Reforming channel

In this work, the MeOH kinetic model of Lee et al. [9] is adopted for the micro-channel fluid dynamics analysis. Pressure and concentration distributions are investigated and represented to provide the physico-chemical insight on the transport phenomena in the microscale flow chamber. The mass, momentum, and species equations were employed with kinetic equations that describe the chemical reaction characteristics to solve flow-field, methanol conversion rate, and species concentration variations along the micro-reformer channel. 

A combined evaporator and methanol reformer was developed by Park et al. [124] to power a 5 W fuel cell. However, the device was still electrically heated by heating cartridges. Both the evaporator and the reformer channels, which were identical in size, were prepared on metal sheets 200 pm thick by wet chemical etching. The channel dimensions were length 33 mm, width 500 pm and depth 200 pm. Therefore, the channels were completely etched through the sheets and the channel depth could be varied by introducing several of these sheets into the reactor. The flow distribution between the 20 channels of the device was performed by triangular inlet and outlet fields. Both devices had outer dimensions of 70 mm x 40 mm x 30 mm. 

The indirect internal reformer (HR) is situated within the cell stack in separate reforming channels, where only the reforming reaction takes place. This concept features energetic coupling with the exothermic oxidation process. The main advantage is that no external heat exchanger is required, as the separator plate between HR and anode channel fulfills this function. The HR can be seen as an external reformer operating at fuel cell temperature. 

Daox and Dared, can not only be used to adjust finite reaction rate constants of both reactions in the simulation, but each of these reactions can be eliminated by setting the specific Damkbhler number to zero. Thus, it is possible to simulate a pure reforming channel (Dam = 0) or an anode channel without direct internal reforming... 

Figure 11.11 Profiles of average bulk temperatures along the steam reforming channel obtained at different wall thickness values by the solution of the 2D model.

There are two approaches to internal reforming. Indirect internal reforming (HR) the reforming reaction takes place in channels or compartments within the stack that are adjacent to the anode compartments, the heat generated in the cell is transferred to the reforming channels, and the product from the reforming is fed to the anode channels. 

However, many reactions of commercial interest have chemistry, mechanical, or system requirements that preclude the use of cross-flow reactors. Processes cannot use a cross-flow orientation primarily because of high temperatures and the need to internally recuperate heat such as steam methane reforming (SMR) [12, 13] and oxidation reactions [14]. Counter- and coflow devices require a micromanifold to dehver sufficiently uniform flow to each of the many parallel channels. 

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). 

Fig. 2 Schematic diagram of a micro-channel of reformer (a) and meshes in 2-D model (b)...

Fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a micro-channel of reformer section to be examined in this study. A multi-physics computer-aided numerical model framework integrating kinetics, mass transport, and flow dynamics in micro-channel reactors has been established. 

Fig. 4 Variations of methanol consumption flux along the channel length with increasing the reformer temperature = 1 bar, W/F = 6.72 kg-s/mol)...

A growing number of research groups are active in the field. The activity of reforming catalysts has been improved and a number of test reactors for fuel partial oxidation, reforming, water-gas shift, and selective oxidation reactions were described however, hardly any commercial micro-channel reformers have been reported. Obviously, the developments are still inhibited by a multitude of technical problems, before coming to commercialization. Concerning reformer developments with small-scale, but not micro-channel-based reformers, the first companies have been formed in the meantime (see, e.g., ) and reformers of large capacity for non-stationary household applications are on the market. 

Also a simulation of the flow field in the methanol-reforming reactor of Figure 2.21 by means of the finite-volume method shows that recirculation zones are formed in the flow distribution chamber (see Figure 2.22). One of the goals of the work focused on the development of a micro reformer was to design the flow manifold in such a way that the volume flows in the different reaction channels are approximately the same [113]. In spite of the recirculation zones found, for the chosen design a flow variation of about 2% between different channels was predicted from the CFD simulations. In the application under study a washcoat cata-... 

G-protein activation has a cyclical nature. The a subunit can hydrolyze the GTP that is bound to it, thereby allowing the heterotrimer to reform. The lifetime of individual aGTP subunits will vary (cf. the lifetimes of open ion channels). 

Prior to solving the structure for SSZ-31, the catalytic conversion of hydrocarbons provided information about the pore structure such as the constraint index that was determined to be between 0.9 and 1.0 (45, 46). Additionally, the conversion of m-xylene over SSZ-31 resulted in a para/ortho selectivity of <1 consistent with a ID channel-type zeolite (47). The acidic NCL-1 has also been found to catalyze the Fries rearrangement of phenyl acetate (48). The nature of the acid sites has recently been evaluated using pyridine and ammonia adsorption (49). Both Br0nsted and Lewis acid sites are observed where Fourier transform-infrared (FT IR) spectra show the hydroxyl groups associated with the Brpnsted acid sites are at 3628 and 3598 cm-1. The SSZ-31 structure has also been modified with platinum metal and found to be a good reforming catalyst. 

The steam reformer is a serpentine channel with a channel width of 1000 fim and depth of 230 fim (Figure 15). Four reformers were fabricated per single 100 mm silicon wafer polished on both sides. In the procedure employed to fabricate the reactors, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) was used to deposit silicon nitride, an etch stop for a silicon wet etch later in the process, on both sides of the wafer. Next, the desired pattern was transferred to the back of the wafer using photolithography, and the silicon nitride was plasma etched. Potassium hydroxide was then used to etch the exposed silicon to the desired depth. Copper, approximately 33 nm thick, which was used as the reforming catalyst, was then deposited by sputter deposition. The reactor inlet was made by etching a 1 mm hole into the end... 

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