Portable fuel processor

Abstract

Described herein is a fuel processor that produces hydrogen from a fuel source. The fuel processor comprises a reformer and burner. The reformer includes a catalyst that facilitates the production of hydrogen from the fuel source. Voluminous reformer chamber designs are provided that increase the amount of catalyst that can be used in a reformer and increase hydrogen output for a given fuel processor size. The burner provides heat to the reformer. One or more burners may be configured to surround a reformer on multiple sides to increase thermal transfer to the reformer. Dewars are also described that increase thermal management of a fuel processor and increase burner efficiency. A dewar includes one or more dewar chambers that receive inlet air before a burner receives the air. The dewar is arranged such that air passing through the dewar chamber intercepts heat generated in the burner before the heat escapes the fuel processor.

1 . A fuel processor for producing hydrogen from a fuel source, the fuel processor comprising:
 a reformer including two or more reformer chambers in a cross section that are configured to receive the fuel source and configured to output hydrogen, each of the two or more reformer chambers including a reformer catalyst that facilitates the production of hydrogen, wherein the two or more reformer chambers are configured such that reactants move through the two or more reformer chambers in series;   a boiler configured to heat the fuel source before the reformer receives the fuel source;   a burner including two or more burner chambers in a cross section, each of the two or more burner chambers including a burner catalyst, the two or more burner chambers configured to provide heat to the reformer, wherein the two or more burner chambers are configured such that reactants move through the two or more burner chambers in series, wherein at least one of the burner chambers comprises a wall shared by one of the two or more reformer chambers, the wall configured to permit conductive thermal communication therethrough from the burner catalyst to one of the two or more reformer chambers; and   a dewar that at least partially contains the reformer, at least partially contains the burner and includes a set of dewar walls that form a dewar chamber that is configured to receive the fuel source or oxygen before one of the two or more burner chambers receives the fuel source or oxygen.   
     
     
         2 . The fuel processor of  claim 1 , wherein the dewar comprises a shared wall between the dewar chamber and one of the burner chambers, the shared wall configured to conductively transfer heat from one of the burner chamber to the dewar chamber through the shared wall. 
     
     
         3 . The fuel processor of  claim 1 , further comprising a monolithic structure having a common material included in walls that define the two or more reformer chambers, the two or more burner chambers and the boiler, wherein the monolithic structure comprises the wall shared by one of the two or more reformer chambers and one of the two or more burner chambers and the fuel processor. 
     
     
         4 . The fuel processor of  claim 3 , wherein the monolithic structure is formed in a single extrusion or casting. 
     
     
         5 . The fuel processor of  claim 1 , wherein the two or more reformer chambers surround greater than 50 percent of the two or more burner chamber cross-sectional perimeter. 
     
     
         6 . The fuel processor of  claim 1 , wherein the two or more burner chambers bilaterally neighbors the two or more reformer chambers. 
     
     
         7 . The fuel processor of  claim 1 , wherein the two or more burner chambers each has a non-planar cross-sectional shape. 
     
     
         8 . The fuel processor of  claim 1 , wherein the dewar includes a radiative layer disposed on an inner wall of the set of dewar walls that improves radiative heat reflectance of the inner wall. 
     
     
         9 . The fuel processor of  claim 1 , wherein the dewar annularly surrounds the two or more burner chambers in the cross section. 
     
     
         10 . The fuel processor of  claim 1 , wherein the dewar includes a second dewar chamber. 
     
     
         11 . A fuel processor for producing hydrogen from a fuel source, the fuel processor comprising:
 a reformer including two or more reformer chambers in a cross section that are configured to receive the fuel source and configured to output hydrogen, each of the two or more reformer chambers including a reformer catalyst that facilitates the production of hydrogen, wherein the two or more reformer chambers are configured such that reactants move through the two or more reformer chambers in series;   a boiler configured to heat the fuel source before the reformer receives the fuel source;   a burner, including two or more burner chambers in a cross section, each of the two or more burner chambers include a burner catalyst, each of the two or more burner chambers configured to provide heat to the reformer;   a dewar that includes a set of dewar walls that form a dewar chamber that is configured to receive the fuel source or oxygen before one of the two or more burner chambers receives the fuel source or oxygen, wherein the dewar chamber comprises a shared wall between the dewar chamber and one of the burner chambers, the shared wall configured to conductively transfer heat from one of the burner chamber to the dewar chamber through the shared wall,   wherein the fuel processor includes a monolithic structure comprising copper that forms a wall of at least one of the two or more reformer chambers, a wall of at least one of the two or more burner chambers, and a wall of the boiler.   
     
     
         12 . The fuel processor of  claim 11 , wherein the dewar contains the reformer and contains the burner, and the dewar chamber that is configured to receive the fuel source or oxygen before one of the two or more burner chambers receives the fuel source or oxygen. 
     
     
         13 . The fuel processor of  claim 11 , wherein the two or more reformer chambers surrounds greater than 50 percent of the two or more burner chamber cross-sectional perimeter. 
     
     
         14 . The fuel processor of  claim 11 , wherein the two or more reformer chambers surrounds greater than 75 percent of the two or more burner chamber cross-sectional perimeter. 
     
     
         15 . The fuel processor of  claim 11 , wherein the two or more burner chambers are configured such that reactants move through the two or more burner chambers in series. 
     
     
         16 . The fuel processor  claim 11 , wherein the monolithic structure is formed in a single extrusion or casting. 
     
     
         17 . The fuel processor of  claim 11 , wherein the burner is disposed annularly about the reformer. 
     
     
         18 . The fuel processor of  claim 11 , wherein the burner is configured to receive pre-heated gas or liquid directly from the dewar. 
     
     
         19 . The fuel processor of  claim 18 , wherein the dewar is configured to heat gas or liquid in the dewar chamber using heat generated in the burner and conductively transferred through the shared wall. 
     
     
         20 . The fuel processor of  claim 11 , wherein the dewar annularly surrounds the two or more burner chambers in the cross section.