Appeal No. 2002-0218
Application No. 09/332,415
1. A methanol and ethanol fuel gas autothermal
reformer assembly for converting a methanol or ethanol
fuel gas stream into a hydrogen-enriched process gas
stream, said assembly comprising:
a) a monolithic open cell foam catalyst bed, said
catalyst bed including an inlet end and an outlet end,
a first inlet region of said catalyst bed being
provided with a catalyst which is operable to combust a
portion of the fuel gas stream so as to raise the
temperature of said fuel gas stream in said first
region to a temperature in the range of about 300o to
about 500oF while inhibiting carbon deposition in
catalyzed cells of said foam catalyst bed, and said
catalyst bed further including a subsequent second
region which contains a copper and/or zinc catalyst;
b) a fuel gas stream inlet passage, said fuel gas stream
inlet passage being disposed in heat is transferred to said
fuel gas stream inlet passage exchange relationship with a
process gas stream outlet passage from said catalyst bed
whereby heat from the process gas stream is transferred to
said fuel gas stream inlet passage from the processed gas
stream;
c) an air inlet passage, said air inlet passage being
disposed in heat exchange relationship with the process gas
stream whereby heat from the process gas stream is
transferred to said air inlet passage; and
d) a fuel gas stream reforming catalyst deposited in said
foam catalyst bed.
the brief fails to meet either requirement [of 37 CFR § 1.192
(c)(7)(2001)] the Board is free to select a single claim from
each group of claims subject to a common ground of rejection as
representative of all claims in that group and to decide the
appeal of that rejection based solely on the selected
representative claim”).
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