Numerical analysis of methanol steam reforming reactor heated by catalytic combustion for hydrogen production

Thermal coupling of endothermic and exothermic reactions is an important pathway for integrated thermal management within a methanol steam reforming reactor heated by methanol catalytic combustion. In this study, a numerical model is developed for heat and mass transfer calculations, methanol steam reforming and catalytic combustion reactions, which is used to explore the effects of design parameters on compact parallel channel reactor performance. Efficiency of the integrated reactor is optimized by the coupling of endothermic and exothermic reactions using conventional wall material. Temperature uniformity is improved by the adjustment of the flow arrangement and the catalyst distribution. This work provides an effective energy management strategy and tool which can be adopted in the design of portable hydrogen generation systems.