by-product line; and transporting the hydrogen from the reaction chamber through a reaction product line.

According to a twelfth aspect, a method to generate hydrogen from a reaction fuel is disclosed, the method comprising: providing a membrane assembly to be joined to a reaction chamber of a hydrogen generator having a hydrogen plenum to form a leak tight reactor sub-assembly, the membrane assembly comprising a membrane and a membrane support comprising a sintered porous metal, wherein the membrane is sealed between a first surface of the membrane support and a frame, and wherein a second surface of the membrane support is connected to the hydrogen plenum.

The method further comprises: reacting the reaction fuel in the reaction chamber to provide a reaction product comprising hydrogen and tail gases; and separating the hydrogen from the tail gases of the reaction product through the membrane assembly.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in the following description and accompanying drawings, where the preferred embodiments of the present invention are described and shown. Additional details will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings or may be learned by practicing the present invention. The advantages of the present invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appendent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary reactor sub assembly.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary double-sided reactor sub assembly.

FIG. 3A illustrates an exploded perspective view of an exemplary membrane assembly.

FIG. 3B illustrates a compact perspective view of the membrane assembly of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary reactor subassembly containing two membrane assemblies as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary plenum-less variant of the reactor subassembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary support element of the reactor sub-assembly of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary variant of the plenum-less reactor sub assembly of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary membrane reactor that integrates the reactor sub assembly of FIG. 1 with a combustion chamber.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary membrane reactor that integrates the reactor sub assembly of FIG. 2 with a combustion chamber.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary variant of the membrane reactor of FIG. 9 which includes the membrane assembly shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary variant of the membrane reactor of FIG. 8 which includes several membrane assemblies as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary “folded” variant of the membrane reactor of FIG. 9, which includes an internal connector between the two chambers.

FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary plenum-less variant of the membrane reactor of FIG. 12 which includes two reaction subassemblies as shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 14 illustrates the plenum-less “folded” membrane reactor of FIG. 13 with an integrated feed gas pre-heater.

FIG. 15A illustrates the exploded view of an exemplary gasketed variant of the “folded” membrane reactor of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15B illustrates the compact view of the exemplary “folded” gasketed membrane reactor of FIG. 15A.

FIG. 16 illustrates a cross-section of the gasketed membrane reactor of FIGS. 15A and 15B.

FIG. 17 illustrates an exemplary variant of the membrane reactor shown in FIG. 8 including an integrated water vaporizer and feed pre-treatment chamber.

FIG. 18 illustrates a cross sectional view of the membrane reactor shown in FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 illustrates a cross sectional view of a variant of the membrane reactor of FIGS. 17 and 18, wherein the pre-treatment chamber is not separated from the reaction chamber.

FIG. 20A illustrates an exploded perspective view of an exemplary membrane assembly including an integrated gasket.

FIG. 20B illustrates a compact perspective view of the membrane assembly of FIG. 20A.

FIG. 21 illustrates a cross sectional view of the membrane assembly shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B.

FIG. 22 illustrates a membrane assembly comprising of tubular membrane elements.

FIG. 23 illustrates a membrane reactor consisting of a tubular membrane assembly of FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 shows a schematic representation of the membrane reactor of FIG. 8 in an ammonia based hydrogen generator.

FIG. 25 shows a schematic representation of the membrane reactor of FIG. 8 in an hydrocarbon based hydrogen generator.

FIG. 26 shows a diagram reporting measurements of the hydrogen flux (sccm/cm²) through the reactor sub assembly of FIG. 1 described in Example 1. On the y-axis the hydrogen flux is reported. On the x-axis the time of measurements is reported.

FIG. 27 shows a diagram reporting measurements of the hydrogen flux (sccm/cm²) through a variant of the reactor sub assembly of FIG. 1 described in Example 2. On the y-axis the hydrogen flux is reported. On the x-axis the test time is reported.

FIG. 28 shows a diagram reporting measurements of the pure hydrogen production rate (sccm) through the reactor sub assembly of FIG. 5 described in Example 3. On the y-axis the production rate is reported. On the x-axis the test time is reported.

FIG. 29 shows a diagram reporting measurements of the flow rate of ammonia through the reactor sub assembly of FIGS. 13 and 14, described in Example 5. On the y-axis the flow rates are reported. On the x-axis the test time is reported.

FIG. 30 shows a diagram reporting the heat content of the membrane reject stream described in Example 5. On the y-axis the heat content is reported. On the x-axis the test time is reported.

FIG. 31 shows a diagram reporting the flow rate of ammonia and pure hydrogen through the reactor sub assembly of FIGS. 15A, 15B, and 16 as described in Example 6. On the y-axis the flow rates are reported. On the x-axis the test time is reported.

FIG. 32 shows a diagram reporting measurements of the hydrogen production rate (sccm) through the reactor sub assembly of FIG. 8 described in Example 7. On the y-axis the production rate is reported. On the x-axis the test time is reported.

FIG. 33 shows a diagram reporting measurements of the pure hydrogen production rate (sccm) through the reactor sub assembly of FIG. 8 described in Example 8. On the y-axis the production rate is reported. On the x-axis the test time is reported.

FIG. 34 shows a diagram reporting measurements of the pure hydrogen production rate (sccm) through the reactor sub assembly of FIGS. 17 and 18 described in Example 9. On the y-axis the production rate is reported. On the x-axis the test time is reported.

FIG. 35 shows a diagram reporting measurements of the pure hydrogen production rate (sccm) through the reactor sub assembly of FIGS. 17 and 18 described in Example 10. On the y-axis the production rate is reported. On the x-axis the test time is reported.

It should be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the Figures may not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements are exaggerated relative to each other for clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of one embodiment of a membrane reactor sub assembly (10). The membrane reactor subassembly (10) includes a reaction chamber (2), a hydrogen exhaust chamber or plenum (4) and a membrane assembly (3) placed between the chamber (2) and the plenum (4).

The reaction chamber (2) contains a catalyst and comprises a reactor entry port (14) and reject port (16). The plenum (4) includes an exit port (18).

The membrane assembly (3) comprises an hydrogen separation membrane in the form of a membrane foil (8) and a membrane support sub-assembly including a membrane support (6) having perforations (7) and a metal retaining frame (12). In the membrane assembly (3), the membrane foil (8) is supported by the membrane support (6) and is held in place on the membrane support plate (6) using a metal retaining frame (12).

The hydrogen separation membrane in the form of a foil (8) is disposed off directly over the catalyst containing reaction chamber (2).

The feed enters the reaction chamber (2) through the reactor entry port (14). Hydrogen is generated in the reaction chamber, permeates through the membrane foil (8), flows through the perforations (7) in the membrane support plate (6) and into the plenum (4), and exits the reaction chamber through the hydrogen exit port (18). The reaction chamber tail gases that constitute the gas mixture rejected by the membrane, exit through the reject port (16).

The membrane foil (8) is preferably composed of palladium or alloys of palladium, and more preferably alloys of palladium and silver containing 70 to 80 at.-% palladium. The thickness of the membrane foil (8) is preferably in the 10 to 30 micron range although foils of other thicknesses may also be used.

The membrane support sub-assembly comprising the membrane support (6) and the metal retaining frame (12), may also comprise of a sintered porous metal substrate or a combination of a sintered porous metal substrate and a solid metal plate containing perforations or a combination of sintered porous metal substrate housed in a metal frame. The substrate can be formed of metal foam, metal monolith, metal mesh, ceramic foam, and ceramic monolith. Preferably, metals such as austenitic stainless steels (e.g., grades 303, 304, and 316) or high temperature nickel based alloys (e.g., Inconel® 600 series) are used to fabricate the metal components incorporated in FIG. 1. The components can have a wall thickness of about 2.5 mm. The use of such metals permits operation at high temperatures (450° C. to 700° C.) which is desirable for producing hydrogen. Preferably the sintered porous metal substrates such as those supplied by Mott Corp. (Farmington, Conn.) or Pall Corporation (East Hills, N.Y.) are used to support the thin foil membranes as these are typically less than 20% of the cost of machining perforations into solid metal plate stock and provide improved hydrogen transport compared to perforated plates. The sintered porous metal can have a thickness in the ranges of 1.0 mm to 6.5 mm, and more preferably 1.0 mm to 1.5 mm.

The perforated metal plates can have perforations of different sizes and the sizes of the perforations provide adequate support to the membrane and adequate porous volume for transporting the hydrogen to the hydrogen exhaust chamber. The porosity can range from 5% to 58% preferably from 20% to 50%. The perforations are spaced apart preferably of about 2.5 mm. The perforated metal plate can have 15% to 50% open volume and the sintered porous metal can be sealed to the perforated metal plate.

The membrane foil (8) may be joined and sealed in between frame (12) and support (6) using methods such as brazing, welding (TIG, MIG, electron beam, laser), or diffusion bonding. More preferably, the foil membrane is joined by brazing as practiced by Omley Industries (Grants Pass, Oreg.) and American Brazing (Willoughby, Ohio). A preferred alloy for the brazing process is 82% gold/18% nickel such as the Nioro® alloy supplied by Wesgo, Inc. (Belmont, Calif.) which is typically used in high performance aerospace applications. The form of the braze is preferably an extrudable paste but may also be in foil, flexibraze, wire, or powder form. Brazing is preferably done in a vacuum furnace with a peak temperature of 960° C. with a ramp rate of 200° C. per hour. During the braze process, a dead weight is applied to the retaining frame to maintain contact between the foil and the support and to provide a leak tight seal around the perimeter of the foil. The seal between the foil and the support may also be achieved without the use of a metal frame.

For example, a graphite fixture or other material resistant to brazing may be used to apply pressure during the braze process and then be removed. In the subsequent figures, the frame may not be shown in the membrane assembly, but it should be understood that the metal frame that may or may not be used during brazing, and if used exists only in a vestigial manner in the membrane assembly. That is, the frame does not serve any purpose once the membrane assembly is sealed to a reaction chamber to form the reactor sub assembly. A concern during brazing when using a perforated plate or a porous metal as a support, is wicking of the braze alloy into the pores and blocking of the permeation path and depletion of the braze material. A preferred method for eliminating this problem is to apply a stop-off material such as Nicrobraz® Green stop-off produced by Wall Colmonoy Corp. (Madison Hts., Mich.) between the braze area and the perforated or porous support. Another method to prevent braze flow to porous components is to machine a channel between the braze area and the perforated or porous support to provide a reservoir for excess braze to run off without flowing into the perforated or porous support itself.

Even though the hydrogen separation membrane is described above as a thin membrane foil (8), the methods need not be necessarily restricted to foils. For example, the hydrogen separation membrane can be applied to the faces of the porous substrates using deposition techniques. In these methods, precursors of the palladium or palladium membrane are applied to the faces of the substrates and are then decomposed to their metallic components to yield a defect free membrane film. These thin film containing substrates can then be integrated into the device using suitable joining techniques such as brazing, welding, and diffusion bonding. A porous ceramic mat can be disposed between the substrate in the reaction chamber and the membrane surface. A retaining frame can also be comprised to hold the mat in contact with the substrate to eliminate contact between the membrane surface and the substrate.

The reaction chamber (2) contains a suitable catalyst material to generate hydrogen from hydrocarbons or non-hydrocarbons such as ammonia or oxygenates such as alcohol. In the case of hydrocarbons, steam reforming is the preferred route with typical operating conditions between 575 and 650° C. and between 5 and 10 bar. The catalyst can be in the powder form (45 to 140 mesh) and loaded into mesochannels that may be machined into the reactor body. The flow dimensions of the mesochannels are typically between 0.5 and 2 mm. More preferably the catalyst material is coated onto substrates such as metal foams of alloys such as Fecralloy® or Inconel® as supplied by Porvair (Hendersonville, N.C.) with the dimensions of the irregular flow channels in the foams still being in the mesoscale range of 0.5 to 2 mm range. The catalyst coated substrate is then inserted into the reactor body. Preferably a porous pliable material lies between the catalyst and the membrane foil surface to prevent any damage (scratches, holes etc) to the thin membrane foil. A preferred candidate for a pliable material is the Interam™ 1101 HT ceramic mat as supplied by 3M Corporation (Minneapolis, Minn.). Example 1, later described, demonstrates pure hydrogen production using a reactor sub assembly as shown in FIG. 1 that contains a porous metal support in place of the perforated plate to support the membrane foil. Example 2, later described, demonstrates pure hydrogen production using a reactor sub assembly as shown in FIG. 1 that contains a perforated plate as a support for the foil. The results shown in Examples 1 and 2 teach that the sintered porous metal substrate is a preferred support for supporting the hydrogen separation membrane foil. The location of the entry and exit ports in FIG. 1 is shown in example only. The catalyst, palladium and/or any other components in the reactor assembly can be deposited onto the surface using techniques such as cold-spray technique described in PCT/US04/37620 herein incorporated by reference.

FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of reactor sub assembly (20) which is a double sided variant of reactor subassembly (10).

In reactor sub assembly (20), a membrane assembly consisting of the membrane support sub assembly and the foil (8) is located on both sides of the reaction chamber (2) containing the catalyst. Hydrogen generated in the reaction chamber permeates through the membrane foils (8) and supports (6), flows through the perforations in the support (7), and is collected in the hydrogen plenum (4) on either side of the reaction chamber (2).

Since the hydrogen permeation rate through the membrane increases with available membrane surface area for a given set of operating conditions, this embodiment effectively increases the available surface area for hydrogen permeation by 100% while increasing the unit mass by only 30% when compared to the reactor sub assembly in FIG. 1. Accordingly, this embodiment allows to increase the hydrogen production rate without increasing the footprint of the basic unit. The location of the entry and exit ports in FIG. 2 is in example only and other variations are possible.

FIGS. 3A (exploded perspective view) and 3B (compact perspective view) illustrate an exemplary double sided hydrogen separation membrane assembly (30).

In the membrane assembly (30), a membrane support sub assembly including a sintered support (24) and a housing (26) is integrated with more than one membrane (22). The housing (26) includes an hydrogen exit port (28). In the membrane assembly (30), the sintered porous support (24) is nested inside a housing (26) and sandwiched between a membrane (22) on either side.

When a hydrogen containing gas is exposed to the membrane surfaces under appropriate operating conditions, hydrogen permeates through the membrane surfaces, flows through the porous support and out of the housing through the hydrogen exit port (28). The support (24) acts not only as a support for the membranes but also serves the purpose of flow channel for transporting hydrogen from the surface of the membranes to the exit port (28).

A distinct advantage of this membrane assembly embodiment lies in the fact that both sides of the component are at the same pressure, and thus the strength of the support is limited only by the compressive yield strength of the support which is much higher than the tensile strength of metals and ceramics. A membrane assembly arranged in this manner is highly suitable for high pressure applications as the stress on the support of the membrane is equalized by the pressure on both sides.

The support (24) is preferably intrinsically porous in nature such as porous sintered metals or porous metal foams. Porous metal substrates are preferred to ceramic substrates because components can be readily joined using conventional techniques such as brazing, welding etc. The housing, frame and the foil that constitute the membrane assembly may be joined in a leak tight fashion using techniques such as brazing, welding, diffusion bonding, or other applicable joining techniques.

FIG. 4 shows a reactor sub assembly (40) constituting an exemplary variant of reactor sub assembly (20) shown in FIG. 2, which incorporates the double sided membrane assembly (30) shown in the sectional views of FIGS. 3A and 3B.

In the reactor sub assembly (40), a double sided membrane assembly (30) is placed on both sides of the reaction chamber (2) separating the reaction chamber (2) from two plenums (34) which include a tail gas plenum. Accordingly, each of the membrane assemblies (30), comprises a first membrane (22a) facing the reaction chamber and a second membrane (22b) facing the plenum (34).

The hydrogen containing feed or fuel that needs to be reformed enters the reaction chamber (2) through the entry port (14). Tail gases, including hydrogen and possibly other components such as CO, CH₄, CO₂, are generated in the reaction chamber (2) and permeates the membrane subassembly (30) through the membranes (22a). Instead of exiting the reaction chamber at the end opposite to that of the entry port (14), the tail gases are routed through the internal reject port (32) and come in contact with by the second set of membrane surfaces (22b). The hydrogen that continues to be collected by permeating through the membranes, flows into the porous support (24) and exits through the hydrogen exit port (28). The tail gases rejected by the membranes (22a) and (22b), exit through the reject exit ports (36) located in each membrane assembly.

The reactor sub assembly (40) provides an additional increase in pure hydrogen production rates with minimal increase in reactor footprint when compared to reactor sub assembly (20) shown in FIG. 2.

To prevent any flow restrictions or impediments through the membranes due to the support material, the porosity of the sintered porous substrate should preferably be between 20% and 50%. In addition, the thickness of the support may be increased to allow a larger flow region that separates the membranes. Each of the two membrane assemblies (30) in the reactor sub assembly (40) shown in FIG. 4, incorporates four membrane foil surfaces, thus increasing the exposed membrane area by 400% when compared to the reactor sub assembly shown in FIG. 1, while increasing the weight by only 40%.

The reactor sub assemblies shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 can also be used as standalone hydrogen purifiers as demonstrated by later described Example 1. The purifiers can be utilized to produce pure hydrogen from an impure hydrogen feed (example 99% or less) for applications such as the semiconductor industry. In such applications, the catalyst can be replaced by a porous media that does not contain catalyst coating.

FIG. 5 shows a reactor sub assembly (50) which constitutes an exemplary plenum-les variant of the reactor sub assembly (10) shown in FIG. 1. The membrane assembly (55) here consists of a membrane foil (44) supported on a sintered porous metal support (42) that is inserted into a plate (38). The sintered porous metal support (42) serves the dual purpose of providing support for the membrane and of behaving as channel for transporting hydrogen from the membrane surface to the exit port (48). Additional collection channels (46) may be included in the plate (38). The resulting reactor sub assembly is therefore very compact.

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary variant of plate (38) that contains a recess to receive the porous metal substrate (44), and hydrogen collection channels (46) machined on to the surface of the plate facing the porous metal substrate. The pattern of these channels is shown in example only.

In the reactor sub assembly (50) shown in FIG. 5, hydrogen containing feed or the fuel that needs to be reformed enters the reaction chamber (2) through the entry port (14). Hydrogen is generated in the reactor chamber, permeates through the membrane foil (44), flows through the porous metal insert (42) and is routed through channels (46) machined into the plate (38). Pure hydrogen exits the reactor sub assembly through one or both of the exit ports (48). The tail gases rejected by the membrane exit the reaction chamber through the port (16).

Plenumless variants analogous to the reactor sub-assembly (50) can be derived from of other reactor sub-assemblies, such as reactor assembly (20), (30) and (40) by a person skilled in the art based on the content of the present disclosure and will not herein described in further details.

FIG. 7 shows a reactor sub assembly (60) which constitutes a variant of the plenum-less reactor sub assembly (50) shown FIG. 5. In the reactor sub assembly (60) a header (52) is located at the hydrogen exit ports (48) of the reactor sub assembly. This header facilitates hydrogen removal by creating a larger volume for hydrogen collection in close proximity to the exit ports. In some embodiment the header also allows removal of flow impediments.

As known to those skilled in the art, hydrogen separation through palladium based membranes is effected at temperatures greater than 350° C. Hydrogen generation via steam reforming or otherwise requires temperatures in excess of 350° C., preferably around 550 to 650° C. Therefore, heat needs to be provided to the reactor sub assemblies described above. Heat may be provided externally using either a resistance wire or other electrical means (such as in Examples 1 and 2). An alternate preferred embodiment would be to integrate a combustion chamber with the reactor sub assembly to form a membrane reactor. In the disclosure described here, a hydrogen generator is composed of a membrane reactor with associated fluid lines, such as a air supply, a reaction fuel supply and a combustion fuel supply, for transport of appropriate streams in and out of the membrane reactor.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary membrane reactor (70) which includes a reactor sub assembly (10) shown in FIG. 1 integrated with a combustion chamber (62). The reaction chamber (2) in the reactor subassembly and the combustion chamber (62) are disposed on either side of a separation plate (15). An end plate (17) close the combustion chamber on the side opposing the separation plate (15). In the membrane reactor (70), the combustion chamber (62) provides heat to drive hydrogen generation and separation.

The combustion chamber (62) comprises a combustion chamber substrate and the reaction chamber (2) comprises a catalyst coated reaction chamber substrate, formed by the membrane (8). The approximate pore diameter or flow dimension of the substrates can be in the 0.2 to 3.0 mm range.

Combustion fuel and air enters the combustion chamber at the entry port (64) and is converted to CO₂ and H₂O while generating heat. The fuel to the reaction chamber (examples, fuel and water in the case of steam reforming of hydrocarbons, ammonia in the case of ammonia cracking) enters the reaction chamber (2) through the entry port (14) and reaction tail gases exit through the port (16). The generated hydrogen permeates through the membrane (8) and through the membrane support sub assembly consisting of the porous support (7), the perforated plate (6) to support (7), and into the plenum (4), and exits the unit through the exit port (18). The tail gases from the combustion chamber or combustion by-product gases exit through the exit port (66).

Combustion is preferably confined to catalytic combustion, whereby, the heat is generated in a flameless fashion. This method is inherently safe and is suitable for a wide range of applications and particularly for fuel cell applications for portable services. The catalyst can be in the powder form (45 to 140 mesh) and may be loaded into mesochannels that may be machined into the reactor body. The flow dimensions of the mesochannels are typically between 0.5 and 2 mm. More preferably, the catalyst material is coated onto substrates such as metal foams of alloys such as Fecralloy®, Fe CrAlY, austenitic steel or Inconel® as supplied by Porvair (Hendersonville, N.C.) with the dimensions of the irregular flow channels in the foams still being in the 0.5 to 2 mm range. The catalyst containing substrate is then inserted into the reactor body. In contrast to the reaction chamber, a ceramic mat need not be placed between the catalyst the surface of the reaction chamber that is in contact with the combustion chamber.

Catalytic combustion is initiated at a temperature commonly denoted as the “light-off” temperature for a particular catalyst. For hydrocarbons, this light-off temperature is typically in the 150 to 350° C. range; for example the light-off temperature for propane over noble metal containing catalysts is around 175° C. The catalyst may be heated to this temperature using ancillary heating methods such as through a resistance wire that is powered by a battery or other electrical source. Alternately, since hydrogen can light-off at room temperature over certain noble metal containing catalysts, hydrogen stored in a small hydride canister, in a compressed cylinder, or in a liquefied state can be used to increase the temperature of the catalyst from room temperature to light-off temperature during start-up.

The fuel for combustion can constitute a fraction of the same fuel that is used as the feed for hydrogen generation. Alternately, an external fuel or an ancillary fuel may also be supplied. Also, a fuel supply providing fuel to both the reaction chamber and the combustion chamber can be provided. Alternatively, a reaction fuel supply can be provided separate from a combustion fuel supply. More preferably, the reaction chamber tail gases that contain H₂ and combustibles such as CO and hydrocarbons rejected by the membrane that exits through the port (16) in FIG. 8 can be routed into the combustion chamber through the port (64). The reaction chamber tail gases can thus be utilized either as the sole source of heat for the endothermic hydrogen generation reaction or as a supplement to the existing secondary fuel source to improve system efficiency.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary membrane reactor (80) which includes the reactor sub assembly (20) shown in FIG. 2 integrated with a combustion chamber (62). In the membrane reactor (80) the combustion chamber (62) is located between the two reaction chambers (2a) and (2b) in a configuration wherein more than one membrane surface is provided for hydrogen separation.

In particular, in this embodiment, a combustion chamber (62) is sandwiched between two reaction chambers (2) in a compact manner that generates heat to drive both hydrogen generation and separation with 100% more membrane surface area than the membrane reactor (70) shown in FIG. 8. The combustion fuel and air enter through the entry port (64). The tail gases from the combustion chamber exit through an exit port (66).

FIG. 10 illustrates a membrane reactor (90) which is an exemplary variant of a membrane reactor (80) shown in FIG. 9, wherein the membrane assemblies constituted by the membrane foil (8) and the support plate (6), are replaced by the membrane assemblies (30) as described in FIGS. 3A and 3B. An effect is that the membrane surface area of the membrane reactor (90) is increased with respect to the one of the membrane reactor (80). In effect, the membrane surface area available for hydrogen separation is twice that of the surface area of the membrane reactor (80) shown in FIG. 9, while insuring only a negligible increase in reactor footprint.

FIG. 11 illustrates a membrane reactor (100) which constitutes a variant of the membrane reactor (70) shown in FIG. 8. In the membrane reactor (100) the membrane assembly, constituted by the membrane foil (8) and the support plate (6), is replaced by several membrane assemblies (30) as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, that are arranged in a stacked fashion. In this manner, the membrane surface area of the membrane reactor (100) can be increased with respect to the one of membrane reactor (70) to elegantly provide increased hydrogen generation and production rates without increasing the dimensions of the reactor. The number of membrane assemblies can be chosen to satisfy the targeted pure hydrogen production rates. The feed and product flow paths should be suitably manifolded to introduce feed streams and remove product streams from the membrane reactor.

FIG. 12 shows a membrane reactor (110) which constitutes an exemplary preferred variant of membrane reactor (80) shown in FIG. 9 including an internal connector (112) located within the reactor between the two reaction chambers (2a) and (2b).

In the membrane reactor (80), the two reaction chambers (2a) and (2b) are located on the sides of the combustion chamber (62) and have separate entry ports (14) and exit ports (16). Therefore, in the membrane reactor (80) the reaction chambers (2a) and (2b) are not in fluid communication with each other.

In the membrane reactor (110) the internal connector (112) connects the reaction chamber (2a) and (2b) through the combustion chamber (62) and facilitates fluid communication between the two reaction chambers.

In the membrane reactor (110), the internal connector (112) obviates the need for splitting flows in equal portions that would otherwise be required while feeding into the reaction chambers of a membrane reactor such as membrane reactor (80) as shown in FIG. 9. In addition, the internal connector (112) also obviates the need for manifolding the reaction chamber tail gas streams that exit the reaction chambers.

In the membrane reactor (110), the reaction chambers (2a) and (2b) are in essence “folded” around the combustion chamber to make use of both hot surfaces of the combustion unit (62) which reduces the exposed hot surfaces thereby minimizing thermal losses to ambient. The fuel for combustion may consist of any combustible fuel such as a hydrocarbon (e.g., propane, methane, butane, gasoline, JP-8, diesel fuel, kerosene, biodiesel, etc.) or ammonia and is may be same fuel as fed to the reaction chamber. The primary fuel for combustion can be composed of the tail gas stream from the reaction chambers (2a) and (2b) that is either externally or internally routed to the combustion chamber (62). The fuel and air for combustion enters the combustion chamber through the port (64) and exits at the opposite end of the combustion chamber at the combustion chamber through exit port (66).

The fuel feed from which hydrogen is to be produced is routed into the reaction chamber through the entry port (14). It is preferably preheated externally through a separate heating unit or by a heat exchanger prior to be fed into the entry port (14). In the presence of a suitable catalyst in the reaction chamber, the feed is converted to a hydrogen containing stream. The hydrogen containing gases flow through the reaction chamber (2a), and then through the connector (112), and into to the secondary reaction chamber (2b), where the un-reacted feed is further converted to hydrogen. This connector is part of an otherwise solid wall that acts as a common interface and separating divider between the reaction chambers and the combustion chamber. The connector (112) may be composed of a tube that is inserted into holes machined into the otherwise solid dividing walls and is sealed using techniques comprising of welding, or brazing. The connector may also be a channel that is machined or otherwise formed into the reaction chambers during the manufacturing/machining process as long as the reactant stream is allowed to internally bypass the combustion chamber without leakage. The reactor connector (112) could also be plumbed externally between the two reaction chambers (2a) and (2b). Hydrogen is separated through the membrane as the gases flow through the reaction chambers and the reaction chamber tail gases exit the chamber through reject port (16).

In the membrane reactor (110), the sides of the reactor chambers (2a) and (2b) that are opposite to the dividing wall between the reactor chambers and the combustion chamber (62), contain the membrane assemblies consisting of the membrane (8) supported on the membrane support sub assemblies. The membrane which may be in the foil form is supported by the membrane support sub assembly which consists of a support plate (6) containing perforations (7), or more preferably consists of a porous metal plate that is further secured into a perforated metal support to provide additional structural rigidity.

The membrane may also consist of a composite membrane deposited on a porous metal, ceramic, or composite metal/ceramic support through means of electroless plating, electroplating, sputtering, spin coating, chemical vapor deposition, or other techniques or combinations of these techniques. This composite membrane would likewise be further supported by a perforated or otherwise macro-permeable support structure. In this case, the membrane would preferably be isolated from the support metal by a diffusion barrier consisting of an oxidized layer, a ceramic or refractory metal layer, or barrier composed of other suitable material to prevent unwanted diffusion from the support into the membrane.

The membrane in the membrane assembly spans the entire length of the reactor chambers and would actively remove hydrogen produced in the reactor chambers. The hydrogen which permeates through the membrane is collected in the hydrogen plenum (4) and exits through the unit at the two ports (18) and may then be used to generate electricity using a PEM fuel cell for example, be routed to a storage container, or be otherwise utilized.

FIG. 13 shows a membrane reactor (120) which is an exemplary plenumless variant of the membrane reactor (110) which includes the membrane assembly is as described in FIG. 5. The membrane reactor is otherwise similar to the membrane reactor (110) as described in FIG. 12. The two reaction chambers (2a) and (2b) of the membrane reactor (120) are in internal fluid communication with each other. Example 4, later described, shows an example of pure hydrogen production process with rates from a feed 75% H₂/25% N₂ using a hydrogen generator containing a membrane reactor (120) as shown in FIG. 13. Example 5, later described, describes pure hydrogen production rates from ammonia cracking using a hydrogen generator containing a membrane reactor (120) as shown in FIG. 13.

The membrane reactor (120) shown in FIG. 13 contains a pure hydrogen collection plenum on the downstream side (low pressure side) of each membrane surface. As described in FIG. 5, the reactor sub assembly need not contain a hydrogen plenum wherein the membrane is supported on a porous metal substrate which is directly supported by a metal support plate, and whereby the porous metal substrate also provides a connector for transporting pure hydrogen from the membrane surface to the exit port of the reaction chamber.

FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary variant of the membrane reactor (120) including a feed pre-heater. In the variant of the membrane reactor (120) shown in FIG. 14, a winding piece metal tubing (122) is wrapped around the external surface of the combustion chamber to serve as a feed pre-heater or steam generator. The tubing may be tack welded to insure good heat transfer. The feed (ammonia in the case of Example 5) flows through this tubing prior to feeding into the reaction chamber and gets heated from ambient temperature to close to reaction temperature. This practice insures maximum utilization of the catalyst volume for hydrogen production, since preheating is accomplished external to the reaction chamber.

In the examples described above, the membrane foil or a porous substrate containing a deposited membrane is sealed by “gasketless” joining techniques such as brazing. In some services, it may be beneficial to seal the membranes using gaskets that allow for the non-destructive opening of the reaction chamber for inspection, catalyst replacement, and membrane replacement or for other purposes. The gasket material may be made of any material that is capable of withstanding up to 600° C. in slightly oxidizing conditions. Candidate materials are graphite such as produced by Garlock (Palmyra, N.Y.), vermiculite such as produced by The Flexitallic Group, Inc.(Houston, Tex.), or ceramic such as produced by Cotronics, Corp., (Brooklyn, N.Y.). In general, gasketed devices are heavier than gasketless devices due to the need for a flanged configuration to house and compress the gaskets.

FIG. 15A (exploded perspective view) FIG. 15b (compact perspective view) and FIG. 16 (compact sectional view) illustrate a membrane reactor (130), incorporating two reaction sub assemblies and one combustion chamber with the reaction chambers in fluid communication with each other, in which the membrane foil is sealed using gaskets.

The underlying configuration of the membrane reactor is the “folded” membrane reactor configuration described in FIG. 13 incorporating two reaction chambers and one combustion chamber, with the reaction chambers being in fluid communication with each other through a connector (112). Each of the gaskets (132a) and (132b) is placed between one of the membrane foils (8a) and (8b) and the respective reaction chambers (2a) and (2b). Each of the sintered porous supports (42a) (42b) is disposed off between one of the foil and one of the respective perforated plates (6a) and (6b), the latter to provide structural support to the sintered porous support. Hydrogen produced in the reaction chambers (2a) and (2b) flows through the porous metal supports (42a) and (42b) and through the perforations (7a) and (7b) in the perforated support plates (6a) and (6b), and into the hydrogen plenums (4a) and (4b). The assembly is held together using bolts (134) that pass through the plenum housings (4a) and (4b), perforated support plates (6a) (6b), gaskets (132a) and (132b), and are secured into the reactor housings (2a) and (2b). Gaskets (132a) and (132b) can also be compressed to form a leak tight seal between the membrane foils (8a) and (8b) and the hydrogen plenum (4a) and (4b) on one side, and between the membrane foils (8a) and (8b) and the hydrogen reactor chamber on the other side. The combustion chamber (62) provides heat for the endothermic hydrogen generation reaction. The two reaction chambers (2a) and (2b) are joined to the combustor (62) using joining methods such as brazing or welding. Although the fluid entry and exit ports are not shown in FIG. 16, they can be suitably located as described elsewhere in this disclosure.

Gaskets (132a) and (132b) can be made of a material chosen from a group consisting of Grafoil, metal reinforced Grafoil, ceramic, and vermiculite. Gaskets (132a) and (132b) can also have a thickness in a range of 1.5 mm to 6.5 mm.

Example 6, later described, illustrates pure hydrogen production from ammonia using a hydrogen generator containing the membrane reactor described in FIGS. 15A, 15B and 16. As can be seen in Example 6, about 4 ppm of ammonia was detected as impurities in the pure hydrogen stream exiting the reactor. This ammonia impurity was easily removed by flowing the hydrogen stream through a bed of molecular sieve 4A adsorbents (25/35 mesh particles, Grade 514, Grace Davison).

Variants of reactor assemblies having components disposed in a different configuration than the one disclosed in FIGS. 15A, 15B and 16 and wherein the components are sealed through gaskets can also be provided according to the present disclosure. As an example, a hydrogen generator containing a gasketed membrane reactor having the underlying configuration of the membrane reactor (70) described in FIG. 8, can be provided according to the present disclosure.

Example 7, later described, illustrates pure hydrogen production from a synthetic kerosene fuel (ClearLite™, product of Exxon) by steam reforming using this gasketed variants of the membrane reactor (70), that is, one reactor sub assembly integrated with one combustion chamber.

In the description taught in Example 7, the hydrocarbon feed was first treated in a feed pre-treatment chamber that was located external to the membrane reactor unit to produce hydrogen containing gases. The catalyst coated substrate located in the feed pre-treatment chamber can be different from a catalyst located in the reactor chamber.

It would be advantageous to integrate a feed pre-treatment chamber with the membrane reactor to exploit the heat available from the combustion chamber. Furthermore, it would be advantageous to vaporize the water prior to feeding into the pre-treatment chamber.

FIGS. 17 and 18 describe membrane reactor (140) which constitutes an exemplary membrane reactor, including the reactor subassembly (70) described in FIG. 8 with a water vaporizer and a pre-treatment chamber.

The membrane reactor (140) is identical to that described in FIG. 8, but a pre-treatment chamber (142) is integrated with the combustion chamber to utilize heat generated from the combustion chamber (62) to drive the pre-treatment process. Water enters the membrane reactor at the vaporizer tubing (144) and passes through a coil that is in close contact with the external surface of the pre-treatment chamber (142). This coil is joined either through brazing or welding to provide the most intimate contact for best thermal conduction. The water passes through the coil and enters the pre-treatment chamber at entry port (147). Fuel enters the pre-treatment chamber through the fuel entry port (146). The fuel entry port is shown as being on the side of the vaporizer body but may be located in any manner which provides the injection of the fuel in close proximity to the entry point of the vaporized water. The pre-treated fuel now containing some hydrogen, flows through exit port (148), and into a pre-treatment chamber-reaction chamber connecting tubing (143). This tubing may be located either external to the reactor as shown or preferably internal to the reactor in a similar manner to the connector element (112) shown in FIGS. 12, 13, and 16. Example 9, later described, demonstrates pure hydrogen production from kerosene and Example 10, later described, demonstrates pure hydrogen from propane using a hydrogen generator containing the membrane reactor as described in FIG. 18. As described in Example 10, the membrane reactor as described in FIG. 18, permits uninterrupted pure hydrogen production even during the “hot-swap” of fuels which involves changing from one fuel to another while the membrane reactor is hot. Example 11, later described, demonstrates pure hydrogen production from alcohol-water mixtures using a hydrogen generator containing the membrane reactor as described in FIG. 18.

The integration of a vaporizer and pre-treatment chamber to a membrane reactor configuration as shown in FIG. 8 to yield a configuration as shown in FIG. 18 is only exemplary. The same procedure can be practiced in other membrane reactor configurations that may follow a stacked or modular pure hydrogen producing package. Also the presence of a pre-treatment chamber separated from a reaction chamber is not necessary.

FIG. 19 shows a reactor sub assembly (200) which is an exemplary variant of reactor sub assembly (140) shown in FIG. 18, wherein the pre-treatment chamber is not separated from the reaction chamber.

In the reactor sub assembly (200) a portion of the reaction chamber situated close to the entry port of the reformer chamber can constitute the pre-treatment chamber. This pre-treatment of portion of the reaction chamber would be differentiated from the rest of the reaction chamber by the absence of the membrane. In other words, the membrane assembly containing the membrane would not extend into the pre-treatment chamber as illustrated in FIG. 19.

In the membrane reactor (190) shown in FIG. 19, the pre-treatment chamber section (196) is the membrane less portion that is located in front of the reaction chamber (202) that is exposed to the membrane assembly reaction area (202). During the steam reformation of hydrocarbons for example, water is vaporized by passing through a metal tubing (194) that is in contact with the external surface of the combustion chamber (62). This metal tubing may be joined either through brazing or welding to provide the most intimate contact for best thermal conduction. Water is vaporized in the metal tubing and may be further heated beyond the normal boiling point coil and enters the pre-treatment section of the reformer chamber (196). Fuel enters the pre-treatment chamber of the reformer chamber through the port (198). The fuel entry port is shown as being on the side of the vaporizer body but may be located in any manner which provides close contact between the vaporized water and fuel once they enter the pre-treatment chamber. In the pre-treatment chamber the fuel is partially converted to a gaseous mixture containing hydrogen and this gaseous mixture flows into the reaction chamber (202) that contains the membrane. This insures that the membrane surface is exposed to a reducing mixture (due to the presence of hydrogen) that would prevent the deterioration of the membrane by oxidation. Hydrogen flows through the membrane assembly, gets collected in the hydrogen plenum (192) and exits through the hydrogen exit port (18). The construction of the membrane assembly in the membrane reactor shown in FIG. 19 is similar to that described in FIG. 18.

The integration of a vaporizer and pre-reformer to a membrane reactor configuration shown in FIG. 18 to yield a membrane reactor as shown in FIG. 19 is only exemplary. The same procedure can be practiced on other membrane reactor configurations that have been described in this disclosure to produce a stacked or modular pure hydrogen producing package that contains integrated vaporization and pre-reforming capability.

A critical problem in using hydrogen separation membranes on a commercial scale relates to thermal issues with regards to reliability, lifetime and ability to withstand multiple thermal cycles. As taught in this disclosure, the membrane can be sealed by gasketing, brazing, welding (electron beam, laser, TIG, or other), diffusion bonding. Thermal cycling between room temperature and 600-650° C. (membrane temperature during reforming) increases the stress on the thin membranes which may be in the thin foil form. The introduction of hydrogen creates further difficulties because palladium based membranes absorb hydrogen and swell in volume (increases in volume). The palladium foil is particularly subjected to enormous stresses around the circumference of the joint. This is especially prevalent in rigid joints that result from using techniques such as brazing and welding (as opposed to gasketing).

In the case of gasketing, the thin foil is sealed by using removable gaskets that are housed in flanged assemblies. All of these gasket materials degrade over time (especially in the case of the oxidation of graphite when not in an inert environment) and the mechanical joining components such as bolts and screws experience elevated creep rates at high temperatures thus further weakening the seal. Thermal cycling effects amplify failure rates by inducing fatigue into the mechanical fasteners such as bolts. Sealing using gaskets allows some slippage around the gaskets that may contaminate the hydrogen stream. Furthermore, the use of flanges increases the weight of the reactor, which is undesirable for compact portable power systems.

It is possible to combine the flexibility afforded by gaskets with that of the leak-tight seal and lower weight afforded by permanent joining techniques. This hybrid joining technique that seals the foil to the support structure can reduce membrane failure and provide a reliable seal between the membrane and support structure.

FIGS. 20A, 20B and 21 show respectively an exploded, a compact and a sectional view of a membrane assembly and hydrogen plenum (150) in which the gasket is housed in a support frame. A high temperature gasket (158) made of a material such as graphite, ceramic, vermiculite, or other appropriate material is incorporated at the interface of the membrane foil (156) and a frame (162) is placed on top which secures the foil to the support. This assembly is then placed on top of the perforated or otherwise porous support (154). The assembly may then be compressed using a clamp. The areas outside of the gasket can be brazed using vacuum brazing or other appropriate brazing methods with the braze applied to the areas to be joined prior to compressing the gasket in place. Alternately, the elements of the membrane assembly may be welded around the perimeter using appropriate welding techniques taking care not to damage the foil. After sealing, the clamps are removed and the membrane assembly is integrated into the hydrogen plenum (152) using brazing or welding. FIG. 21 shows a section view of the membrane assembly that is integrated with the hydrogen plenum. When exposed to a hydrogen containing gas mixture at appropriate conditions, hydrogen permeates through the membrane foil (156) and flows through the perforations (166) or porous structure of the membrane support plate (154) and into the hydrogen plenum (152). Hydrogen then exits the plenum through the hydrogen exit port (164). The membrane assembly described in FIGS. 20A, 20B and 21 can be integrated with a reaction chamber and combustion chamber to yield a membrane reactor as described in this disclosure.

FIG. 22 shows an exemplary membrane assembly (180) wherein the membrane components described elsewhere in the disclosure are replaced by tubular components. An effect of this replacement is that increased hydrogen production rates can be achieved with respect to the membrane assemblies including non-tubular membrane components. The membrane assembly (180) as shown in FIG. 22, consists of a housing (184) for the tubular membranes component (182) and comprises of a plate with closed ended cavities (181) for the tubular membranes to be positioned, shown in FIG. 23. The generated hydrogen permeates through the surface of the tubes flow into a collection area (186). The tubes are positioned in an opening (183) that is located opposite to (181) and open into a collection header (186) as shown in FIG. 23. The hydrogen exits the hydrogen exit port (188) to the point of use. The tubes may be sealed into the housing using brazing methods, preferably under vacuum brazing conditions described above.

FIG. 23 shows an exemplary membrane reactor (190) which includes a membrane sub assembly (180) as shown in FIG. 22, integrated with a combustion chamber. Other than differences in the membrane assemblies, this membrane reactor is similar to the membrane reactor shown in FIG. 8. The membrane assembly (180) shown in FIG. 22 contains seven tubular elements with a total membrane surface area of 110 cm². A planar membrane which is sized to fit in the space accommodating the tubes would possess a surface area of 58 cm². Therefore an almost 2-fold increase in the surface area can be realized using a membrane assembly as shown in FIG. 22, which should translate to a 2-fold increase in the hydrogen permeation rate if the membrane thickness are assumed to the be the same.

The extremities of the tubular membrane components could be composed of materials not permeable to hydrogen to allow for sealing of the tubes with the membrane assembly. Accordingly, the tubular membrane components can be dead-ended or closed ended at one end of the component.

In the examples taught below the hydrogen separation membrane constitutes a 25 micron thick Pd/Ag foil. It is claimed here that membrane foil of different thicknesses can also be incorporated in the same manner as that followed for the 25 micron thick foil.

The membrane reactors, the reactor sub-assemblies and the membrane assemblies herein described can be included in a hydrogen generator, and in particular in an ammonia based or hydrocarbon based hydrogen reactor.

FIG. 24 shows an exemplary ammonia based hydrogen generator including the membrane reactor of FIG. 8. The membrane reactor (70) is connected to a fuel supply (204) through a reaction fuel supply line (205) and to a combustion fuel supply (207) through a combustion supply line (211). The membrane reactor (70) is also connected to an air supply (203) through a air supply line (206). The hydrogen generator also includes a combustion byproduct line (208) and a tail gases supply line (209).

FIG. 25 shows an exemplary hydrocarbon based hydrogen generator including the membrane reactor of FIG. 8. In the hydrocarbon based hydrogen generator, the membrane reactor (70) is connected to a fuel supply (204) through a reaction fuel supply line (205) and to a combustion fuel supply (207) through a combustion supply line (211). The membrane reactor (70) is also connected to an air supply (203) through a air supply line (206). The membrane based hydrogen generator also includes a combustion byproduct line (208) and a tail gases supply line (209). A water supply (212) connected to the membrane reactor (70) through a water supply line (213) is also included.

The following examples are provided to describe the invention in further detail. These examples, which set forth a specific mode presently contemplated for carrying out the disclosure, are intended to illustrate and not to limit the invention.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

Hydrogen Flux Through a Reformer Sub Assembly in Which the Membrane is Supported on a Sintered Porous Metal Substrate

A gas mixture consisting of hydrogen and nitrogen in the nominal volumetric ratio of 75% H₂ and 25% N₂ and at a nominal flow rate of 1500 sccm was fed into a reaction chamber as shown in FIG. 1 after heating the chamber to about 450° C. The reaction sub assembly was constructed of SS 304. The membrane consisted of a Pd/Ag foil of nominal composition 75% Pd/25% Ag and had a surface area of 23 cm².

The membrane foil, 25 microns in nominal thickness, was supported on a sintered porous stainless steel 316L substrate that possessed a nominal porosity of 41% (Mott Corp). The reactor sub assembly was placed in a Watlow electrical furnace which allowed for increasing the temperature of the furnace using a suitable temperature controller (Omega). The reaction chamber contained a 40 ppi FeCrAlY metal foam substrate to provide uniform flow and heat distribution.

The gas mixture was preheated by flowing through a ⅛ in. OD SS 316 tubing coil that was also situated in the Watlow furnace. The hydrogen flux (sccm/cm²) through the reactor sub assembly was measured, while the reactor sub assembly was operating at a nominal temperature of 600° C. and nominal pressure of 5.8 bar. The pressure on the permeate side of the membrane was therefore maintained at atmospheric pressure. Stability of the flux was measured.

The results, reported on FIG. 26, show a stable hydrogen flux observed during the testing period that spanned over 50 hours of continuous operation.

Example 2

Hydrogen Flux Through a Reactor Sub Assembly in Which the Membrane was Supported on a Solid Plate Containing Perforations

The test as described in Example 1 was repeated using reactor sub assemblies that were identical to that used in Example 1, except for the fact that the membrane foil was supported on a solid SS 304 plate that contained small evenly spaced holes 1/32″ diameter with a total exposed surface area of 0.23 in². In particular, hydrogen flux (sccm/cm²) was passed at 600° C. and at a nominal pressure of 5.8 bar through two identically construed Units 1 and 2, at various temperature cycles. Each temperature cycle was between ambient temperature and 600° C.

The pressure on the permeate side of the membrane was maintained at atmospheric pressure. The results reported in FIG. 27 show an approximately 30% decrease in hydrogen flux was observed with time. The membrane was found to be very stable to thermal cycling between ambient temperature and 600° C., as no decrease in the purity of hydrogen was observed. The nominal hydrogen purity as assessed using a Shimadzu GC 17 gas chromatograph was found to be >99.99% (impurities if any were below the detection limits of the gas chromatography. The decrease in flux is attributed to the gradual creep of the membrane foil into the holes of the support at temperature, which results in a decrease in the effective surface area of the membrane that is available for hydrogen transport. The test was repeated for an identical unit, Unit 2, and both units exhibited the same behavior of decreasing flux when subjected to the evaluation described above (see FIG. 27).

Example 3

Hydrogen Flux Through a Reactor Sub Assembly in Which the Membrane was Supported on a Sintered Porous Substrate

The substrate also behaved as a flow channel for transport of hydrogen to the exit ports of the device.

A gas mixture consisting of hydrogen and nitrogen in the nominal volumetric ratio of 75% H₂ and 25% N₂ and at a nominal flow rate of 3600 sccm was fed the reactor sub assembly as shown in FIG. 5 after heating the reactor to about 450° C. The reactor sub assembly was constructed of 304L stainless steel. The membrane consisted of a Pd/Ag foil of nominal composition 75% Pd/25% Ag and had a surface area of 55 cm². The membrane foil was supported on a sintered porous 316 stainless steel substrate that possessed a nominal porosity of 41% (Mott Corp). The membrane reactor was placed in a Watlow electrical furnace which allowed for increasing the temperature of the furnace using a suitable temperature controller (Omega). The reaction chamber contained a 40 ppi Inconel® 625 metal foam substrate to provide uniform flow and heat distribution.

The gas mixture was preheated by flowing through a ⅛ in. OD SS 316 tubing coil that was also located in the Watlow furnace, and introduced into the reactor sub assembly while operating at a nominal temperature of 600° C. to 625° C. and nominal pressure of 5.8 bar. Four thermal cycles between ambient temperature 625° C. was performed. The pressure on the permeate side of the membrane was maintained at atmospheric pressure. As shown in FIG. 28 the nominal pure hydrogen production rate was measured to be 1500 sccm (nominal flux of 27 sccm/cm²), and was unaffected by thermal cycling between ambient temperature and 625° C. The nominal hydrogen purity as assessed using a Shimadzu GC 17 gas chromatograph was found to be >99.99% (impurities if any were below the detection limits of the gas chromatograph). The membrane sealing method was found to be very stable to thermal cycling both pure hydrogen production rates and hydrogen purity remain stable with time.

Example 4

Pure Hydrogen Production from a H2/N2 Feed Using a Hydrogen Generator Containing a Membrane Reactor as Shown in FIGS. 13 and 14

A gas mixture consisting of hydrogen and nitrogen in the nominal volumetric ratio of 75% H₂ and 25% N₂ and at a nominal flow rate of 3800 sccm was fed into a membrane reactor as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 after heating the reactor to about 550° C. The membrane reactor was constructed of 304L stainless steel and contained a combustion chamber that was sandwiched between the two reactor chambers that were in fluid communication with each other. Each reaction chamber contained a membrane that consisted of a Pd/Ag foil (Johnson Matthey) of nominal composition 75% Pd/25% Ag and had a surface area of 55 cm². The membrane foil was supported on a sintered porous SS 316 substrate that possessed a nominal porosity of 41% (Mott Corp). Each reactor chamber contained a 40 ppi Inconel® 625 metal foam substrate. The metal foam substrate was coated with a suitable catalyst material that was effective for producing hydrogen from ammonia by cracking.

The combustion chamber contained a 40 ppi FeCrAlY metal foam substrate that was coated with a suitable combustion catalyst. A ⅜ inch OD Inconel® 600 tubing was wrapped around and tack welded to the combustion chamber as shown in FIG. 14 to provide a degree of pre-heat to the feed stream prior to entry into the reaction chamber. Combustion was initiated by room temperature light-off using hydrogen/air mixtures, and when the catalyst temperature reached about 200° C., the hydrogen fuel was replaced with propane. Catalytic and flameless combustion of propane was carried out in such a manner that the catalyst temperatures in the reaction chambers were between 575 to 625° C. The membrane reactor was insulated using Dynaguard™ microporous silica insulation as sold by Thermodyne Corporation (Elkhart, Ind.)

Pure hydrogen production rates of 2400 to 2700 sccm were measured during this test at a nominal reactor chamber pressure of 5.8 bar. The nominal hydrogen purity as assessed using a Shimadzu GC 17 gas chromatograph was found to be >99.99% (impurities if any were below the detection limits of the gas chromatograph). The tail gas stream exiting the reaction chamber consisted of 30% H₂ and 70% N₂ by volume.

Example 5

Pure Hydrogen Production From Anhydrous Ammonia Using a Hydrogen Generator Containing a Membrane Reactor as Shown in FIGS. 13 and 14

After demonstrating pure hydrogen production from a H₂/N₂ containing feed as described in Example 4, the H₂/N₂ feed mixture was replaced by anhydrous ammonia. The flow rates of ammonia feed, membrane reject and pure hydrogen during the production of pure hydrogen from ammonia were measured as a function of test time. The results are reported on FIG. 29.

As shown in FIG. 29, pure hydrogen at flow rates of 2000 sccm was produced in a very stable fashion. The nominal hydrogen purity as assessed using a Shimadzu GC 17 gas chromatograph was found to be >99.99% (impurities if any were below the detection limits of the gas chromatograph).

Now the reactor tail gases containing hydrogen and nitrogen and trace ammonia (<4000 ppm ammonia) can be routed back to the combustion chamber to supply heat to the reactor chamber. This action would reduce the amount of an external fuel such as propane that needs to be fed into the combustion chamber. In fact, it is quite possible to generate a tail gas stream whose heat content is equivalent to a large fraction or even the entire heat requirement of the hydrogen generation process by changing or “tuning” the flow rate of the ammonia feed.

FIG. 30 shows the heat content of the membrane reject stream based on lower heating value during the pure hydrogen production process. Comparing FIGS. 29 and 30, it becomes evident that a tail gas stream with a heat content of about 180 W can be generated while maintaining a constant pure hydrogen production of 2000 sccm. Routing such a tail gas stream back into the combustion chamber resulted in an overall thermal efficiency of 60%, where thermal efficiency is defined as the ratio of the lower heating value of pure hydrogen to that of feed streams to both reaction chamber and combustion chamber.

Example 6

Pure Hydrogen Production From Anhydrous Ammonia Using a Hydrogen Generator Containing a Membrane Reactor as Shown in FIGS. 15A, 15B and 16

Anhydrous ammonia at flow rates of 500 sccm to 1200 sccm was fed into a membrane reactor as shown in FIG. 17 after heating the reactor to about 575° C. The membrane reactor was constructed of 304L stainless steel and contained a combustion chamber that was sandwiched between the two reaction chambers that were in fluid communication with each other. Each reaction chamber contained a membrane that consisted of a Pd/Ag foil (Johnson Matthey) of nominal composition 75% Pd/25% Ag and had a surface area of 90 cm². The nominal thickness of the membrane foil was 25 microns. The membrane foil was supported on a sintered porous 316 stainless steel substrate that possessed a nominal porosity of 41% (Mott Corp). Each reaction chamber contained a 40 ppi Inconel® 625 metal foam substrate of that was coated with a suitable catalyst. The metal foam substrate was coated with a suitable catalyst material that was effective for producing hydrogen from ammonia by cracking.

The combustion chamber contained a 40 ppi FeCrAlY metal foam substrate that was coated with a suitable combustion catalyst. Combustion was initiated by first heating the leading edge of the catalyst using a Nichrome resistance wire that was in contact with the leading edge of the catalyst. When the temperature of the leading edge of the catalyst reached around 200° C., the charge to the resistance wire was stopped and a mixture of propane and air was fed to the combustion chamber to produce heat by catalytic combustion.

Alternately, room temperature light-off of the catalyst was accomplished using hydrogen/air mixtures, and when the catalyst temperature reached about 200° C., the hydrogen fuel was replaced with propane. Catalytic and flameless combustion of propane was carried out in such a manner that the catalyst temperatures in the reaction chambers were between 575 to 625° C. The membrane reactor was insulated using the Dynaguard™ microporous silica insulation as sold by Thermodyne Corporation (Elkhart, Ind.).

Pure hydrogen production rates of 1500 sccm were measured during this test at a nominal reaction chamber pressure of 5.8 bar as shown in FIG. 31. The nominal hydrogen purity as assessed using a Shimadzu GC 17 gas chromatograph was found to be 99.7%. The impurities in the hydrogen stream consisted of minor levels of N2 (2000 ppm), CO (100 ppm), CH4 (150 ppm) and CO2 (200 ppm) that are believed to originate either from outgassing of the graphite gaskets or seepage around the gaskets. In addition, trace levels of ammonia of nominal concentration of 4 ppm (measured using Drager tubes) was present in the hydrogen stream. This ammonia impurity was easily removed by flowing the hydrogen stream through a bed of molecular sieve 4A adsorbents (25/35 mesh particles, Grade 514, Grace Davison).

The tail gas stream exiting the reaction chamber consisted of 22 to 28% H₂, 72 to 77% N₂ by volume and 300 to 1000 ppm ammonia. This tail gas stream was routed back into the combustion chamber to supply heat to the reaction chambers. Routing such a tail stream back into the combustion chamber resulted in an overall thermal efficiency of 63%, where thermal efficiency is defined as the ratio of the lower heating value of pure hydrogen to that of feed streams to both reaction chamber and combustion chamber.

Example 7

Pure Hydrogen Production From Synthetic Kerosene in a Hydrogen Generator Containing a Membrane Reactor as Shown in FIG. 8

Synthetic kerosene fuel flowing at a nominal feed rate of 0.16 ml/min was contacted with distilled water flowing at a nominal feed rate of 0.55 ml/min and fed into a pre-treatment chamber of a membrane reactor as shown in FIG. 8. The pre-treatment chamber in this example contained a 40 ppi FeCrAlY metal foam substrate that was coated with a suitable catalyst. The pre-treatment chamber was heated by an electrical heating tape and the pre-treatment chamber was maintained at 550 to 580° C. and 5.8 bar. The pre-treatment chamber was used to convert the kerosene fuel to a mixture containing hydrogen along with light-hydrocarbons and carbon oxides.

The hot hydrogen containing gas stream was then fed into the reaction chamber of the membrane reactor whose configuration is as shown in FIG. 8. The hydrogen membrane in the reactor comprised of a 75% Pd/25% Ag foil (Johnson Matthey) with a nominal thickness of 25 microns and surface area of 45 cm². The membrane foil was supported on a sintered porous 316 stainless steel substrate that possessed a nominal porosity of 41% (Mott Corp).

The reaction chamber and combustion chambers each contained a 40 ppi FeCrAlY metal foam substrate that was coated with suitable catalysts. While operating at a nominal reaction temperature of 610° C. and 5.8 bar, pure hydrogen was produced at nominal flow rates of 300 sccm for over 1000 h as shown in FIG. 32.

Combustion was initiated by room temperature light-off using hydrogen/air mixtures, and when the catalyst temperature reached about 200° C., the hydrogen fuel was replaced with propane.

Catalytic and flameless combustion of propane was carried out in such a manner that the catalyst temperatures in the reactor chambers were between 575 to 625° C. The pure hydrogen exiting the reactor (before methanizer) contained trace levels of CO, CO₂ and CH₄ as impurities as shown in Table I.

TABLE I
Purity of hydrogen permeate.
	TOS	CH4	CO2	CO	H2 purity
Sample	(h)	(ppm)	(ppm)	(ppm)	(%)
Before	980	285	271	206	99.92
methanizer
After	981	820	51	n.d	99.91
methanizer

The hydrogen product composition was assessed using a pulsed helium ionization detector and a flame ionization detector.

When the hydrogen stream was passed through a bed of methanation catalyst (T-4308 catalyst; Sud Chemie) maintained at 175° C. and at a nominal space velocity of 2000 h⁻¹, all of the CO and a large fraction of the CO₂ were converted to CH₄ resulting in a hydrogen stream of 99.91% purity that was suitable for PEM fuel cell applications. The hydrocarbon conversion calculated as C_CO+CO2/C_products was 78% with the carbon balance being within 10%.

The nominal molar composition of the reactor tail gas stream was 48.4% H₂, 3.7% CO, 11.7% CH₄ and 36.2% CO₂ on a dry basis. This tail gas stream which had a nominal heating value of 55 to 60 W was routed back to the combustor to provide heat to drive the reforming reaction.

Accordingly, the pure hydrogen stream contained impurities such as CH₄, CO₂ and CO. These impurities can be removed as required by using a suitable hydrogen polishing step. For example, the presence of CO in the hydrogen stream that is fed to a PEM fuel cell can result in a deterioration of fuel cell performance. As shown in Table I, CO was eliminated by flowing the hydrogen gas stream exiting the reactor through a methanation catalyst bed (example, T-4308 catalyst supplied by Sud Chemie) that was situated close to the reactor outlet. After a time on stream (TOS) of about 1010 h, the synthetic kerosene feed was cut-off and was replaced by propane.

The following Example 8 shows pure hydrogen production from propane using the same hydrogen generator and exemplifies multi-fuel reforming; that is, hydrogen production from different fuels in a single membrane reactor unit.

Example 8

Pure Hydrogen Production From Propane in a Hydrogen Generator Containing a Membrane Reactor as Shown in FIG. 8

After demonstrating pure hydrogen production from kerosene for about 1010 h as described in Example 7, the kerosene feed was cut-off and was replaced by propane. Results of the measurements performed are reported in FIG. 33.

Propane flowing at a nominal flow rate of 100 sccm was contacted with distilled water flowing at a nominal feed rate of 0.7 ml/min and fed into a pre-treatment chamber and then into the reaction chamber in the same manner as described in Example 7. While operating at a the same nominal reaction temperature of 610° C. and 5.8 bar, pure hydrogen was produced at nominal flow rates of 350 sccm as shown in FIG. 31 demonstrating multi-fuel reforming capabilities using the membrane reactor shown in FIG. 8. The hydrocarbon conversion calculated as C_CO+CO2/C_products was 70% with the carbon balance being within 10%. The nominal molar composition of the membrane reject stream was 49.7%H₂, 4.2% CO, 14.4% CH₄ and 31.7% CO₂ on a dry basis. This membrane reject stream which had a nominal heating value of 106 to 110 W could be routed back to the combustor to provide heat to drive the reforming reaction.

Example 9

Pure Hydrogen Production From Kerosene in Membrane Reactor That Contains an Integrated Vaporizer and Pre-treatment Chamber as Shown in FIGS. 17 and 18

Water flowing at a nominal flow rate of 0.68 ml/min was vaporized to steam in a tubing that was welded to the skin of the pre-treatment chamber and was contacted with synthetic kerosene fuel flowing at a nominal feed rate of 0.22 ml/min in the pre-treatment chamber. The pre-treatment chamber in this example contained a 40 ppi FeCrAlY metal foam substrate that was coated with a suitable catalyst. The pre-treatment chamber was integrated with the combustion chamber and was heated by heat exchange with the combustion chamber. Feed pre-heating and pre-reformation was realized at an average temperature of 555° C. and at 5.8 bar. The hot pre-reformed stream was then fed into the reaction chamber of the membrane reactor whose configuration is as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18. The hydrogen membrane in the reactor comprised of a 75% Pd/25% Ag foil (Johnson Matthey) with a nominal thickness of 25 microns and surface area of 45 cm². The membrane foil was supported on a sintered porous 316 stainless steel substrate that possessed a nominal porosity of 41% (Mott Corp). The reaction chamber and combustion chambers each contained a 40 ppi FeCrAlY metal foam substrate that was coated with suitable catalysts. While operating at a nominal reaction temperature of 610° C. and 5.8 bar, pure hydrogen was produced at nominal flow rates of 460 to 470 sccm as shown in FIG. 34.

Combustion was initiated by room temperature light-off using hydrogen/air mixtures, and when the catalyst temperature reached about 200° C., the hydrogen fuel was replaced with propane.

TABLE II
Purity of hydrogen permeate.
TOS (h)	CH4 (ppm)	CO2 (ppm)	CO (ppm)	H2 purity (%)
42	3.58	9.98	2.71	99.998
113	5.99	22.31	3.06	99.996
187	9.28	47.83	3.7	99.994

The hydrocarbon conversion calculated as C_CO+CO2/C_products was 73% with the carbon balance being within 5%.

Catalytic and flameless combustion of propane was carried out in such a manner that the catalyst temperatures in the chambers were between 575 to 630° C. The purity of hydrogen exiting the reactor was assessed to be 99.998% and contained trace levels of CO, CO₂ and CH₄ as impurities as shown in Table II. The hydrogen product composition was assessed using a pulsed helium ionization detector and a flame ionization detector. The nominal molar composition of the tail gas stream was 38.33% H₂, 3.74% CO, 16.98% CH₄ and 40.95% CO₂ on a dry basis. This tail gas stream which had a nominal heating value of 84 W was routed back to the combustor to provide heat to drive the reforming reaction.

Example 10

Pure Hydrogen Production During “Hot-Swapping” of Fuels From Kerosene to Propane in a Membrane Reactor That Contains an Integrated Vaporizer and Pre-treatment Chamber as Shown in FIGS. 17 and 18

As a continuation of Example 9, kerosene fuel was replaced with propane at about 210 h into the test without changing other operating parameters. That is, the fuels were replaced during a “hot swap”, which is a replacement of the hydrogen generating fuel when the generator is in a steady state. The target was to maintain hydrogen production rates at the same level as that measured when kerosene was used as the fuel. Water flowing at a nominal flow rate of 0.8 ml/min was vaporized and contacted with propane flowing at a nominal flow rate of 200 sccm. As shown in FIG. 35, this target was realized as hydrogen production rates remained fairly flat in spite of the fuel swap.

Hydrogen permeate samples were collected and sent analyzed at the laboratories of Matheson Trigas. As shown in Table III, hydrogen purity was about 99.99%. The hydrogen product composition was assessed using a pulsed helium ionization detector and a flame ionization detector. At these purity levels, the hydrogen product gas can be directly fed to a PEM fuel cell.

TABLE III
Purity of hydrogen permeate after
the swap from kerosene to propane
TOS (h)	CH4 (ppm)	CO2 (ppm)	CO (ppm)	H2 purity (%)
279	15.05	30.23	5.72	99.995
354	26.26	106.04	12.14	99.986

The hydrocarbon conversion calculated as C_CO+CO2/C_products was 58%. The nominal molar composition of the tail gas stream was 42.19% H₂, 2.64% CO, 24.82% CH₄ and 30.35% CO₂ on a dry basis.

Example 11

Pure Hydrogen Production From Alcohol-water Mixtures in a Membrane Reactor That Contains an Integrated Vaporizer and Pre-treatment Chamber as Shown in FIGS. 17 and 18

Alcohol-water mixtures (alcohol=ethanol, methanol) flowing at a nominal flow rate of 1.0 to 1.5 ml/min was fed to the pre-treatment chamber. The pre-treatment chamber in this example contained a 40 ppi FeCrAlY metal foam substrate that was coated with a suitable catalyst. The pre-treatment chamber was integrated with the combustion chamber and was heated by heat exchange with the combustion chamber. Feed pre-heating and pre-reformation was realized at an average temperature of 555° C. and at 5.8 bar. The hot pre-reformed stream was then fed into the reaction chamber of the membrane reactor whose configuration is as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18. The hydrogen membrane in the reactor comprised of a 75% Pd/25% Ag foil (Johnson Matthey) with a nominal thickness of 25 microns and surface area of 45 cm². The membrane foil was supported on a sintered porous 316 stainless steel substrate that possessed a nominal porosity of 41% (Mott Corp). The reaction chamber and combustion chambers each contained a 40 ppi FeCrAlY metal foam substrate that was coated with suitable catalysts. While operating at a nominal reaction temperature of 625° C. and 5.8 bar, pure hydrogen was produced at nominal flow rates of about 400 sccm as summarized in Table IV.

TABLE IV
Pure Hydrogen Production from Alcohol-Water Mixtures
					Tail gas
	Steam:	Feed rate	Pure H2	XHC	composition
Feed	Carbon	(ml/min)	rate (sccm)	(%)	(dry, %)
Ethanol-	3.2	1.52	389	66.1	H2: 48.0%;
Water					CO = 2.9%;
					CH4 = 17.7%;
					CO2 = 31.4%
Methanol-	2.0	1.08	390	68.4	H2: 40.8%;
water					CO = 5.9%;
					CH4 = 18.9%;
					CO2 = 34.4%

In Table IV, the hydrocarbon conversion (X_HC) was calculated as

C_CO+CO2/C_products

While methods to incorporate palladium based hydrogen separation foils in pure hydrogen producing devices are described in this disclosure, the procedures should also be applicable to membranes that have been deposited on porous substrates, preferably porous metal substrates.

In summary, a hydrogen generator comprising a hydrogen membrane reactor, a fuel supply, a reaction fuel supply line, an air supply, an air supply line, a combustion fuel supply line, a tail gas supply line, a combustion by-product line for transporting combustion by-products from the combustion chamber, and a reaction product line. A membrane assembly to be joined to a reactor chamber of a hydrogen generator, which comprises a membrane; and a membrane support comprising a sintered porous metal. A reactor assembly comprising a reaction chamber containing a porous metal substrate, two membrane assemblies, a fuel supply, a reaction fuel supply line, and a tail gas supply line and a reaction product line. Methods associated with the hydrogen generator, membrane assembly and reactor assembly.

The present disclosure has been explained with reference to specific embodiments. Other embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the foregoing description. The scope of protection of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A hydrogen generator comprising: a hydrogen membrane reactor having a combustion chamber in fluid connection with and heat exchange relationship with a reaction chamber, a fuel supply; a reaction fuel supply line for transporting fuel from the fuel supply to the reaction chamber; an air supply; an air supply line for transporting oxygen from the air supply to the combustion chamber; a combustion fuel supply line for transporting fuel from the fuel supply to the combustion chamber; a tail gas supply line for transporting tail gases from the reaction chamber; a combustion by-product line for transporting combustion by-products from the combustion chamber; and a reaction product line for transporting hydrogen from the reaction chamber.

2. The hydrogen generator of claim 1, wherein the hydrogen membrane reactor comprises: two chambers disposed on either side of a separation plate, one chamber defining the reaction chamber and the other chamber defining the combustion chamber, an end plate to close the combustion chamber on the side opposing the separation plate, a membrane assembly closing the reaction chamber on the side opposing the separation plate, and a hydrogen exhaust chamber located on the other side of the membrane assembly to provide a hydrogen plenum for collecting hydrogen.

3. The hydrogen generator of claim 2, wherein the membrane assembly comprises a housing supporting one or more tubular membrane components, the tubular membrane components being dead-ended at one end.

4. The hydrogen generator of claim 3, wherein a dead-ended section of a tubular membrane component is sealed into the housing by brazing while an open-ended section of a tubular membrane component is located in a collection area proximate a hydrogen exit port.

5. The hydrogen generator of claim 4, wherein the membrane assembly is joined to the reaction chamber by brazing or welding to form a leak tight reactor sub-assembly.

6. The hydrogen generator of claim 4, wherein end sections of the tubular membrane components are made of materials not permeable to hydrogen.

7. The hydrogen generator of claim 2, wherein the end plate, a shell forming the combustion chamber, and the separation plate are welded to a shell forming the reaction chamber.

8. The hydrogen generator of claim 2 wherein the membrane assembly comprises a membrane support sub-assembly and a membrane, and wherein a first surface of the membrane support sub-assembly is in contact with a first surface of the membrane, a second surface of the membrane support sub-assembly is in contact with a first gasket to form a seal between the membrane support sub-assembly and a hydrogen plenum, and a second surface of the membrane is in contact with a second gasket to form a seal between the reaction chamber and the membrane.

9. The hydrogen generator of claim 8, wherein the first and second gasket are compressed to form a leak tight seal between the membrane and the hydrogen plenum on one side and between the membrane and the reaction chamber on the other side.

10. The hydrogen generator of claim 8, wherein the membrane support sub-assembly comprises a perforated metal plate.

11. The hydrogen generator of claim 8, wherein the membrane support sub-assembly comprises a stack of perforated metal plates, the perforated metal plates having different sizes of perforations, the sizes of the perforations providing adequate support to the membrane and adequate porous volume for transporting the hydrogen to the hydrogen exhaust chamber.

12. The hydrogen generator of claim 10 or 11, wherein the perforated metal plate supports a sintered porous metal.

13. The hydrogen generator of claim 8, wherein the first and second gasket are chosen from a group consisting of Grafoil, metal reinforced Grafoil, ceramic, and vermiculite.

14. The hydrogen generator of claim 13, wherein the first and second gasket have a thickness in a range of 1.5 mm to 6.5 mm.

15. The hydrogen generator of claim 12, wherein the sintered porous metal is made of austenitic steel, Inconel 600 series or Hastelloy X.

16. The hydrogen generator of claim 15, wherein the sintered porous metal has a thickness in a range of 1.0 mm to 6.5 mm.

17. The hydrogen generator of claim 16, wherein the sintered porous metal has a thickness in a range of 1.0 mm to 1.5 mm.

18. The hydrogen generator of claim 15, wherein the sintered porous metal has a porosity ranging from 5% to 58%.

19. The hydrogen generator of claim 18, wherein the sintered porous metal has a porosity ranging from 20% to 50%.

20. The hydrogen generator of claim 12, wherein the perforated metal plate is made of austenitic steel with 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm sized perforations.

21. The hydrogen generator of claim 20, wherein the perforations are spaced about 2.5 mm apart.

22. The hydrogen generator of claim 20, wherein the perforated metal plate has 15% to 50% open volume.

23. The hydrogen generator of claim 12, wherein the sintered porous metal is joined to the perforated metal plate.

24. The hydrogen generator of claim 23, wherein joining occurs by welding or brazing to form an integrated membrane support sub-assembly.

25. The hydrogen generator of claim 2, wherein the combustion chamber comprises a combustion chamber substrate and the reaction chamber comprises a catalyst coated reaction chamber substrate.

26. The hydrogen generator of claim 25, wherein the approximate pore diameter or flow dimension of the substrates is in the 0.2 to 3.0 mm range.

27. The hydrogen generator of claim 26, wherein the approximate pore diameter or flow dimension of the substrates is in the mesochannel range of 0.5 to 2.0 mm.

28. The hydrogen generator of claim 25, wherein the substrate is in a form selected from a group consisting of metal foam, metal monolith, metal mesh, ceramic foam, and ceramic monolith.

29. The hydrogen generator of claim 25 or 28, wherein the substrate is a catalyst coated substrate.

30. The hydrogen generator of claim 29, further comprising a porous ceramic mat disposed between the substrate in the reaction chamber and the membrane surface.

31. The hydrogen generator of claim 30, further comprising a retaining frame to hold the mat in contact with the substrate to eliminate contact between the membrane surface and the substrate.

32. The hydrogen generator of claim 2, wherein the membrane is in the form of thin foils.

33. The hydrogen generator of claim 32, wherein the thin foils have a thickness in a range of 10 micron to 30 micron.

34. The hydrogen generator of claim 2, wherein the membrane comprises an alloy of palladium and silver.

35. The hydrogen generator of claim 34, wherein palladium is in a percentage from 70% to 80%.

36. The hydrogen generator of claim 25, wherein metal components of the hydrogen generator other than the membrane and catalyst substrates are constructed from austenitic steels or Inconel 600 series.

37. The hydrogen generator of claim 36, wherein the components have a wall thickness of about 2.5 mm.

38. The hydrogen generator of claim 25, wherein the combustion chamber substrate and reaction chamber substrate are made of porous metal foam.

39. The hydrogen generator of claim 38, wherein the porous metal foam is made of a material selected from the group consisting of FeCrAlY, Inconel 600 series, and austenitic steel.

40. A hydrogen generator comprising: a hydrogen membrane reactor, wherein the hydrogen membrane reactor comprises a separation plate and two chambers on either side of the separation plate, one chamber defining a reaction chamber containing a reforming catalyst coated to a porous metal substrate, and the other chamber defining a combustion chamber containing a combustion catalyst coated to a porous metal substrate, an end plate to close the combustion chamber on the side opposing the separation plate, a membrane assembly containing a membrane and a membrane support sub-assembly, to close the reaction chamber on the side opposing the separation plate, wherein a membrane surface not in contact with the support sub-assembly is situated close to the reaction catalyst substrate but separated from the catalyst substrate, and a hydrogen plenum located on the other side of the membrane assembly to provide a plenum for collecting hydrogen.

41. The hydrogen generator of claim 40, wherein the membrane support sub-assembly comprises a sintered porous metal that is connected to a perforated metal plate by brazing or welding, and wherein a first surface of the support sub-assembly is in contact with the a first surface of the membrane, a second surface of the support sub-assembly is connected to the hydrogen plenum by brazing or welding, a second surface of the membrane is in contact with a gasket to form a seal between the reaction chamber and the membrane, and wherein the gasket is being compressed to form a leak tight seal between the membrane assembly and the reaction chamber to form a reactor sub-assembly, the combustion chamber being connected to the reactor sub-assembly, and wherein the combustion chamber containing the combustion catalyst coated porous metal substrate is welded or brazed to the reactor sub-assembly, and wherein a reaction fuel supply line is for transporting transports fuel to the reaction chamber, a combustion fuel supply line is for transporting transports fuel to the combustion chamber, a tail gas supply line is for transporting transports tail gas from the reaction chamber, and a reaction product line is for transporting transports hydrogen from the hydrogen plenum.

42. The hydrogen generator of claim 40, wherein the membrane surface not in contact with the support sub-assembly is separated from the catalyst substrate using a ceramic mat and a retaining frame.

43. A membrane assembly to be joined to a reaction chamber of a hydrogen generator having a hydrogen plenum to form a leak tight reactor sub-assembly, the membrane assembly comprising: a membrane; and a membrane support comprising a sintered porous metal wherein the membrane is sealed between a first surface of the membrane support and a frame, and wherein a second surface of the membrane support is connected to the hydrogen plenum.

44. The membrane assembly of claim 43, wherein the reaction chamber contains a catalyst coated substrate.

45. The membrane assembly of claim 43, wherein the membrane support comprises sintered porous metal acting as a flow channel for transporting a hydrogen product from the membrane and thereby acting as the hydrogen plenum.

46. The membrane assembly of claim 45, wherein the membrane support is situated in a recess of a solid metal plate.

47. The membrane assembly of claim 45, further comprising a header located proximate an exit port to remove flow impediments.

48. The membrane assembly of claim 45, wherein the sintered porous metal is made of austenitic steel, Inconel 600 series or Hastelloy X.

49. The membrane assembly of claim 48, wherein sintered porous metal has a porosity ranging from 5% to 58%.

50. The membrane assembly of claim 49, wherein the sintered porous metal has a porosity ranging from 20% to 50%.

51. The membrane assembly of claim 48, wherein the sintered porous metal contains machined channels.

52. The membrane assembly of claim 43, wherein the sintered porous metal is joined to a perforated metal plate.

53. The membrane assembly of claim 43, wherein the sintered porous metal is joined to a porous metal foam support.

54. A hydrogen generator comprising: a hydrogen membrane reactor having a combustion chamber in a fluid connection with and a heat exchange relationship with a reaction chamber, a feed pre-treatment chamber in a heat exchange relationship with the combustion chamber and in fluid connection with the reaction chamber, a fuel supply; a reaction fuel supply line for transporting fuel from the fuel supply to the feed pre-treatment chamber; a feed supply line for transporting treated fuel from the pre-treatment chamber to the reaction chamber, an air supply; an air supply line for transporting oxygen from the air supply to the combustion chamber; a combustion fuel supply line for transporting fuel from the fuel supply to the combustion chamber; a tail gas supply line for transporting tail gases from the reaction chamber; a combustion by-product line for transporting combustion by-products from the combustion chamber; and a reaction product line for transporting hydrogen from the reaction chamber.

55. The hydrogen generator of claim 54 wherein the hydrogen membrane reactor comprises: two chambers disposed on either side of a separation plate, one chamber defining the reaction chamber and the other chamber defining the combustion chamber, an end plate to close the combustion chamber on the side opposing the separation plate, a membrane assembly closing the reaction chamber on the side opposing the separation plate, and a hydrogen exhaust chamber located on the other side of the membrane assembly to provide a plenum for collecting hydrogen, and wherein the feed-pretreatment chamber is disposed on a side of the combustion chamber that is opposite to the separation plate and in contact with the end plate of the combustion chamber.

56. The hydrogen generator of claim 55, wherein the feed-pretreatment chamber is closed using a bottom plate on the side opposite to the combustion chamber, and the reaction fuel supply line is for transporting fuel to the feed-pretreatment chamber, the feed supply line is for transporting fuel from the feed pre-treatment chamber to the reaction chamber, the combustion fuel line is for transporting fuel to the combustion chamber, the tail gas supply line is for transporting tail gas from the reaction chamber, and the reaction product line is for transporting hydrogen from the hydrogen exhaust chamber.

57. The hydrogen generator of claim 55, wherein the feed pre-treatment chamber is constructed from a material chosen from the group consisting of austenitic steels, and Inconel 600 series.

58. The hydrogen generator of claim 55, wherein the feed pre-treatment chamber contains a catalyst coated porous metal substrate.

59. The hydrogen generator of claim 58, wherein the catalyst coated substrate located in the feed pre-treatment chamber is identical to a catalyst located in the reaction chamber.

60. The hydrogen generator of claim 58, wherein the catalyst coated substrate located in the feed pre-treatment chamber is different from a catalyst located in the reactor chamber.

61. The hydrogen generator of claim 55, wherein the feed pre-treatment chamber comprises a bottom plate, an outside surface of the bottom plate containing a winding piece of metal tubing.

62. The hydrogen generator of claim 61, wherein the winding piece of metal tubing is welded directly to the bottom plate.

63. The hydrogen generator of claim 61, wherein the winding piece of metal tubing is first placed in a recess provided in the bottom plate to accept the tubing and then welded to the bottom plate.

64. The hydrogen generator of claim 61, wherein the winding piece of metal tubing serves as a steam generator.

65. A hydrogen generator comprising: a hydrogen membrane reactor, wherein the hydrogen membrane reactor comprises a separation plate and two chambers on either side of the separation plate, one chamber defining a reaction chamber containing a reaction catalyst coated to a porous metal substrate, and the other chamber defining a combustion chamber containing a combustion catalyst coated to a porous metal substrate, an end plate to close the combustion chamber on the side opposing the separation plate, a pre-treatment chamber bound by the combustion chamber on one side and a bottom plate on the other side and containing a reaction catalyst coated to a porous metal substrate, the bottom plate containing a winding of metal tubing on an outer surface to facilitate vaporization of water to steam, a membrane assembly containing a membrane and a membrane support sub-assembly, to close the reaction chamber on the side opposing the separation plate, wherein a membrane surface not in contact with the support sub-assembly is situated close to the catalyst substrate but separated from the catalyst substrate, and a hydrogen plenum located on the other side of the membrane assembly to provide a plenum for collecting hydrogen.

66. The hydrogen generator of claim 65, wherein: the membrane support sub-assembly comprises a sintered porous metal connected to a perforated metal plate, a first surface of the support sub-assembly is in contact with a first surface of the membrane, a second surface of the support sub-assembly is connected to the hydrogen plenum, and a second surface of the membrane is in contact with a gasket to form a seal between the reaction chamber and the membrane, the gasket being compressed to form a leak tight seal between the membrane assembly and the reaction chamber to form a reactor sub-assembly, the combustion chamber being connected to the reactor sub-assembly.

67. The hydrogen generator of claim 65, wherein the membrane surface not in contact with the support sub-assembly is separated from the catalyst substrate using a ceramic mat and a retaining frame.

68. A hydrogen generator comprising: a hydrogen membrane reactor having a combustion chamber that is sandwiched between a first reaction chamber and a second reaction chamber wherein the combustion chamber is in a fluid connection with and in a heat exchange relationship with the first and second reaction chamber, an internal connector connecting the two first and second reaction chamber wherein the fluid exiting the first reaction chamber flows into the second reaction chamber, a fuel supply; a reaction fuel supply line for transporting fuel from the fuel supply to the first reaction chamber; an air supply; an air supply line for transporting oxygen from the air supply to the combustion chamber; a combustion fuel supply line for transporting fuel from the fuel supply to the combustion chamber; a tail gas supply line for transporting tail gases from the second reaction chamber; a combustion by-product line for transporting combustion by-products from the combustion chamber; and a reaction product line for transporting hydrogen from the first and second reaction chamber.

69. The hydrogen generator of claim 68 wherein the hydrogen membrane reactor comprises: two chambers disposed on either side of a separation plate, one chamber defining the reaction chamber and the other chamber defining the combustion chamber, an end plate to close the combustion chamber on the side opposing the separation plate, a membrane assembly closing the reaction chamber on the side opposing the separation plate, and a hydrogen exhaust chamber located on the other side of the membrane assembly to provide a plenum for collecting hydrogen, and wherein a second reaction chamber is disposed on a side of the combustion chamber that is opposite to the separation plate and in contact with the end plate of the combustion chamber, and wherein the second reaction chamber is closed using a second membrane assembly on the side opposite to the combustion chamber, and wherein the fuel supply line is for transporting fuel to the first reaction chamber that is connected to the second reaction chamber by an internal connector located at the exit end of the first reaction chamber, a secondary fuel line is for transporting fuel to the combustion chamber, the tail gas supply line is for transporting tail gas from the second reaction chamber, and the reaction product line is for transporting hydrogen from the hydrogen exhaust zone associated with each reaction chamber.

70. The hydrogen generator of claim 69 wherein the membrane assembly includes a membrane support sub-assembly and a frame, the membrane support sub-assembly comprising a sintered porous metal sealed to a perforated metal plate, and wherein the membrane is sealed between the first surface of the membrane support sub-assembly and the frame by brazing to comprise the membrane assembly, the second surface of the support sub-assembly is connected to the hydrogen plenum to form the membrane assembly, and the membrane assembly is joined to the reaction chamber containing a catalyst coated substrates to form a leak tight reactor sub-assembly.

71. The hydrogen generator of claim 70, wherein the membrane support subassembly comprises sintered porous metal acting as a flow channel for transporting a hydrogen product from the membrane and thereby acting as the hydrogen plenum.

72. The hydrogen generator of claim 70, wherein the membrane support sub-assembly is situated in a recess of a solid metal plate.

73. The hydrogen generator of claim 70, wherein the membrane support subassembly is sealed to a perforated metal plate.

74. The hydrogen generator of claim 69, wherein the membrane assembly comprises a sintered porous metal supported on a perforated metal plate, the sintered porous metal sealed to the perforated metal plate, the first surface of the support sub-assembly is in contact with the first surface of the membrane, the second surface of the support sub-assembly is sealed to the hydrogen plenum, and the second surface of the membrane is in contact with a gasket to form a seal between the reaction chamber and the membrane assembly, the gasket being compressed to form a leak tight seal between the membrane and the reaction chamber to form a reactor sub-assembly.

75. The hydrogen generator of claim 69, wherein the external surface of the combustion chamber comprises a winding piece of metal tubing, wherein the metal tubing is provided to serve as a feed pre-heater, or as a steam generator.

76. A membrane assembly comprising a membrane support sub-assembly and a membrane, wherein the membrane support sub-assembly comprises a sintered porous metal sealed to a perforated metal plate, a gasket is disposed between a frame and the membrane, the membrane is sealed between the first surface of the support sub-assembly and the frame, and the second surface of the support sub-assembly is welded or brazed to the hydrogen plenum to form the membrane assembly.

77. A reactor sub-assembly comprising a reaction chamber containing a porous metal substrate, two membrane assemblies, a fuel supply, a reaction fuel supply line, and a tail gas supply line and a reaction product line, wherein the reaction substrate is sandwiched between the two membrane assemblies thereby providing two membrane surfaces for hydrogen separation, the fuel supply line is for transporting fuel or hydrogen containing feed to the reaction chamber, the tail gas supply line is for transporting tail gas from the reaction chamber, and the reaction product line is for transporting pure hydrogen out of each membrane assembly.

78. The reactor assembly of claim 77, wherein the porous metal substrate in the reaction chamber is catalyst coated if the fuel needs to be reformed to generate hydrogen.

79. The reactor assembly of claim 77, wherein the porous metal substrate in the reaction chamber is not catalyst coated if the fuel is a hydrogen containing mixture that needs to be purified to produced pure hydrogen.

80. A hydrogen generator comprising: a hydrogen membrane reactor having a combustion chamber that is sandwiched between two a first reaction chamber and a second reaction chamber wherein the combustion chamber is in a fluid connection with and in a heat exchange relationship with the first and second reaction chambers, a fuel supply; a reaction fuel supply line for transporting fuel from the fuel supply to the reaction chambers; an air supply; an air supply line for transporting oxygen from the oxygen air supply to the combustion chamber; a combustion fuel supply line for transporting fuel from the fuel supply to the combustion chamber; a tail gas supply line for transporting tail gases from the reaction chambers; a combustion by-product line for transporting combustion by-products from the combustion chamber; and a reaction product line for transporting hydrogen from the reaction chambers.

81. The hydrogen generator of claim 80, wherein the hydrogen membrane reactor comprises two chambers disposed on either side of a separation plate, one chamber defining the reaction chamber and the other chamber defining the combustion chamber, an end plate to close the combustion chamber on the side opposing the separation plate, a membrane assembly to close the reaction chamber on the side opposing the separation plate, and a hydrogen exhaust chamber located on the other side of the membrane assembly, and wherein a second reaction chamber is disposed off on the side of the combustion chamber that is opposite to the separation plate and in contact with the end plate of the combustion chamber, and wherein the second reaction chamber is closed using a second membrane assembly on the side opposite to the combustion chamber.

82. The hydrogen generator of claim 80, wherein the hydrogen membrane reactor comprises two chambers disposed on either side of a separation plate, one chamber defining the reaction chamber and the other defining the combustion chamber, an end plate to close the combustion chamber on the side opposing the separation plate, a membrane assembly containing two membranes to close the reaction chamber on the side opposing the separation plate, and a tail gas zone located on the other side of the membrane assembly, a second reaction chamber is disposed on the side of the combustion chamber that is opposite to the separation plate and in contact with the end plate of the combustion chamber, and wherein the second reaction chamber is closed using a second membrane assembly on the side opposite to the combustion chamber, the fuel supply line is for transporting fuel to the reaction chambers, a secondary fuel line is for transporting fuel to the combustion chamber, the tail gas supply line is for transporting tail gas from the reaction chambers, and the reaction product line is for transporting hydrogen from the hydrogen exhaust zone associated with each reaction chamber.

83. The hydrogen generator of claim 82, wherein the membrane assembly comprises a membrane support sub-assembly and two membranes, the membrane support sub-assembly comprising sintered porous metal nested inside a metal housing with a membrane disposed on either surface of the porous metal, and wherein each membrane is sealed between the surface of the support that is in contact with it and a frame by brazing, with one surface of the support sub-assembly welded or brazed to a tail gas plenum to form the membrane assembly, the membrane assembly is joined to the reactor chamber containing a catalyst coated substrate to form a leak tight reactor sub-assembly; the surfaces of the membranes that are not in contact with the support are in fluid communication with each other through an internal connector that allows for tail gas flow from the reaction chamber to the tail gas chamber, the porous metal support also behaves as a flow channel for transporting pure hydrogen from the membrane surfaces to the reaction product line, and the tail gases exit the tail gas plenum through a tail gas supply line.

84. The hydrogen generator of claim 83, wherein several membrane assemblies are disposed-off in a stacked fashion to increase hydrogen production rates without increasing the footprint of the hydrogen generator.

85. A reactor sub-assembly comprising a reaction chamber and a membrane assembly, wherein the membrane assembly spans a portion of the entire length of the reaction chamber, and wherein a membrane-less section of the reaction chamber is disposed at the entry of the reaction chamber and is used for pre-treatment of a fuel to produce hydrogen containing gases that flow into a section of the reaction chamber exposed to the membrane assembly.

86. A method to generate hydrogen from a reaction fuel, the method comprising: providing a hydrogen membrane reactor having a combustion chamber in fluid connection with and heat exchange relationship with a reaction chamber, providing a reaction fuel supply, transporting the reaction fuel from the reaction fuel supply to the reaction chamber through a first supply line; providing an air supply; transporting oxygen from the air supply to the combustion chamber through an air supply line; providing a combustion fuel supply; transporting the combustion fuel from the combustion fuel supply to the combustion chamber through a combustion fuel supply line; reacting the combustion fuel in the combustion chamber to provide heat and combustion by-products; reacting the reaction fuel with water in the reaction chamber to provide hydrogen and tail gases; transporting the tail gases from the reaction chamber through a tail gas supply line; transporting the combustion by-products from the combustion chamber through a combustion by-product line; and transporting the hydrogen from the reaction chamber through a reaction product line.

87. A method to generate hydrogen from a first reaction fuel, the method comprising: providing a membrane assembly to be joined to a reaction chamber of a hydrogen generator having a hydrogen plenum to form a leak tight reactor sub-assembly, the membrane assembly comprising a membrane; and a membrane support comprising a sintered porous metal, wherein the membrane is sealed between a first surface of the membrane support and a frame, and wherein a second surface of the membrane support is connected to the hydrogen plenum; reacting the first reaction fuel in the reactor chamber to provide a reaction product comprising hydrogen and tail gases; and separating the hydrogen from the tail gases in the reaction product through the membrane assembly.

88. The method of claim 87, wherein further comprising: replacing the first reaction fuel in the reactor chamber with a second reaction fuel, whereby replacing the first reaction fuel with the second reaction fuel results in an uninterrupted hydrogen production.