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Steam Reforming (steam + reforming)
Kinds of Steam Reforming Selected AbstractsFLOX® Steam Reforming for PEM Fuel Cell Systems,FUEL CELLS, Issue 4 2004H.-P. Schmid Abstract Primary energy savings and CO2 reduction is one of the key motivations for the use of fuel cell systems in the energy sector. A benchmark of domestic cogeneration by PEMFC with existing large scale power production systems such as combined steam-gas turbine cycle, clearly reveals that only fuel cell systems optimising overall energy efficiency (>,85%) and electrical efficiencies (>,35%) show significant primary energy savings, about 10%, compared with the best competing technology. In this context, fuel processing technology plays a dominant role. A comparison of autothermal and steam reforming concepts in a PEMFC system shows inherent advantages in terms of efficiency at low complexity for the latter. The main reason for this is that steam reforming allows for the straightforward and effective use of the anode-off gas energy in the reformer burner. Consequently, practical electrical system efficiencies over 40% seem to be achievable, most likely by steam reformers. FLOX®-steam reforming technology has reached a high state of maturity, offering diverse advantages including: compact design, stable anode off-gas usage, high efficiency, as well as simple control behaviour. Scaling of the concept is straightforward and offers an opportunity for efficient adaptation to smaller (1,kW) and larger (50,kW) units. [source] Ni Catalyst Coating on Fecralloy® Microchanneled Foils and Testing for Methane Steam ReformingCHEMICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (CET), Issue 1 2010N. de Miguel Abstract The procedure following the washcoating of three different Ni catalyst systems (MgO, Al2O3, and CeO2/Al2O3 supported) on pretreated Fecralloy® microchanneled foils under controlled milling times and viscosities of the slurries is described. The activity of the prepared coatings is also presented. Four different series of coated foils were prepared: one per each catalyst system, keeping constant the average particle size on 5 ,m, and one extra series to study the effect of reducing the average particle size of the MgO-supported catalyst system to 3 ,m. For each coating, scanning electron microscopy pictures were taken and specific surface areas and average densities of the catalyst layers were estimated. Finally, each series of coated foils was stacked and tested in a microreactor for the methane steam reforming (MSR) reaction under different conditions. [source] Effect of Oxygen on Methane Steam Reforming in a Sliding Discharge ReactorCHEMICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (CET), Issue 5 2006F. Ouni Abstract Hydrogen-rich gas can be efficiently produced in compact plasma reformers by the conversion of a variety of hydrocarbon fuels, including natural gas and gasoline. This article describes experimental and modeling progress in plasma reforming of methane using a sliding discharge reactor (SDR). Experiments have been carried out in a compact device operating at low consumed power (1,2,kW). Previous studies of methane steam reforming using a SDR at atmospheric pressure show promising results (H2 concentration higher than 55,%). In order to study the effect of oxygen on the methane conversion and thus hydrogen production, a small amount of oxygen in the range of 7,20,% was added to the CH4 -H2O mixture. An unexpected result was that under our experimental conditions in the SDR oxygen did not have any influence on the methane conversion. Almost the totality of added oxygen is recovered intact. Moreover, part of the H2 produced was transformed into water by reaction with O2. A model describing the chemical processes based on classical thermodynamics is also proposed. The results indicate that the reactor design has to be improved in order to increase conversion and hydrogen production. [source] Surface Composition of Materials Used as Catalysts for Methanol Steam Reforming: A Theoretical Study,CHEMPHYSCHEM, Issue 8 2006Kok Hwa Lim Dr. Abstract PdZn (1:1) alloy is assumed to be the active component of a promising catalyst for methanol steam reforming. Using density functional calculations on periodic supercell slab models, followed by atomistic thermodynamics modeling, we study the chemical composition of the surfaces PdZn(111) and, as a reference, Cu(111) in contact with water and hydrogen at conditions relevant to methanol steam reforming. For the two surfaces, we determine similar maximum adsorption energies for the dissociative adsorption of H2, O2, and the molecular adsorption of H2O. These reactions are calculated to be exothermic by about ,40, ,320, and ,20 kJ,mol,1, respectively. Using a thermodynamic analysis based on theoretically predicted adsorption energies and vibrational frequencies, we determine the most favorable surface compositions for given pressure windows. However, surface energy plots alone cannot provide quantitative information on individual coverages in a system of coupled adsorption reactions. To overcome this limitation, we employ a kinetic model, from which equilibrium surface coverages of H, O, OH, and H2O are derived. We also discuss the sensitivity of our results and the ensuing conclusions with regard to the model surfaces employed and the inaccuracies of our computational method. Our kinetic model predicts surfaces of both materials, PdZn and Cu, to be essentially adsorbate-free already from very low values of the partial pressure of H2. The model surfaces PdZn(111) and Cu(111) are predicted to be free of water-related adsorbates for a partial H2 pressure greater than 10,8 and 10,5 atm, respectively. [source] Renewable H2 from Glycerol Steam Reforming: Effect of La2O3 and CeO2 Addition to Pt/Al2O3 catalysts.CHEMSUSCHEM CHEMISTRY AND SUSTAINABILITY, ENERGY & MATERIALS, Issue 5 2010Tiziano Montini Dr. Abstract Glycerol is the main byproduct of biodiesel production and its increased production volume derives from the increasing demand for biofuels. The conversion of glycerol to hydrogen-rich mixtures presents an attractive route towards sustainable biodiesel production. Here we explored the use of Pt/Al2O3 -based catalysts for the catalytic steam reforming of glycerol, evidencing the influence of La2O3 and CeO2 doping on the catalyst activity and selectivity. The addition of the latter metal oxides to a Pt/Al2O3 catalyst is found to significantly improve the glycerol steam reforming, with high H2 and CO2 selectivities. A good catalytic stability is achieved for the Pt/La2O3/Al2O3 system working at 350,°C, while the Pt/CeO2/Al2O3 catalyst sharply deactivates after 20,h under similar conditions. Studies carried out on fresh and exhausted catalysts reveal that both systems maintain high surface areas and high Pt dispersions. Therefore, the observed catalyst deactivation can be attributed to coke deposition on the active sites throughout the catalytic process and only marginally to Pt nanoparticle sintering. This work suggests that an appropriate support composition is mandatory for preparing high-performance Pt-based catalysts for the sustainable conversion of glycerol into syngas. [source] Steam reforming of propane in a zirconia membrane reactor with a Rh-supported Ce0.15Zr0.85O2 catalystASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2009K. Kusakabe Abstract The steam reforming (SR) of propane for hydrogen production at 400,600 °C in a porous yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) membrane reactor was investigated. The YSZ membrane was used as a hydrogen selective membrane. A Rh-supported Ce0.15Zr0.85O2 catalyst was packed in the membrane reactor because the catalyst was found to be the most suitable catalyst for the low-temperature SR of propane on the basis of the results obtained using a packed bed reactor. The conversion of propane in the membrane reactor was higher than that in a packed bed reactor due to the shift of equilibrium toward the hydrogen-producing side. In spite of relatively low permeation selectivity (ideal H2/CO selectivity = 9 at 100 °C), hydrogen permeation through the membrane caused an increase in the CO2 fraction and a decrease in the CO fraction in reformed gas. This indicates that the water-gas shift reaction was an important contributor in the product distribution in the membrane reactor. Meanwhile, the methane fraction remained largely unchanged, regardless of selective hydrogen permeation. Copyright © 2009 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Ceramic Supported Capillary Pd Membranes for Hydrogen Separation: Potential and Present LimitationsFUEL CELLS, Issue 6 2006V. Gepert Abstract Composite ceramic capillaries coated with thin palladium membranes are developed for the production of CO-free hydrogen for PEM fuel cells, via alcohol steam reforming. The composite membranes are tested for pure H2 and N2, as well as for synthetic reformate gas. The aim is to develop a heat-integrated compact membrane reformer for decentralized hydrogen production. In this context, a deep knowledge of the performance, behavior, and necessary treatment of the composite palladium membranes plays a decisive role in process design. The current contribution focuses on the main hurdles met while attempting to exploit the potential of ceramic supported capillary palladium membranes. [source] FLOX® Steam Reforming for PEM Fuel Cell Systems,FUEL CELLS, Issue 4 2004H.-P. Schmid Abstract Primary energy savings and CO2 reduction is one of the key motivations for the use of fuel cell systems in the energy sector. A benchmark of domestic cogeneration by PEMFC with existing large scale power production systems such as combined steam-gas turbine cycle, clearly reveals that only fuel cell systems optimising overall energy efficiency (>,85%) and electrical efficiencies (>,35%) show significant primary energy savings, about 10%, compared with the best competing technology. In this context, fuel processing technology plays a dominant role. A comparison of autothermal and steam reforming concepts in a PEMFC system shows inherent advantages in terms of efficiency at low complexity for the latter. The main reason for this is that steam reforming allows for the straightforward and effective use of the anode-off gas energy in the reformer burner. Consequently, practical electrical system efficiencies over 40% seem to be achievable, most likely by steam reformers. FLOX®-steam reforming technology has reached a high state of maturity, offering diverse advantages including: compact design, stable anode off-gas usage, high efficiency, as well as simple control behaviour. Scaling of the concept is straightforward and offers an opportunity for efficient adaptation to smaller (1,kW) and larger (50,kW) units. [source] Performance analysis of a solid oxide fuel cell with reformed natural gas fuelINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 11 2010S. M. Jafarian Abstract In the present study a two-dimensional model of a tubular solid oxide fuel cell operating in a stack is presented. The model analyzes electrochemistry, momentum, heat and mass transfers inside the cell. Internal steam reforming of the reformed natural gas is considered for hydrogen production and Gibbs energy minimization method is used to calculate the fuel equilibrium species concentrations. The conservation equations for energy, mass, momentum and voltage are solved simultaneously using appropriate numerical techniques. The heat radiation between the preheater and cathode surface is incorporated into the model and local heat transfer coefficients are determined throughout the anode and cathode channels. The developed model has been compared with the experimental and numerical data available in literature. The model is used to study the effect of various operating parameters such as excess air, operating pressure and air inlet temperature and the results are discussed in detail. The results show that a more uniform temperature distribution can be achieved along the cell at higher air-flow rates and operating pressures and the cell output voltage is enhanced. It is expected that the proposed model can be used as a design tool for SOFC stack in practical applications. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Efficiency analysis of a combined PEFC and bioethanol-solar-reforming system for individual housesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 7 2010Shin'ya Obara Abstract In this research, the development of a bioethanol reforming system for fuel cells (FBSR: fuel cell with bioethanol steam reforming) using sunlight as a heat source was investigated. The system was investigated using the experimental result of catalyst performance, and numerical analysis. If ethanol purity is high, the production method of the bioethanol used for the proposal system will not be limited. The overall efficiency of the production of electricity and heat power of this system was determined by examining its thermal output characteristic. The FBSR was introduced into standard individual houses in Sapporo, Japan, for analysis. The amount of hydrogen production, the production-of-electricity characteristic, and the thermal output characteristic were examined using meteorological data on representative days in March and August. Compared with the representative day in March (28.0,MJ,day,1), the solar radiation of the representative day in August (37.0,MJ,day,1) is large. However, the amount of solar radiation fluctuation of the representative day in August in this analysis is large compared with the representative day in March. It depends for the overall efficiency of the system on the amount of solar radiation fluctuation rather than the amount of solar radiation. As a result, the overall efficiency of the system, defined as the rate of power and heat output compared with the amount of solar heat collected, was calculated to be 47.4 and 41.9% on the representative days in March and August, respectively. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Dynamic operation plan of a combined fuel cell cogeneration, solar module, and geo-thermal heat pump system using Genetic AlgorithmINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 13 2007Shin'ya Obara Abstract A chromosome model that simulates the operation patterns of an energy system was introduced into a simple Genetic Algorithm, and a method of dynamic optimization was developed. This paper analyses the operation planning of an energy system that uses in combination a solar power module, proton-exchange membrane fuel cell cogeneration (PEMFC-CGS) with methanol steam reforming, a geo-thermal heat pump, heat storage and battery, commercial power, and a kerosene boiler. The hours of operation of each energy device and the rate of the energy output were calculated by having introduced the analysis program developed by this study. Three objective functions: (a) minimization of operation cost; (b) minimization of the error of demand-and-supply balance; and (c) minimization of the amount of greenhouse gas discharge were given to the optimization analysis of the system. Furthermore, the characteristics of the system operation planning under each objective function are described. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Ceria in catalysis: From automotive applications to the water,gas shift reactionAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 5 2010Raymond J. Gorte Abstract Ceria is a crucial component of automotive catalysts, where its ability to be reduced and re-oxidized provides oxygen storage capacity. Because of these redox properties, ceria can greatly enhance catalytic activities for a number of important reactions when it is used as a support for transition metals. For reactions that use steam as an oxidant (e.g., the water,gas-shift reaction and steam reforming of hydrocarbons), rates for ceria-supported metals can be several orders of magnitude higher than that for ceria or the transition metal alone. Because the redox properties of ceria are strongly dependent on treatment history and the presence of additives, there are significant opportunities for modifying catalysts based on ceria to further improve their performance. This article will review some of the contributions from my laboratory on understanding and using ceria in these applications. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010 [source] Computational study of staged membrane reactor configurations for methane steam reforming.AICHE JOURNAL, Issue 1 2010Abstract This article and Part II report a computational study carried out to analyze the performance achievable using a staged membrane reactor in the methane steam reforming process to produce high purity hydrogen. A reaction/separation unit in which reactive stages are laid out in series to permeative stages already proposed in literature (Caravella et al., J Memb Sci. 2008;321:209,221) is modified here to increase its flexibility. The improvement includes the consideration of the Pd-based membrane along the entire length. Two- and ten-staged reactors are examined in terms of methane conversion, hydrogen recovery factor and hydrogen recovery yield, considering co- and counter-current flow configurations. Individual stage lengths are obtained by maximizing either methane conversion or hydrogen recovery yield, comparing the results to the ones of an equivalent traditional reactor and a conventional membrane reactor. The analysis allows demonstrating that the counter-current configuration leads to significant improvements in the hydrogen recovery, but proves almost irrelevant with respect to methane conversion. The influence of the number of stages and the amount of catalyst is quantified in the accompanying part II article. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010 [source] Computational study of staged membrane reactor configurations for methane steam reforming.AICHE JOURNAL, Issue 1 2010Abstract The present work complements part I of this article and completes a computational analysis of the performances of staged membrane reactors for methane steam reforming. The influence of the number of stages and catalyst amount is investigated by comparing the methane conversion and hydrogen recovery yield achieved by an equisized-staged reactor to those of an equivalent conventional membrane reactor for different furnace temperatures and flow configurations (co- and counter-current). The most relevant result is that the proposed configuration with a sufficiently high number of stages and a significantly smaller catalyst amount (up to 70% lower) can achieve performances very close to the ones of the conventional unit in all the operating conditions considered. This is equivalent to say that the staged configuration can compensate and in fact substitute a significant part of the catalyst mass of a conventional membrane reactor. To help the interpretation of these results, stage-by-stage temperature and flux profiles are examined in detail. Then, the quantification of the performance losses with respect to the conventional reactor is carried out by evaluating the catalyst amount possibly saved and furnace temperature reduction. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010 [source] High-performance HTLcs-derived CuZnAl catalysts for hydrogen production via methanol steam reformingAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 5 2009Ying Tang Abstract A series of CuZnAl oxide-composite catalysts were prepared via decomposition of CuZnAl hydrotalcite-like compounds (HTLcs). The catalysts derived from CuZnAl HTLcs (Cu: 37%, Zn: 15%, Al: 48% mol; using metal nitrate or acetate precursors) at 600°C provided excellent activity and stability for the methanol steam reforming. CuZnAl HTLcs were almost decomposed completely at 600°C to form highly dispersed CuO with large specific surface area while forming CuAl2O4 spinel that played a key role in separating and stabilizing the nano-sized Cu and ZnO during the reaction. The CuZnAl catalyst prepared from metal acetates could highly convert H2O/MeOH (1.3/1, mol/mol) mixture into hydrogen with only ,0.05% CO at 250°C or ,0.005% at 210°C. It is evidenced that the former afforded stronger Cu-ZnO interaction, which might be the intrinsic reason for the significant promotion of catalyst selectivity. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009 [source] Methane steam reforming at microscales: Operation strategies for variable power output at millisecond contact timesAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 1 2009Georgios D. Stefanidis Abstract The potential of methane steam reforming at microscale is theoretically explored. To this end, a multifunctional catalytic plate microreactor, comprising of a propane combustion channel and a methane steam reforming channel, separated by a solid wall, is simulated with a pseudo 2-D (two-dimensional) reactor model. Newly developed lumped kinetic rate expressions for both processes, obtained from a posteriori reduction of detailed microkinetic models, are used. It is shown that the steam reforming at millisecond contact times is feasible at microscale, and in agreement with a recent experimental report. Furthermore, the attainable operating regions delimited from the materials stability limit, the breakthrough limit, and the maximum power output limit are mapped out. A simple operation strategy is presented for obtaining variable power output along the breakthrough line (a nearly iso-flow rate ratio line), while ensuring good overlap of reaction zones, and provide guidelines for reactor sizing. Finally, it is shown that the choice of the wall material depends on the targeted operating regime. Low-conductivity materials increase the methane conversion and power output at the expense of higher wall temperatures and steeper temperature gradients along the wall. For operation close to the breakthrough limit, intermediate conductivity materials, such as stainless steel, offer a good compromise between methane conversion and wall temperature. Even without recuperative heat exchange, the thermal efficiency of the multifunctional device and the reformer approaches ,65% and ,85%, respectively. © 2008 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009 [source] Catalysts for water,gas shift processing of coal-derived syngases,ASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2010San Shwe Hla Abstract Although the gasification of coal is an efficient means of producing syngas, the carbon content of coal is such that gasification produces significantly higher ratios of carbon oxides to hydrogen than those obtained by the steam reforming of natural gas. The CO:H2 ratio can be adjusted, and more hydrogen produced, by the subsequent application of the water,gas shift (WGS) reaction. This article presents a review of technologies associated with the catalytic WGS reaction in a fixed-bed reactor that might be incorporated into a coal gasification-based system for H2 production with CO2 capture. The main output from this review is the identification of key project areas requiring further research. The performance of existing, commercially available catalysts,designed for use in natural gas reforming processes,with coal-derived syngases is an important aspect of developing technologies for coal-based H2 production. This article presents an experimental assessment of the performance of selected commercially available WGS catalysts, two high-temperature catalysts (HT01 and HT02) and a sour shift catalyst (SS01), with such syngases. For the three commercial catalysts investigated in this study, CO reaction order is found to be in a range of 0.75,1. The effect of changes in H2O concentration over HT01 is insignificant, whereas H2O reaction orders determined using HT02 and SS01 are found to be significantly positive even at high H2O:C ratios. The CO conversion rate is significantly reduced by increasing CO2 concentration, whereas increasing H2 concentration also causes a slight reduction in CO conversion rate for the three commercial catalysts investigated. Copyright © 2010 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Novel nickel-based catalyst for low temperature hydrogen production from methane steam reforming in membrane reformerASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 1 2010Yazhong Chen Abstract Hydrogen production from various hydrocarbon fuels, particularly biomass-derived fuels, has attracted worldwide attention due to its potential for application to fuel cells, a device which converts chemical energy into electricity efficiently and cleanly. However, current technology, such as natural gas steam reforming, could not meet the specific requirements of hydrogen for fuel cells. Therefore, novel processes are intensively investigated, aiming to develop economic and efficient ones for the specific purpose. An important direction is the integrated membrane reformer for one-step high-purity hydrogen production. However, for the commercial realization of this technology, there are still some difficulties to overcome. By comparison with previous investigations with a similar membrane, this work showed that catalyst also played an important role in determining membrane reformer performance. We proposed that when thickness of membrane was several micrometers, the permeance of membrane became less important than the kinetics of catalyst, due to the fact that under such conditions, hydrogen permeation rate was faster than the kinetics of steam reforming reaction when commercial catalyst was applied, but further evidence is indispensable. In this initial work, we focused on developing efficient nickel catalyst for low temperature steam reforming. Nickel-based catalyst was developed by deposition,coprecipitation and used as pre-reduced, showing high performance for methane steam reforming at low temperatures and good durability, which may find practical application for the integrated membrane reforming process. Copyright © 2009 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Production of hydrogen via glycerol steam reforming in a Pd-Ag membrane reactor over Co-Al2O3 catalystASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 1 2010A. Iulianelli Abstract Generally, biodiesel fuel, when converted from vegetables oils, produces around 10 wt% of glycerol as a byproduct, which could be used for producing hydrogen by a steam-reforming reaction. Different scientific works have been realized in conventional reactors on the steam reforming of glycerol (GSR) in the aqueous or the gas phase. High reaction pressure and a relatively small catalyst deactivation are noticed when GSR is carried out in an aqueous phase, whereas the catalyst deactivation is the main disadvantage in the gas phase. In this work, GSR reaction was performed in a perm-selective Pd-Ag membrane reactor (MR) packed with a Co-Al2O3 commercial catalyst in order to extract a CO-free hydrogen stream and also enhance the performances in terms of glycerol conversion and hydrogen yield with respect to a traditional reactor (TR), both working at weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) = 1.01 h,1, 400 °C and H2O/C3H8O3 = 6/1. In MR, a maximum glycerol conversion of around 45.0% was achieved at 1.0 bar as reaction pressure, whereas it was around 94% at 4.0 bar. Moreover, as best value, more than 60.0% of CO-free hydrogen recovery was achieved in the MR at 4.0 bar and 22.8 of sweep factor (sweep gas to glycerol ratio). Copyright © 2009 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A simulated auto-thermal membrane reformer process for a PEM fuel cell micro cogeneration unitASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2009Dr. Atilla Ersöz Abstract There are several methods of producing hydrogen-rich gas from fossil resources such as natural gas or naphtha, for example, steam reforming, partial oxidation and auto-thermal reforming. In this paper, an integrated ATR membrane reactor system was simulated. The effect of operating parameters on the product distribution, fuel cell hydrogen utilization and the net electric efficiency of the overall system were discussed. The overall system was integrated with a 1-kWe PEM fuel cell. The ASPEN-HYSIS 3.2 software has been utilized for the simulations and calculations of the fuel processing reactions. Natural gas fuel has been used as feedstock and applied to the simulated flow-sheet model. It was desired to produce hydrogen-rich gas with a low CO formation using an autothermal membrane reformer. A very low CO content with higher content of hydrogen was provided by the membrane reformer, eliminating the use of the conventional preferential oxidation (PrOx) reactor. Different combinations of TATR, S/C, O2/C ratios and UH2 have been parametrically studied. Fuel processing efficiency and net electrical efficiency of all selected operating conditions have been calculated as well. Results indicate that the system parameters are very critical for the appropriate operation of the residential cogeneration system with ATR membrane unit. Copyright © 2009 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Membrane reformer PEM cogeneration systems for residential applications,Part A: full load and partial load simulationASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2009Stefano Campanari Abstract This two-part paper investigates the performances and economic potential benefits of a fuel cell cogeneration system based on a membrane reformer (MREF), using polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells, applied to residential cogeneration. Part A of this work focuses on the thermodynamic analysis and simulation of the system at full and partial load conditions, discussing its performance by means of a sensitivity analysis carried out under different operating conditions. Part B presents the technoeconomic analysis of the proposed system integrated into a real residential application, dealing with the energy savings and the economic balances, and proposes a preliminary design of the cogeneration unit. The system is based upon a PEM fuel cell, integrated with a membrane reformer (MREF) to form a small-scale, highly efficient cogeneration unit, potentially suitable for application to distributed generation in the residential field. The high purity hydrogen fuel required by the PEM fuel cell is produced in the membrane reformer through hydrogen selective membranes based on a Pd-Ag alloy. The analysis is carried out aiming to define the system energy balances in all the conditions occurring under real operation, including the influence of ambient temperature and of the expected fuel cell efficiency decay with time. The discussion reveals the relevant potential advantages of the MREF solution with respect to fuel cell units based on steam reforming (SR) or auto-thermal reforming (ATR): when compared to these solutions, MREF exhibits a 10% points higher electrical efficiency and requires a much simpler plant layout. These results are the basis for the detailed system technoeconomic analysis carried out in Part B of the work. Copyright © 2009 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Ni Catalyst Coating on Fecralloy® Microchanneled Foils and Testing for Methane Steam ReformingCHEMICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (CET), Issue 1 2010N. de Miguel Abstract The procedure following the washcoating of three different Ni catalyst systems (MgO, Al2O3, and CeO2/Al2O3 supported) on pretreated Fecralloy® microchanneled foils under controlled milling times and viscosities of the slurries is described. The activity of the prepared coatings is also presented. Four different series of coated foils were prepared: one per each catalyst system, keeping constant the average particle size on 5 ,m, and one extra series to study the effect of reducing the average particle size of the MgO-supported catalyst system to 3 ,m. For each coating, scanning electron microscopy pictures were taken and specific surface areas and average densities of the catalyst layers were estimated. Finally, each series of coated foils was stacked and tested in a microreactor for the methane steam reforming (MSR) reaction under different conditions. [source] An Investigation into the Transient Behavior of a Microreactor System for Reforming of Diesel Fuel in the kW RangeCHEMICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (CET), Issue 11 2009M. O'Connell Abstract A diesel reformer based on microreaction technology was developed for application in an auxiliary power unit (APU) system. The transient characteristics of this reactor for reforming of diesel fuel are reported. Diesel steam reforming was performed at various S/C ratios with load changes ranging from 30 % LL to 80 % LL, i.e., a 1.5 kW to a 4 kW electrical equivalent. The reactor itself was based on an integrated reformer/burner heat exchange reactor concept. The reforming was performed at temperatures above 750,°C and at various S/C ratios, down to a minimum of 3.17. Variation of experimental parameters, such as O/C and S/C ratios, are critical for optimum and efficient operation of the reformer. [source] A Heat-Integrated Reverse-Flow Reactor Concept for Endothermic High-Temperature Syntheses.CHEMICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (CET), Issue 9 2009Part II: Development of a Reformer Prototype for Hydrogen Production Abstract In the first part of the contribution, the asymmetric operation of a reverse-flow reactor for endothermic high-temperature syntheses has been introduced and front phenomena have been discussed. The current part presents the implementation of the concept to the production of hydrogen by methane steam reforming. A key element of the developed reformer is the integration of combustion chambers for in situ heat generation during reheating of the bed. To avoid local temperature peaks, the concept of flameless combustion is used. The concept was adapted to the requirements of the unsteady operation. A proper design of the combustion chamber was developed using computational fluid dynamics calculations, tracer experiments and tests in a single combustion chamber. The concept was further tested under periodic operation in a laboratory setup. The formation of the desired, axially extended high-temperature plateau in the center of the reactor could be shown experimentally. The results prove the adequacy of the reverse-flow reformer to attain a stable periodic operation without excess temperatures. [source] Effect of Oxygen on Methane Steam Reforming in a Sliding Discharge ReactorCHEMICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (CET), Issue 5 2006F. Ouni Abstract Hydrogen-rich gas can be efficiently produced in compact plasma reformers by the conversion of a variety of hydrocarbon fuels, including natural gas and gasoline. This article describes experimental and modeling progress in plasma reforming of methane using a sliding discharge reactor (SDR). Experiments have been carried out in a compact device operating at low consumed power (1,2,kW). Previous studies of methane steam reforming using a SDR at atmospheric pressure show promising results (H2 concentration higher than 55,%). In order to study the effect of oxygen on the methane conversion and thus hydrogen production, a small amount of oxygen in the range of 7,20,% was added to the CH4 -H2O mixture. An unexpected result was that under our experimental conditions in the SDR oxygen did not have any influence on the methane conversion. Almost the totality of added oxygen is recovered intact. Moreover, part of the H2 produced was transformed into water by reaction with O2. A model describing the chemical processes based on classical thermodynamics is also proposed. The results indicate that the reactor design has to be improved in order to increase conversion and hydrogen production. [source] Surface Composition of Materials Used as Catalysts for Methanol Steam Reforming: A Theoretical Study,CHEMPHYSCHEM, Issue 8 2006Kok Hwa Lim Dr. Abstract PdZn (1:1) alloy is assumed to be the active component of a promising catalyst for methanol steam reforming. Using density functional calculations on periodic supercell slab models, followed by atomistic thermodynamics modeling, we study the chemical composition of the surfaces PdZn(111) and, as a reference, Cu(111) in contact with water and hydrogen at conditions relevant to methanol steam reforming. For the two surfaces, we determine similar maximum adsorption energies for the dissociative adsorption of H2, O2, and the molecular adsorption of H2O. These reactions are calculated to be exothermic by about ,40, ,320, and ,20 kJ,mol,1, respectively. Using a thermodynamic analysis based on theoretically predicted adsorption energies and vibrational frequencies, we determine the most favorable surface compositions for given pressure windows. However, surface energy plots alone cannot provide quantitative information on individual coverages in a system of coupled adsorption reactions. To overcome this limitation, we employ a kinetic model, from which equilibrium surface coverages of H, O, OH, and H2O are derived. We also discuss the sensitivity of our results and the ensuing conclusions with regard to the model surfaces employed and the inaccuracies of our computational method. Our kinetic model predicts surfaces of both materials, PdZn and Cu, to be essentially adsorbate-free already from very low values of the partial pressure of H2. The model surfaces PdZn(111) and Cu(111) are predicted to be free of water-related adsorbates for a partial H2 pressure greater than 10,8 and 10,5 atm, respectively. [source] Renewable H2 from Glycerol Steam Reforming: Effect of La2O3 and CeO2 Addition to Pt/Al2O3 catalysts.CHEMSUSCHEM CHEMISTRY AND SUSTAINABILITY, ENERGY & MATERIALS, Issue 5 2010Tiziano Montini Dr. Abstract Glycerol is the main byproduct of biodiesel production and its increased production volume derives from the increasing demand for biofuels. The conversion of glycerol to hydrogen-rich mixtures presents an attractive route towards sustainable biodiesel production. Here we explored the use of Pt/Al2O3 -based catalysts for the catalytic steam reforming of glycerol, evidencing the influence of La2O3 and CeO2 doping on the catalyst activity and selectivity. The addition of the latter metal oxides to a Pt/Al2O3 catalyst is found to significantly improve the glycerol steam reforming, with high H2 and CO2 selectivities. A good catalytic stability is achieved for the Pt/La2O3/Al2O3 system working at 350,°C, while the Pt/CeO2/Al2O3 catalyst sharply deactivates after 20,h under similar conditions. Studies carried out on fresh and exhausted catalysts reveal that both systems maintain high surface areas and high Pt dispersions. Therefore, the observed catalyst deactivation can be attributed to coke deposition on the active sites throughout the catalytic process and only marginally to Pt nanoparticle sintering. This work suggests that an appropriate support composition is mandatory for preparing high-performance Pt-based catalysts for the sustainable conversion of glycerol into syngas. [source] | ||||||||||