Patent 7367996 was granted and assigned to Nuvera Fuel Cells on May, 2008 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A hydrocarbon fuel processing reactor for generating a hydrogen-enriched reformate from hydrocarbons is disclosed. A plurality of shells are arranged coaxially having a gap defined between each of the successive shells, thereby forming a plurality of coaxial zones. The shells are configured to permit heat transfer from one zone to another. Fluid streams for reactions within the reactor are preheated by heat transfer from adjacent zones.