A fuel gas reformer assemblage for use in a fuel cell power plant is formed
from a composite plate assembly which includes spaced-apart divider plates
with columns of individual gas passages. The reformer assemblage is
constructed from a series of repeating sub-assemblies, each of which
includes a core of separate regenerator/heat exchanger gas passages. The
core in each sub-assembly is sandwiched between a pair of reformer gas
passage skins, which complete the assembly. Adjacent reformer
gas/regenerator/reformer gas passage sub-assemblies in the composite plate
assembly are separated from each other by burner gas passages. The
regenerator/heat exchanger gas passages and the reformer gas passages in
each sub-assembly are connected by gas flow reversing manifolds which form
a part of each sub-assembly. The fuel gases flow in one end of the
assemblage, through the reformer gas passages, and then reverse their
direction of flow in the return manifolds so as to exit the reformer
assemblage through the regenerator gas flow passages. The burner gases
flow in one end of the reformer assemblage and out the other end. The
walls of the burner and reformer gas flow passages are selectively
catalyzed after the assemblage has been constructed.
