Sulfur-Tolerant Water Gas Shift Catalyst for Fuel Processing in a Microchannel Reactor

"The rapid start time, quiet operation and high efficiency, of fuel cells provide an ideal solution as a mobile power source or an auxiliary power unit (APU) for a wide range of military and commercial applications. However, the supply of hydrogen gas tothe fuel cell at the point of use remains a problem. A fuel processor that provides clean hydrogen from sulfur-containing logistical fuels is needed to allow fuel cell technology to be realized. InnovaTek will provide a solution to this need by developinga catalyst and support structure for use in the water gas shift reaction to produce CO-free reformate for a fuel cell from sulfur-containing logistical fuels. The catalyst developed will function at a high space velocity (>30,000 hr-1) that will reduce thesize and cost of the fuel processor. It will tolerate sulfur without loss in activity thereby allowing the use of logistical fuels without the need for prior sulfur removal. It will also be resistant to temperature excursions and exposure to air andcondensate, thereby maintaining its activity through numerous start-up/shut-down cycles. In addition, the catalyst will be optimized for use in an engineered micro-channel reactor that provides a differential temperature profile for both high temperatureand low temperature water gas shift reactions, thus providing a high CO conversion within a single compact reactor design. Evolution in the power generation industry has created a d