Production of Hydrogen for Fuel Cell: Microchannel Reactor Modelling for Combustion and Reform of Ethanol in Alternate Channels

Microchannel reactors are miniaturized reaction systems containing reaction channels with characteristic dimensions in the range of 10-500 µm. One possible application of microchannel reactors is the production of hydrogen to generate electrical power for portable equipment. In this paper, we propos...

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Main Authors: M. De Souza, S. Faria, G. Zanin, F. Moraes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AIDIC Servizi S.r.l. 2013-06-01
Series:Chemical Engineering Transactions
Online Access:https://www.cetjournal.it/index.php/cet/article/view/6534
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author M. De Souza
S. Faria
G. Zanin
F. Moraes
author_facet M. De Souza
S. Faria
G. Zanin
F. Moraes
author_sort M. De Souza
collection DOAJ
description Microchannel reactors are miniaturized reaction systems containing reaction channels with characteristic dimensions in the range of 10-500 µm. One possible application of microchannel reactors is the production of hydrogen to generate electrical power for portable equipment. In this paper, we propose to study the use of a microchannel reactor to produce hydrogen from the reaction of steam reforming of ethanol. The proposed device has the following components: (1) channels for steam reforming of ethanol containing a catalytic bed of Ni/Al2O3, (2) channels for exothermic reaction to provide the heat required for the reforming reaction, (3) cell fuel (PEMFC) that consumes the hydrogen produced by the reaction of reform. This work involved the simultaneous modelling of components (1) and (2) with the aim of showing that the catalytic oxidation of part of the exhaust gases produced in the reform of ethanol provides the heat required for the reforming reaction of ethanol, and that in this case the temperature along the microchannel (both in the reforming channel as in the oxidation channel) is kept approximately constant. Two alternatives were studied: co-currents and crosscurrents flows in the channels of endothermic and exothermic reaction. By studying these two cases it was concluded that the configuration co-current presents best result, concluding that the system can be considered isothermal.
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spelling doaj.art-f37f7647e0404699884ad3980e0d6ad72022-12-21T20:18:19ZengAIDIC Servizi S.r.l.Chemical Engineering Transactions2283-92162013-06-013210.3303/CET1332140Production of Hydrogen for Fuel Cell: Microchannel Reactor Modelling for Combustion and Reform of Ethanol in Alternate ChannelsM. De SouzaS. FariaG. ZaninF. MoraesMicrochannel reactors are miniaturized reaction systems containing reaction channels with characteristic dimensions in the range of 10-500 µm. One possible application of microchannel reactors is the production of hydrogen to generate electrical power for portable equipment. In this paper, we propose to study the use of a microchannel reactor to produce hydrogen from the reaction of steam reforming of ethanol. The proposed device has the following components: (1) channels for steam reforming of ethanol containing a catalytic bed of Ni/Al2O3, (2) channels for exothermic reaction to provide the heat required for the reforming reaction, (3) cell fuel (PEMFC) that consumes the hydrogen produced by the reaction of reform. This work involved the simultaneous modelling of components (1) and (2) with the aim of showing that the catalytic oxidation of part of the exhaust gases produced in the reform of ethanol provides the heat required for the reforming reaction of ethanol, and that in this case the temperature along the microchannel (both in the reforming channel as in the oxidation channel) is kept approximately constant. Two alternatives were studied: co-currents and crosscurrents flows in the channels of endothermic and exothermic reaction. By studying these two cases it was concluded that the configuration co-current presents best result, concluding that the system can be considered isothermal.https://www.cetjournal.it/index.php/cet/article/view/6534
spellingShingle M. De Souza
S. Faria
G. Zanin
F. Moraes
Production of Hydrogen for Fuel Cell: Microchannel Reactor Modelling for Combustion and Reform of Ethanol in Alternate Channels
Chemical Engineering Transactions
title Production of Hydrogen for Fuel Cell: Microchannel Reactor Modelling for Combustion and Reform of Ethanol in Alternate Channels
title_full Production of Hydrogen for Fuel Cell: Microchannel Reactor Modelling for Combustion and Reform of Ethanol in Alternate Channels
title_fullStr Production of Hydrogen for Fuel Cell: Microchannel Reactor Modelling for Combustion and Reform of Ethanol in Alternate Channels
title_full_unstemmed Production of Hydrogen for Fuel Cell: Microchannel Reactor Modelling for Combustion and Reform of Ethanol in Alternate Channels
title_short Production of Hydrogen for Fuel Cell: Microchannel Reactor Modelling for Combustion and Reform of Ethanol in Alternate Channels
title_sort production of hydrogen for fuel cell microchannel reactor modelling for combustion and reform of ethanol in alternate channels
url https://www.cetjournal.it/index.php/cet/article/view/6534
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AT sfaria productionofhydrogenforfuelcellmicrochannelreactormodellingforcombustionandreformofethanolinalternatechannels
AT gzanin productionofhydrogenforfuelcellmicrochannelreactormodellingforcombustionandreformofethanolinalternatechannels
AT fmoraes productionofhydrogenforfuelcellmicrochannelreactormodellingforcombustionandreformofethanolinalternatechannels