Hydrogen micro combustor

Micro-combustor matrices for hydrogen. Activity leader FIAT Research Centre (CRF). Estimated activity cost 8.7 million. 

Tadbir M A and Akbari M H (2011), Methanol steam reforming in a planar wash coated microreactor integrated with a micro-combustor , Int J Hydrogen Energy, 36,12822-12832. 

The catalytic combustor provides heat for the endothermic reforming reaction and the vaporization of liquid fuel. The endothermic reforming reaction is carried out in a parallel flow-type micro-channel of the reformer unit. It is well known that the methanol steam reforming reaction for hydrogen production over the Cu/ZnO/AbOs catalyst involves the following reactions [10]. Eq. (1) is the algebraic summation of Eqs. (2) and (3). 

Mehra and Ayon [76] developed the first micro structured hydrogen combustor made of silicon. The device was developed to power a micro gas turbine. However, it could also be applied for fuel processing and is therefore included in this chapter. 

Y. Choi, K. Tajima, W. Shin, N. Izu, I. Matsubara, N. Murayama, Combustor of ceramic Pt/alumina catalyst and its application for micro-thermoelectric hydrogen sensor, Appl. Catal. A-Gen. 287 (2005) 19. 

Kim, T. (2009) Micro methanol reformer combined with a catalytic combustor for a PEM fuel cell. Int.J. Hydrogen Energy, 34 (16), 6790-6798. 

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory s (USA) microchannel reactor unit consisting, in part, of a combustor/evaporator made of stainless steel with an overall size of 41 x 60 x 20mm, with micro-machined combustor channels of 300 p x 500 p x 35 mm, is used to perform methane partial oxidation reaction at 900°C to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Methane conversion efficiencies were more than 85% and 100% with 11 and 25ms residence times, respectively. 

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