Appeal No. 94-4217
Application 07/853,663
rapidly inactivated when exposed to high carbon monoxide
concentrations at less than a threshold temperature within the
given temperature range, and incapable of reducing the carbon
monoxide concentration to the minimum level when exposed to
carbon monoxide at above the threshold temperature, comprising
the steps of
confining a quantity of the catalyst;
passing the gaseous medium through the confined catalyst
quantity from an inlet portion to an outlet portion thereof;
introducing gaseous oxygen into at least the inlet
portion of the confined catalyst quantity; and
controlling the temperature encountered in the confined
catalyst quantity in such a manner that the exothermic
reaction takes place initially at above the threshold
temperature in the inlet portion and subsequently at below the
same threshold temperature in the outlet portion.
The appealed claims as represented by claim 1 are drawn
to a method of reducing the concentration of carbon monoxide
in a gas which contains at least hydrogen by selective
catalytic oxidation of the carbon monoxide in the presence of
oxygen and a catalyst which has the characteristics of
oxidizing carbon monoxide in an exothermic reaction at
temperatures within a given temperature range and, with
respect to a threshold temperature within that range, of being
rapidly inactivated when exposed to high carbon monoxide
concentrations above the threshold temperature as well as
incapable of reducing the carbon monoxide concentration to the
minimum level when exposed to carbon monoxide below the
threshold temperature. The catalyst is confined such that the
gas and at least some of the oxygen is introduced into an
inlet portion and removed in an outlet portion with the
temperature of the confined catalyst controlled such that the
exothermic oxidation of the carbon monoxide takes place
initially above the threshold temperature of the catalyst in
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Last modified: November 3, 2007