Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the heat and mass transport characteristics in microchannel reactors with non-uniform catalyst distributions.Design/methodology/approachA two-dimensional model is developed to study the heat and mass transport characteristics in microchannel reactors. The heat and mass transport processes in the microchannel reactors with non-uniform catalyst distribution in the catalytic combustion channel are also studied.FindingsThe simulated results are compared in terms of the distributions of species mole fraction, temperature and reaction rate for the conventional and new designed reactors. It is found that the chemical reaction, heat and mass transport processes are significantly affected and the maximum temperature in the reactor is also greatly reduced when a non-uniform catalyst distribution is applied in the combustion catalyst layer.Practical implicationsThis study can improve the understanding of the transportation characteristics in microchannel reactors with non-uniform catalyst distributions and provide guidance for the design of microchannel reactors.Originality/valueThe design of microchannel reactors with non-uniform catalyst distributions can be used in methane steam reforming to reduce the maximum temperature inside the reactor.
Highlights
Hydrogen is commonly used as the ideal fuel for fuel cells (Chen et al, 2020; Li et al, 2017; Li and Sunden, 2018; Li et al, 2021; Mauro et al, 2010; Peng et al, 2020; Shen et al, 2019)
Methane steam reforming can be used for hydrogen production
Many numerical studies have already been carried out for methane steam reforming in microchannel reactors
Summary
Hydrogen is commonly used as the ideal fuel for fuel cells (Chen et al, 2020; Li et al, 2017; Li and Sunden, 2018; Li et al, 2021; Mauro et al, 2010; Peng et al, 2020; Shen et al, 2019). Many numerical studies have already been carried out for methane steam reforming in microchannel reactors.
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More From: International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow
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