Abstract
Green hydrogen technology has recently gained in popularity due to the current economic and ecological trends that aim to remove the fossil fuels share in the energy mix. Among various alternatives, biogas reforming is an attractive choice for hydrogen production. To meet the authorities’ requirements, reforming biogas-enriched natural gas and sole biogas is tempting. Highly effective process conditions of biogas reforming are yet to be designed. The current state of the art lacks proper optimization of the process conditions. The optimization should aim to allow for maximization of the process effectiveness and limitation of the phenomena having an adverse influence on the process itself. One of the issues that should be addressed in optimization is the uniformity of temperature inside a reactor. Here we show an optimization design study that aims to unify temperature distribution by novel arrangements of catalysts segments in the model biogas reforming reactor. The acquired numerical results confirm the possibility of the enhancement of reaction effectiveness, coming from improving the thermal conditions. The used amount of catalytic material is remarkably reduced as a side effect of the presented optimization. To ensure an unhindered perception of the reaction improvement, the authors proposed a ratio of the hydrogen output and the amount of used catalyst as a measure.
Highlights
The hydrogen industry is currently at the beginning of an undeniable peak
The present state of the art makes the use of the water electrolysis justified only in applications implementing renewable energy sources, in which no other possibility of the surplus energy consumption is available [6]
Emissions coming from the energy production using natural gas may be heavily limited, if the natural gas would be converted into hydrogen, on the way of the steam reforming reaction
Summary
The hydrogen industry is currently at the beginning of an undeniable peak. The energy industry has started to pursue technology related to the production and consumption of hydrogen, to meet the ecological regulations introduced by the governmental organizations [1]. Emissions coming from the energy production using natural gas may be heavily limited, if the natural gas would be converted into hydrogen, on the way of the steam reforming reaction. Considering the current economic sentiments, the reform of hydrocarbons remains the most feasible way of hydrogen production. Reform of biogas-enriched natural gas may be a reasonable solution for even better addressing of the ecological issue of the process [13], as biogas is qualified as a renewable energy source [14]. Preparation of the numerical simulation considering reforming of model biogas Application of the macro-patterning concept for the reactor’s geometry Combining the prepared numerical model with a genetic algorithm to find the most optimal catalyst insert design. The values of partial pressures, included in the Equations (4)–(8), are derived from an analysis of the reactions’ stoichometry [30]
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