Operational characteristics on cylindrical steam reformer thermally coupled with a combustor

Abstract

The thermal performance of a natural-gas based cylindrical steam reformer coupled with a combustor is investigated for the practical usage of a prototype fuel cell under development (KETEP project). In this study, thermal characteristics of internal combustor are analyzed that includes the effect of flame pattern on local heat release and heat transfer mechanism from combustor to reforming zone. Overall performances are found to depend on various inlet conditions such as fuel distribution ratio and steam carbon ratio. These experiments could guide how to manage efficiently the reformer's fuel calorie and achieve high hydrogen production along with high thermal efficiency.