APPARATUS FOR SELECTIVE OXIDATION OF CARBON MONOXIDE

An apparatus for selective oxidation of carbon monoxide having a reaction vessel filled with a catalyst which catalyzes the oxidation of carbon monoxide in preference to that of hydrogen in the oxidation of a hydrogen-rich gas in the presence of oxygen, which provides, at a more downstream point along the stream of the hydrogen-rich gas, a larger cross section and a smaller resistance for the passage of a gas, a smaller amount of the air introduced, a larger number of air-supplying pipes and a smaller cooling effect, that is, wherein a casing having a larger diameter in a more downstream point is employed, and at a more downstream point,.a catalyst having a carrier of a larger diameter, air-introducing pipes of a smaller diameter, a large number of air-introducing pipes and a smaller number of cooling pipes are disposed. The apparatus can comply with the increase of the amount of the gas that accompanies the introduction of air and to the characteristics of the oxidation of carbon monoxide, and thus can be used for achieving a reduced concentration of carbon monoxide in a hydrogen-rich gas, while maintaining a high concentration of hydrogen in the gas.