(A) study on designing high-performance membrane reactors for on-site hydrogen production using liquid fuel

Abstract

Fuel-cell electric vehicles have recently gained attention. Despite the rising demand, hydrogen stations have needed more access. This study proposes a system that uses heavy naphtha to produce 50 Nm3/h of hydrogen on-site for remote areas without convenient access to hydrogen. The system includes a pressurized steam reformer (SR) to produce H2-rich gas and a catalytic membrane reactor (MR) to promote H2-producing reactions and permeate hydrogen. This system can produce hydrogen effectively with improved access by utilizing the liquid-fuel infrastructure. First, the study experimentally determined the operating conditions of the MR. Next, a process model based on the experimental results calculated the initial system efficiency. In addition, this study developed a comprehensive computational-fluid-dynamics model of the MR to improve its performance for higher system efficiency. By using the model, parametric studies were performed to maximize the MR performance. Three scale-up strategies were compared, for a more compact system, to find the most accurate option. At a constant Damköhler-Peclet number, the scale-up process observed various physical phenomena. The study found a scale with high performance, acceptable efficiency, and stability. Finally, a stack and its module were modeled to achieve the 50-Nm3/h target and enhanced system efficiency.