Optimization of micro methanol steam reforming reactor

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, a micro reactor integrating hot air heating and methanol steam reforming hydrogen production (MSR) reaction is designed. Firstly, the mechanism of the reactor is studied. The Arrhenius chemical reaction rate evaluation model and simple-c algorithm are applied, the hot air is used to simulate the heat supply of engine exhaust, and the three-dimensional design simulation of the new structure reactor is carried out. The effects of the number of hot air inlet holes, parallel flow, counter flow and inlet schemes on the reactor are investigated. It is found that the conversion of methanol can reach 71.08% with the better inlet scheme of parallel flow in the two-hole condition. Then, taking the comparison of methanol conversion as the index, the correspondence between hot air and electric heating in a certain range is explored. The results of the study have implications for conducting research on the comprehensive utilization of waste heat from engines and the heat reforming for hydrogen production.