| A reformer is a device that converts hydrocarbon fuel to a hydrogen-enriched stream for fuel cell operation. A numerical modeling study of the performance of an isooctane catalytic autothermal reformer for a fuel cell automobile has been undertaken.; The flow within the reformer was assumed to be steady. The different chemical reactions, along with the reaction rate constants, that take place over the autothermal reforming catalyst (a ceria-based platinum catalyst), were obtained through the analysis and regression of the experimental results in a previous study.; By neglecting the radial gradients in the concentrations and the velocities of the various species in the flow and in the temperature of the reformer, a one-dimensional numerical model, based on the molar flow rate differential equations and energy equation, was developed to simulate the composition and temperature profiles along the length of the catalyst bed.; In order to investigate the effectiveness of heat transfer between the tubes of the prototype reformer, the heat transfer across the tubular wall was simulated in the one-dimensional numerical model.; In addition to the previously discussed numerical model, a preliminary two-dimensional finite-volume computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was constructed to investigate the flow field within the prototype reformer. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
