Partial oxidation

In chemistry, a partial oxidation reaction occurs when a substoichiometric fuel-air mixture is partially combusted in a reformer, creating a hydrogen-rich syngas, which can then be put to further use, for example in a fuel cell.

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A distinction is made between thermal partial oxidation (TPOX) and catalytic partial oxidation (CPOX). TPOX reactions, which are dependent on the air-fuel ratio, proceed at temperatures of 1200°C and above. In CPOX the use of a catalyst reduces the required temperature to around 800°C - 900°C. The choice of reforming technique depends on the sulfur content of the fuel being used. CPOX can be employed if the sulfur content is below 50 ppm. A higher sulfur content would poison the catalyst, so the TPOX procedure is used for such fuels.

Source

Much of this article is translated from the German wikipedia article of 21st March 2007.