Temperature Controlled Regeneration Strategy for in Situ onboard Regeneration of Mobile Desulfurization Units.

Fuel cells are a very promising technology for future energy supply. However, this technology is very sensitive to sulfur and thus fuel desulfurization is an indispensable requirement. Adsorptive desulfurization is a promising technology due to its simplicity, which makes it attractive especially for smaller or mobile applications. In situ onboard regeneration of the used adsorbent is still challenging due to limited space and lack of solvents. An Ag-Al₂O₃ adsorbent was prepared by incipient wetness impregnation. The adsorption on Ag-Al₂O₃ was investigated by equilibrium and breakthrough experiments. The used adsorbent was then regenerated in air at elevated temperatures. The results showed high desulfurization and regeneration performance for different fuels. Within this work, a novel temperature controlled regeneration strategy was developed. The combination of high heating rates and variable air flow rates was used to control the temperature within the adsorber. This novel regeneration strategy is up to 75% faster in comparison to other air based strategies and showed high regeneration efficiency without thermal destruction of Ag-Al₂O₃. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]