CYLINDRICAL STEAM REFORMER

• Main Authors: ITSUKI, HISAYUKI, HONDO, MASAKI, FUJIKI, HIROSHI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 16.07.2009
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; ELECTRICITY; INORGANIC CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY; NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS; TRANSPORTING

A cylindrical steam reformer which has an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder (double-cylinder) and is provided with a honeycomb reforming catalyst disposed in the clearance between the inner and outer cylinders, wherein heat transfer performance from the inner and outer cylinders to the reforming catalyst is improved. A unit element is formed that consists of an inner cylinder, an outer cylinder and a honeycomb base material in which a plurality of metal zigzag plate elements and a plurality of metal planar plate elements are arranged alternately between the inner and outer cylinders such that one metal planar plate element is positioned at the outer wall surface of the inner cylinder and another metal planar plate element at the inner wall surface of the outer cylinder. The contact portion of the outer wall surface of the inner cylinder and the metal planar plate element, the contact portions of the alternately-arranged metal planar plate elements and metal zigzag plate elements, and the contact portion of the metal planar plate element and the inner wall surface of the outer cylinder are brazed together in the unit element to form a honeycomb base material. The cylindrical steam reformer comprises a reforming catalyst supported on the surface of the meal planar plate element on the outer wall surface-side of the inner cylinder, on the surface of each metal zigzag plate element, on the surface of each metal planar plate element and on the surface of the metal planar plate element on the inner wall surface-side of the outer cylinder that constitute the honeycomb base material.