Autothermal reforming of n‐hexadecane over Rh catalyst to produce syngas in microchannel reactor using finite element method

• Published in: International journal of energy research Vol. 43; no. 2; pp. 779 - 790
• Main Authors: Malik, Fawad Rahim, Kim, Young‐Bae
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bognor Regis Hindawi Limited 01.02.2019
• Subjects: Automotive fuels; autothermal reforming; catalyst activity; Catalysts; Catalytic converters; Cerium oxides; Channels; Combustion; Computational fluid dynamics; Computer applications; Conduction; Conduction heating; Conductive heat transfer; Dynamics; Endothermic reactions; Equilibrium conditions; Exothermic reactions; Finite element method; Fluid dynamics; Fuel technology; Heat conduction; Heat conductivity; Heat exchange; Hexadecane; Hydrodynamics; Hydrogen; Hydrogen production; Mathematical models; Metals; Microchannels; Nuclear fuels; Operating temperature; proton exchange membrane fuel cell; Proton exchange membrane fuel cells; Reactors; Reforming; Rhodium; Synthesis gas; Thermal conductivity; Two dimensional models
• ISSN: 0363-907X; 1099-114X
• DOI: 10.1002/er.4308

Summary Numerical study on the autothermal reforming of n‐hexadecane, which can be used in proton exchange membrane fuel cell for automotive applications, in microchannels is necessary. A 2D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, with combustion and reforming channels thermally coupled and separated by a metal medium wall, is developed and studied in terms of hydrogen production and catalyst activity. Rh supported on CeO2 is used as a catalyst and applied to the inner surface of the channels, where the catalytic endothermic and exothermic reactions occur. CFD analysis shows considerable results in terms of reactor performance. Along the reactor channel length, the mole percentage of hydrogen is 86% after over 2 hours of catalyst activity. The corresponding fuel conversion in respective channels is 85% on the catalytic surface of the reactor. The predicted hydrogen production from the CFD model is 59% higher than that as equilibrium conditions. Heat conduction through the medium solid wall depends on the thermal conductivity of a material. In this model, a metal solid wall with thermal conductivity of 40 W/m K, which transfers heat from the combustion channel within milliseconds, is used. The calculated model operating temperature in the reforming channel ranges from 660 to 850 K. In this paper, a two‐dimensional microchannel reactor model is developed, with separate oxidation and reforming channels coupled with heat conduction to produce hydrogen gas for fuel cell applications. A numerical analysis using finite element analysis shows, 85% of hydrogen production in product gas over 2 hours of catalyst activity of Rh in reforming channel.