초록 ▼

A method and apparatus for determining which condition in a fuel processor has initiated a shutdown of the fuel processor are disclosed. In general, the apparatus generates a plurality of shutdown initiator signals, each corresponding to one of a plurality of shutdown conditions and indicating wheth

A method and apparatus for determining which condition in a fuel processor has initiated a shutdown of the fuel processor are disclosed. In general, the apparatus generates a plurality of shutdown initiator signals, each corresponding to one of a plurality of shutdown conditions and indicating whether such condition is present. The shutdown initiator signals are read within a predetermined window. At least one of the read shutdown initiator signals indicates that a corresponding first shutdown condition has occurred and identifies the corresponding first shutdown condition as the firstout.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed: 1. A method for determining which condition in a fuel processor has initiated a shutdown of the fuel processor, comprising: generating a plurality of shutdown initiator signals, each corresponding to one of a plurality of shutdown conditions and indicating whether such condition is

What is claimed: 1. A method for determining which condition in a fuel processor has initiated a shutdown of the fuel processor, comprising: generating a plurality of shutdown initiator signals, each corresponding to one of a plurality of shutdown conditions and indicating whether such condition is present wherein the shutdown initiator signals include signals indicating at least one of an undesired temperature, an undesired pressure, an undesired concentration, a low fuel pressure, a high fuel pressure, a high anode tailgas oxidizer heater temperature, a high anode tailgas oxidizer inlet temperature, high anode tailgas oxidizer mid bed temperature, a high anode tailgas oxidizer top bed temperature, a high anode tailgas oxidizer top skin temperature, a high temperature on the inlet to an autothermal reformer, a high temperature on an exit from the autothermal reformer, a high temperature on the exit from a preferential oxidizer, a high temperature on an exit from a Zinc Oxide bed, a high temperature in a reactor shell for the autothermal reformer, a low pressure for the delivery of a process feed gas to the autothermal reformer, a low temperature for an anode tailgas oxidizer, an anode tailgas oxidizer light off timer expired, a high temperature for a shift process, a remote control emergency switch activated, an emergency stop switch has been thrown, a control stop switch has been thrown, power has been turned off to the system, a gas has been detected in the cabinet of the ATR, and a stop switch on the control panel has been thrown; reading the shutdown initiator signals within a predetermined window; detecting within the predetermined time window that at least a first one of the read shutdown initiator signals indicates that a corresponding first shutdown condition has occurred; and identifying the corresponding first shutdown condition as the firstout. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting that the first one of the read shutdown initiator signals indicates that the corresponding first shutdown condition has occurred includes determining that the first one of the shutdown initiator signals is "ON". 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising disabling detection of further shutdown initiator signals in subsequent predetermined time windows indicating that further shutdown conditions have occurred. 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising detecting within the predetermined window that a second one of the shutdown initiator signals indicates that a corresponding second shutdown condition has occurred. 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising storing the information that the second shutdown condition has occurred. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of storing the information that the first shutdown condition has occurred and displaying that the first shutdown condition has occurred. 7. A program storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, perform a method for determining which condition in a fuel processor has initiated a shutdown of the fuel processor, comprising: generating a plurality of shutdown initiator signals, each corresponding to one of a plurality of shutdown conditions and indicating whether such condition is present wherein the shutdown initiator signals include signals indicating at least one of an undesired temperature, an undesired pressure, an undesired concentration, a low fuel pressure, a high fuel pressure, a high anode tailgas oxidizer heater temperature, a high anode tailgas oxidizer inlet temperature, high anode tailgas oxidizer mid bed temperature, a high anode tailgas oxidizer top bed temperature, a high anode tailgas oxidizer top skin temperature, a high temperature on the inlet to an autothermal reformer, a high temperature on an exit from the autothermal reformer, a high temperature on the exit from a preferential oxidizer, a high temperature on an exit from a Zinc Oxide bed, a high temperature in a reactor shell for the autothermal reformer, a low pressure for the delivery of a process feed gas to the autothermal reformer, a low temperature for an anode tailgas oxidizer, an anode tailgas oxidizer light off timer expired, a high temperature for a shift process, a remote control emergency switch activated, an emergency stop switch has been thrown, a control stop switch has been thrown, power has been turned off to the system, a gas has been detected in the cabinet of the ATR, and a stop switch on the control panel has been thrown; reading the shutdown initiator signals within a predetermined window; detecting within the predetermined time window that at least a first one of the read shutdown initiator signals indicates that a corresponding first shutdown condition has occurred; and identifying the corresponding first shutdown condition as the firstout. 8. The program storage medium of claim 7, wherein detecting that the first one of the read shutdown initiator signals in the encoded method indicates that the corresponding first shutdown condition has occurred includes determining that the first one of the shutdown initiator signals is "ON". 9. The program storage medium of claim 7, wherein the encoded method further comprises disabling detection of further shutdown initiator signals in subsequent predetermined time windows indicating that further shutdown conditions have occurred. 10. The program storage medium of claim 9, wherein the encoded method further comprises detecting within the predetermined window that a second one of the shutdown initiator signals indicates that a corresponding second shutdown condition has occurred. 11. The program storage medium of claim 10, wherein the encoded method further comprises storing the information that the second shutdown condition has occurred. 12. The program storage medium of claim 7, wherein the encoded method further comprises at least one of storing the information that the first shutdown condition has occurred and displaying that the first shutdown condition has occurred. 13. A computer programmed to perform a method for determining which condition in a fuel processor has initiated a shutdown of the fuel processor, comprising: generating a plurality of shutdown initiator signals, each corresponding to one of a plurality of shutdown conditions and indicating whether such condition is present wherein the shutdown initiator signals include signals indicating at least one of an undesired temperature, an undesired pressure, an undesired concentration, a low fuel pressure, a high fuel pressure, a high anode tailgas oxidizer heater temperature, a high anode tailgas oxidizer inlet temperature, high anode tailgas oxidizer mid bed temperature, a high anode tailgas oxidizer top bed temperature, a high anode tailgas oxidizer top skin temperature, a high temperature on the inlet to an autothermal reformer, a high temperature on an exit from the autothermal reformer, a high temperature on the exit from a preferential oxidizer, a high temperature on an exit from a Zinc Oxide bed, a high temperature in a reactor shell for the autothermal reformer, a low pressure for the delivery of a process feed gas to the autothermal reformer, a low temperature for an anode tailgas oxidizer, an anode tailgas oxidizer light off timer expired, a high temperature for a shift process, a remote control emergency switch activated, an emergency stop switch has been thrown, a control stop switch has been thrown, power has been turned off to the system, a gas has been detected in the cabinet of the ATR, and a stop switch on the control panel has been thrown; reading the shutdown initiator signals within a predetermined window; detecting within the predetermined time window that at least a first one of the read shutdown initiator signals indicates that a corresponding first shutdown condition has occurred; and identifying the corresponding first shutdown condition as the firstout. 14. The programmed computer of claim 13, wherein detecting that the first one of the read shutdown initiator signals in the programmed method indicates that the corresponding first shutdown condition has occurred includes determining that the first one of the shutdown initiator signals is "ON". 15. The programmed computer of claim 13, wherein the programmed method further comprises disabling detection of further shutdown initiator signals in subsequent predetermined time windows indicating that further shutdown conditions have occurred. 16. The programmed computer of claim 15, wherein the programmed method further comprises detecting within the predetermined window that a second one of the shutdown initiator signals indicates that a corresponding second shutdown condition has occurred. 17. The programmed computer of claim 16, wherein the programmed method further comprises storing the information that the second shutdown condition has occurred. 18. The programmed computer claim 13, wherein the programmed method further comprises at least one of storing the information that the first shutdown condition has occurred and displaying that the first shutdown condition has occurred. 19. An apparatus for determining which condition in a fuel processor has initiated a shutdown of the fuel processor, comprising: means for generating a plurality of shutdown initiator signals, each corresponding to one of a plurality of shutdown conditions and indicating whether such condition is present wherein the shutdown initiator signals include signals indicating at least one of an undesired temperature, an undesired pressure, an undesired concentration, a low fuel pressure, a high fuel pressure, a high anode tailgas oxidizer heater temperature, a high anode tailgas oxidizer inlet temperature, high anode tailgas oxidizer mid bed temperature, a high anode tailgas oxidizer top bed temperature, a high anode tailgas oxidizer top skin temperature, a high temperature on the inlet to an autothermal reformer, a high temperature on an exit from the autothermal reformer, a high temperature on the exit from a preferential oxidizer, a high temperature on an exit from a Zinc Oxide bed, a high temperature in a reactor shell for the autothermal reformer, a low pressure for the delivery of a process feed gas to the autothermal reformer, a low temperature for an anode tailgas oxidizer, an anode tailgas oxidizer light off timer expired, a high temperature for a shift process, a remote control emergency switch activated, an emergency stop switch has been thrown, a control stop switch has been thrown, power has been turned off to the system, a gas has been detected in the cabinet of the WTR, and a stop switch on the control panel has been thrown; means for reading the shutdown initiator signals within a predetermined window; means for detecting within the predetermined time window that at least a first one of the read shutdown initiator signals indicates that a corresponding first shutdown condition has occurred; and means for identifying the corresponding first shutdown condition as the firstout. 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the means for detecting that the first one of the read shutdown initiator signals indicates that the corresponding first shutdown condition has occurred includes determining that the first one of the shutdown initiator signals is "ON". 21. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising means for disabling detection of further shutdown initiator signals in subsequent predetermined time windows indicating that further shutdown conditions have occurred. 22. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising means for detecting within the predetermined window that a second one of the shutdown initiator signals indicates that a corresponding second shutdown condition has occurred. 23. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising means for storing the information that the second shutdown condition has occurred. 24. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising at least one of means for storing the information that the first shutdown condition has occurred and means for displaying that the first shutdown condition has occurred. 25. An apparatus, comprising: a fuel processor; and a control system capable of: generating a plurality of shutdown initiator signals, each corresponding to one of a plurality of shutdown conditions in the fuel processor and indicating whether such condition is present reading the shutdown initiator signals within a predetermined window wherein the shutdown initiator signals include signals indicating at least one of an undesired temperature, an undesired pressure, an undesired concentration, a low fuel pressure, a high fuel pressure, a high anode tailgas oxidizer heater temperature, a high anode tailgas oxidizer inlet temperature, high anode tailgas oxidizer mid bed temperature, a high anode tailgas oxidizer top bed temperature, a high anode tailgas oxidizer top skin temperature, a high temperature on the inlet to an autothermal reformer, a high temperature on an exit from the autothermal reformer, a high temperature on the exit from a preferential oxidizer, a high temperature on an exit from a Zinc Oxide bed, a high temperature in a reactor shell for the autothermal reformer, a low pressure for the delivery of a process feed gas to the autothermal reformer, a low temperature for an anode tailgas oxidizer, an anode tailgas oxidizer light off timer expired, a high temperature for a shift process, a remote control emergency switch activated, an emergency stop switch has been thrown, a control stop switch has been thrown, power has been turned off to the system, a gas has been detected in the cabinet of the ATR, and a stop switch on the control panel has been thrown; detecting within the predetermined time window that at least a first one of the read shutdown initiator signals indicates that a corresponding first shutdown condition has occurred; and identifying the corresponding first shutdown condition as the firstout. 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the fuel processor comprises: an autothermal reformer capable of reforming a fuel, air, and steam mixture; an anode tailgas oxidizer capable of mixing a fuel, air, and steam to the gas, air, to create a process feed gas and delivering the process feed gas to the autothermal reformer; a fuel subsystem capable of delivering the fuel to the anode tailgas oxidizer subsystem; a water subsystem capable of delivering water to the anode tailgas oxidizer subsystem; an air subsystem capable of delivering the air to the anode tailgas oxidizer subsystem; and a thermal subsystem capable of managing the operational temperatures of the autothermal reformer and the anode tailgas oxidizer. 27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein detecting that the first one of the read shutdown initiator signals indicates that the corresponding first shutdown condition has occurred includes determining that the first one of the shutdown initiator signals is "ON". 28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the control system is further capable of disabling detection of further shutdown initiator signals in subsequent predetermined time windows indicating that further shutdown conditions have occurred. 29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the control system is further capable of detecting within the predetermined window that a second one of the shutdown initiator signals indicates that a corresponding second shutdown condition has occurred. 30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the control system is further capable of storing the information that the second shutdown condition has occurred. 31. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the control system is further capable of at least one of storing the information that the first shutdown condition has occurred and displaying that the first shutdown condition has occurred. 32. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the control system comprises a computing device programmed to detect the read shutdown initiator signal that indicates that a corresponding first shutdown condition has occurred and identify the corresponding first shutdown condition as the firstout. 33. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the control system comprises: means for detecting within the predetermined time window that at least a first one of the read shutdown initiator signals indicates that a corresponding first shutdown condition has occurred; and means for identifying the corresponding first shutdown condition as the firstout. 34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein at least one of the detecting means and the identifying means is implemented in hardware. 35. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein at least one of the detecting means and the identifying means is implemented in hardware. 36. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the control system comprises: a first out functionality block capable of receiving shutdown initiator signals and determining whether any of the shutdown initiator signals indicates that a firstout error condition has occurred; and a reset for the first out functionality block. 37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the firstout functionality block comprises: a select block capable of selecting which of the shutdown initiator signals indicates that a firstout error condition has occurred; a set of latches capable of latching any shutdown initiator signal indicating that a firstout error condition has occurred; and an activate block capable de-activating the select block upon receiving a latched initiator signal indicating that a firstout error condition has occurred from the set of latches until a reset signal is received. 38. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein at least one of the functionality block and the reset is implemented in hardware. 39. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein at least one of the functionality block and the reset is implemented in software.