APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR MIXING REFORMABLE FUELS AND AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS AND/OR STEAM

• Main Authors: FINNERTY, CAINE, DEWALD, PAUL
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 22.01.2015
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; ELECTRICITY; MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING, DISPERSING; 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

The present teachings provide apparatus and methods for mixing a reformable fuel and/or steam with an oxygen-containing gas and/or steam to provide a gaseous reforming reaction mixture suitable for reforming with a reformer and/or a fuel cell stack of a fuel cell unit and/or fuel cell system. In particular, a fluid mixing device for mixing reformable fuel and an oxygen-containing gas and/or steam is provided, the device comprising a tube having a throat located between an inlet and an outlet. The tube comprises one or more fuel inlets downstream from the throat. At least a portion of the internal wall of the tube between the throat and the outlet comprises a helical mixing structure.