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Numerical and experimental study on the thermal characteristics of a steam reformer

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Abstract

In this study, the performance evaluation of a cylindrical natural-gas steam reformer is experimentally and numerically performed with a special focus on thermal operation conditions. The evaluation system is configured to probe the thermal and chemical characteristics of a steam reformer that does not employ a high temperature shift and a low temperature shift. The acquired experimental data is used to validate the proposed numerical model. A combination of experimental and numerical data provides detailed information leading to a better understanding of the internal reaction. An appropriate control of the heat source in the steam reformer is extremely important because the endothermic process is dominant throughout the catalyst layer. The results indicate that the thermal efficiency is enhanced by appropriately managing combustor heat, reactant concentration, and inflow rates as implemented by inlet gas control into the main reactor and combustor. A parametric study of operation control variables, such as Steam to carbon ratio (SCR) and combustible reactant ratio, could determine the optimal values for the highest thermal performance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Design Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea

    Taehyun Jo, Yonghan Lee, Hyunkyoo So & Dohyung Lee

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea

    Bonchan Koo

Authors
  1. Taehyun Jo
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  2. Bonchan Koo
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  3. Yonghan Lee
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  4. Hyunkyoo So
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  5. Dohyung Lee
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dohyung Lee.

Additional information

Recommended by Associate Editor Seongwon Kang

Tae-Hyun Jo is in Ph.D. course at Applied Computational Design & Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Design Engineering, University of Hanyang, Ansan, Korea. His interests include computational fluid dynamics, design optimization, and renewable energy study.

Do-Hyung Lee received his Ph.D. degree in aerospace engineering from University of Michigan, United States of America, in 1996. He was Postdoctoral Fellow in NASA Ames Research Center, in 2000. He is a Professor of Mechanical Design Engineering in University of Hanyang, Ansan, Korea.

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Jo, T., Koo, B., Lee, Y. et al. Numerical and experimental study on the thermal characteristics of a steam reformer. J Mech Sci Technol 32, 679–687 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-018-0115-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-018-0115-3

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