CO clean-up transient device integrated to a preferential oxidation reactor for PEFC electric vehicles

One of the more investigated fuel processor subsystems, for polymer electrolyte fuel cell electric vehicles (PEFCV), is the carbon monoxide clean-up step. At present, the research efforts are addressed to develop a system able to reduce, at level acceptable for PEFCs (particularly in transient response), the amount of CO in the stream outgoing of the reformer. A unit, working as post-filter of the CO preferential oxidation (PROX), based on the reversible complex formation and dissociation reaction between CO and CuCl, able to overcome the main limits of the PROX (instantaneous cold-start and dynamic removal of CO in reformate to less than 10 ppm) has been analyzed. The experimental approach of this study has regarded the screening of different supports (Al2O3, carbon, SiO2) and the identification of optimal operating conditions (temperature, pressure, GHSV, adsorption/desorption time).