Parameter Study of Steam Methanol Reforming With Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 Catalyst in a Microchannel Reactor

Three-dimensional numerical simulations were performed to investigate the effect of methanol conversion and hydrogen product of a microchannel methanol steam reformer under various parameter conditions. In this simulation, the wall temperature of reactor (Tw), inlet flow rate of reactant, the different S/C ratios (steam to carbon ratio) and the thickness of the catalyst layer were taken into account to analyze product concentration and conversion rates along the channel length. The methanol conversion for methanol steam reforming on Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst was carried out at reaction temperature ranging from 200 to 260° under an atmospheric pressure. Furthermore, the reaction schemes considered the methanol steam reforming reaction and the reverse water gas-shift reaction. Regarding the distribution analysis of methanol reforming, the methanol conversion (η) and the product of hydrogen increase with the increase in wall temperature from 200 to 260°C and lower reactant flow rates. However, the result shows the methanol conversion increases and the hydrogen product decreases with less feed-in amount of methanol as the higher S/C. Additionally, the methanol conversion increase with higher thickness of catalyst layer from 10 to 70μm. The product of hydrogen, therefore, reaches a consistent distribution above 40μm along the channel length. Nevertheless, all of the operation parameter of exhaust stream at the reformer exit has the following composition: 75% H2, 24% CO2 and less than 1% CO. This research attempts to reveal a simplified methanol reforming model, which analyze the significant behavior and product distribution in qualitative/quantitative along the channel.