Hydrogen-rich Reformate Research Articles

Steam reforming of methanol over combustion synthesized CuZnOx-based catalysts for fuel cell applications

Steam reforming of methanol is considered an effective way of producing hydrogen-rich reformate for fuel cell applications, with the CuZnOx catalysts to be the most widely used materials for this process. In this study, the incorporation of various promoters in the CuZnOx structure, via a solution-combustion method, was investigated in order to promote the performance of the catalysts in the steam reforming of methanol. The physicochemical results indicated that the Ga promotion can alter the environment of ZnO phase, creating ZnGa2O4 spinels, oxygen vacancies and thus, influencing the interaction with the active phase (strong metal-support interactions). The catalytic studies illustrated that an optimum amount in Ga2O3 (15 wt%) is beneficial in terms of activity and especially, selectivity, while the formation of a CuZnGaAlOx system enhances further the performance. The functionality of the most active material was successfully demonstrated in an integrated internal reforming methanol fuel cell operating at 220 °C.

Numerical study on combustion and emission characteristics of a spark-ignition ammonia engine added with hydrogen-rich gas from exhaust-fuel reforming

A numerical study was performed for the combustion process of a spark-ignition engine fueled with ammonia to investigate the effects of hydrogen-rich reformate addition on the combustion and emission characteristics of the engine. For the combustion characteristics, the results show that the in-cylinder pressure is increased and the combustion duration is shortened with the addition of hydrogen-rich reformate. Moreover, when blending 10.0% of the reformate by volume, the combustion efficiency and thermal efficiency of the engine at stoichiometric conditions are improved to 96.3% and 43.6%, respectively. However, increasing the reformate content in the mixture to 12.5% leads to negative work during the compression stroke and a reduction in the power. For the emission characteristics, it is found that the NOx emissions can meet the IMO Tier III limit at rich-burn conditions for all the reformate blending ratios (Rre). The NH3 and N2O emissions decrease monotonically with the increase of Rre. In addition, the chemical kinetic analyses demonstrate that the concentration of H and OH radicals increase with the addition of hydrogen-rich reformate thus accelerating the elementary reaction rates in the NH3 consumption pathway. Consequently, the combustion phase is advanced and the unburned NH3 emissions are reduced with the increase of Rre. The present study concludes that 7.5% – 10.0% is the recommended blending ratio of hydrogen-rich reformate for enhanced combustion with low NOx and NH3 emissions in ammonia-fueled engines.

Experimental optimization analysis on operating conditions of CO removal process from hydrogen-rich reformate

The catalytic effects of CO preferential oxidation and methanation catalysts for deep CO removal under different operating conditions (temperature, space velocity, water content, etc.) are systematically studied from the aspects of CO content, CO selectivity, and hydrogen loss index. Results indicate that the 3 wt% Ru/Al2O3 preferential oxidation catalysts reduce CO content to below 10 ppm with a high hydrogen consumption of 11.6–15.7%. And methanation catalysts with 0.7 wt% Ru/Al2O3 also exhibit excellent CO removal performance at 220–240 °C without hydrogen loss. Besides, NiClx/CeO2 methanation catalysts possess the characteristics of high space velocity, high activity, and high water-gas resistance, and can maintain the CO content at close to 20 ppm. Based on these experimental results, the coupling scheme of combining NiClx/CeO2 methanation catalysts (low cost and high reaction space velocity) with 0.7 wt% Ru/Al2O3 methanation catalysts (high activity) to reduce CO content to below10 ppm is proposed.

A Developed Plasmatron Design to Enhance Production of Hydrogen in Synthesis Gas Produced by a Fuel Reformer System

Feeding IC engines with hydrogen-rich syngas as an admixture to hydrocarbon fuels can decrease pollutant emissions, particularly NOx. It offers a potential technique for low-environmental impact hydrocarbon fuel use in automotive applications. However, hydrogen-rich reformate gas (syngas) production via fuel reforming still needs more research and optimization. In this paper, we describe the effect of a plasma torch assembly design on syngas yield and composition during plasma-assisted reforming of gasoline. Additionally, erosion resistance of the cathode-emitting material under the conditions of gasoline reforming was studied, using hafnium metal and lanthanated tungsten alloy. The gasoline reforming was performed with a noncatalytic, nonthermal, low-current plasma system in the conditions of partial oxidation in an air and steam mixture. To find the most efficient plasma torch assembly configuration in terms of hydrogen production yield, four types of anode design were tested, i.e., two types of the swirl ring, and two cathode materials while varying the inlet air and fuel flow rates. The experimental results showed that hydrogen was the highest proportion of the produced syngas. The smooth funnel shape anode design in Ring 1 at air/fuel flow rates of 24/4, 27/4.5, and 30/5 g/min, respectively, was more effective than the edged funnel shape. Lanthanated tungsten alloy displayed higher erosion resistance than hafnium metal.

Evaluation of functional layers thinning of high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells after long term operation.

The operation related degradation processes of high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell operated with hydrogen-rich reformate gas are studied. CO impurities from the reformate gas are strongly adsorbed by the catalyst surface, leading to poisoning and thus, reduction of the overall performance of the cell. Most of the studies are performed in a laboratory set-up by applying accelerated stress tests. In the present work, a high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell is operated in a realistic configuration for 12 000 h (500 days). The fuel cell contains as electrocatalyst Pt in the cathode and a Pt-Ru alloy in the anode. The study of the degradation occurring in the functional layers, i.e. in different regions of cathode, anode and membrane layer, is carried out by scanning electron microscopy, (scanning) transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. We observed a thinning of the functional layers and a redistribution of catalyst material. The thinning of the cathode side is larger compared to the anode side due to harsher operation conditions likely causing a degradation of the support material via C corrosion and/or due to a degradation of the catalyst via oxidation of Pt and Ru. A thinning of the membrane caused by oxidation agents is also detected. Moreover, during operation, catalyst material is dissolved at the cathode side and redistributed. Our results will help to design and develop fuel cells with higher performance.

Kinetic Study on CO-Selective Methanation over Nickel-Based Catalysts for Deep Removal of CO from Hydrogen-Rich Reformate

The CO-selective methanation process is considered as a promising CO removal process for compact fuel processors producing hydrogen, since the process selectively converts the trace of CO in the hydrogen-rich gas into methane without additional reactants. Two different types of efficient nickel-based catalysts, showing high activity and selectivity to the CO methanation reaction, were developed in our previous works; therefore, the kinetic models of the reactions over these nickel-based catalysts have been investigated adopting the mechanistic kinetic models based on the Langmuir chemisorption theory. In the methanation process, the product species can react with the reactant and also affect the adsorption/desorption of the molecules at the active sites. Thus, the kinetic parameter study should be carried out by global optimization handling all the rate equations for the plausible reactions at once. To estimate the kinetic parameters, an effective optimization algorithm combining both heuristic and deterministic methods is used due to the large solution space and the nonlinearity of the objective function. As a result, 14 kinetic parameters for each catalyst have been determined and the parameter sets for the catalysts have been compared to understand the catalytic characteristics.

Experimental comparison of performance and emissions of a direct-injection engine fed with alternative gaseous fuels

Performance and emissions of a direct-injection (DI) spark-ignition engine with high compression-ratio (15.5:1) fed with hydrogen, hydrogen-rich reformate, and methane are discussed. Differences in the particle formation with hydrogen and the reformate containing 75% mol H2 and 25% mol CO2 are investigated for the first time and compared with methane. The total particle number (PN) concentration with the reformate was the highest at all loads because of its significantly longer injection duration. This new finding explains why the elevated PN emission was measured in a DI engine fed with the reformate in contrast to the previously published data for hydrogen and the reformate PFI engines. Hydrogen combustion resulted in higher particle formation compared to methane under high engine loads. The combined effect of the flame quenching distance, fuel carbon content, and injection duration defines the PN formation in a DI ICE fed with gaseous fuel. The study findings demonstrated the appearance of an optimal hydrogen injection strategy enabling the minimization of PN emission. Hydrogen combustion results in the highest engine thermal efficiency. However, when the exhaust waste heat utilization in the engine with the reformate combustion is considered, the overall system thermal efficiency above that of the hydrogen engine is achieved. Negligible and the lowest, in comparison to hydrogen and methane, NOx emissions are found with the reformate-fed engine. CO2 contained in the reformate acts as an inherent EGR enabling almost full mitigation of NOx formation even at the highest engine loads.

The autothermal reforming of oxymethylenether from the power-to-fuel process

Synthetic energy carriers that are not based on crude oil or natural gas can contribute to the transcending of fossil-based sources of energy in the future. A contemporary example is the organic substance, oxymethylenether (OMEn), which consists of hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen. It is reported in the literature that OMEn suppresses the formation of harmful NOx and soot and reduces CO2 emissions during the combustion process in internal combustion engines due to its high oxygen content. For the investigation presented in this paper, the use of OMEn was transferred to the autothermal reforming (ATR) process, which is normally conducted using pure diesel fuel or kerosene in order to produce a hydrogen-rich reformate gas to operate fuel cell systems. Different mixtures of OMEn and Ultimate diesel fuel were fed into Jülich's ATR 14 at a steady state. Thereby, approved reaction conditions from former ATR diesel fuel experiments with respect to O2/C and H2O/C molar ratios (0.47 and 1.9, respectively) and temperatures of the educts were applied. It was observed that the addition of OMEn to Ultimate diesel fuel resulted in stable temperatures at characteristic positions within ATR 14 and had a positive effect on the quality of the ATR product gas (reformate). For instance, the concentration of the undesired byproducts ethene and benzene decreased from 800 ppmv to the range of roughly 230 ppmv and from some 130 ppmv to less than 40 ppmv, respectively, when the mass fraction of OMEn in the OMEn/Ultimate diesel mixture was increased from 0% to 30%.

Blocking the non-selective sites through surface plasmon-induced deposition of metal oxide on Au/TiO2 for CO-PROX reaction

CO preferential oxidation (PROX) in excess hydrogen is a promising strategy for CO removal in hydrogen-rich reformate. However, the CO conversion and CO 2 selectivity in the PROX reaction dramatically decrease with rising temperature, resulting in a major challenge to complete CO removal across a wide temperature window. Here, we developed a photoexcited deposition of metal oxide (PDMO) method based on surface plasmonic resonance of Au nanoparticles, which can tune the interfacial properties by depositing lead oxide at the Au-TiO 2 interface. The interface modified Pb 3 O 4 /Au/TiO 2 catalyst can successfully eliminate CO in a wide temperature range (70°C–140°C) and exhibit superior stability in the PROX reaction. Further experiments demonstrated that the improved PROX performance is due to the severely depressed hydrogen oxidation through simultaneously inhibiting the activation of hydrogen and oxygen. The results further reveal that the interface of Au/TiO 2 is the superactive but non-selective site for H 2 and CO oxidation. • Photoexcited deposition of metal oxide method is employed for interface engineering • Interface-engineered Au-TiO 2 helps to identify the active site in CO and H 2 oxidation • Blocking the non-selective sites greatly improves the CO-PROX performance • Interface anchoring with inert lead oxide enhances long-term thermal stability Against the background of the carbon-neutral era, the liquid sunshine industry is booming due to the consumption of greenhouse gas (CO 2 ) and the solution of storage and transportation of H 2 energy. However, before the terminal application of H 2 energy, CO must be removed in the H 2 -rich reformate to avoid poisoning the noble metal catalysts. Gold-catalyzed CO preferential oxidation (PROX) has great potential in the removal of CO from H 2 -rich reformate. The competition oxidation of CO and H 2 at the interface of gold support always results in a decrease in CO oxidation conversion and selectivity, especially at high temperature. However, it is a major challenge to distinguish the interfacial sites from the other parts of nanoparticle surface. We show here that the interface of Au-TiO 2 is modified by our photoexcited deposition of metal oxide (PDMO) method, which greatly affects the performance of the CO-PROX reaction. The interfacial area of metal support is the ultrahigh active site in catalysis. However, the ultrahigh active sites are normally adverse for chemoselective oxidation or hydrogenation reaction. Interface-engineered catalyst is prepared based on a selective photoexcited deposition of metal oxide method and shows greatly improved performance in CO preferential oxidation in H 2 -rich stream (PROX reaction).

A hybrid fuel cell system integrated with methanol steam reformer and methanation reactor

In this paper, a hybrid fuel cell system integrated with methanol steam reformer and methanation reactor is demonstrated. Methanol steam reformer employed in this system is to produce hydrogen-rich reformate in connection with a methanation reactor to reduce the carbon monoxide content effectively, and the reformate gas is sent into a low-temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cell for direct electric power generation. The optimum conditions (temperature, water to methanol ratio, and space velocity) for methanol steam reforming (MSR) reaction and methanation (MET) reaction are verified by experiments. A comparison between pure hydrogen, reformate surrogate, and actual reformate is performed. The results show that the power density of this hybrid system achieves 245.2 mW/cm2 while it achieves 268.8 mW/cm2 when employing pure hydrogen as the fuel. An alternative novel method to solve the problem of hydrogen storage and transportation is provided and the in-situ hydrogen production and utilizing through low-temperature fuel cell system is realized, which is helpful to accelerate the commercialization process of the fuel cell.

Performance and emissions characteristics of a lean-burn marine natural gas engine with the addition of hydrogen-rich reformate

The exhaust gas-fuel reforming technique known as reformed exhaust gas recirculation (REGR) can generate on-board hydrogen-rich gas mixture (i.e., reformate) by catalytic reforming of the exhaust gas and fuel added into the reformer and then recirculate the reformate into the engine cylinder, which can realize the combination of hydrogen-rich lean combustion and exhaust gas recirculation. The REGR technique can be employed to achieve efficient and stable lean-burn combustion for the marine engine fueled with natural gas (i.e., marine NG engine) and it is considered as an effective way to meet the stringent ship emissions regulations. In the present study, an experimental investigation into the effects of reformate addition ratio (Rre) and excess air ratio (λ) on the combustion and emissions characteristics of a marine NG engine under various loads was conducted, and the potential of applying the REGR technique in a marine NG engine to achieve low emissions (i.e., International Maritime Organization Tier Ⅲ emissions legislations for international ships) was discussed. The results indicate that the addition of the hydrogen-rich reformate gases can extend lean-burn limit. For a given λ, the flame development duration and rapid combustion duration decrease with the increase of Rre, and the combustion efficiency is improved. The brake specific NOx emissions first increase and then decrease with the increase of Rre due to the competition between the combustion phase and total heat release value. The brake specific THC emissions decline with the increase of Rre, while the reverse holds for the brake specific CO emissions, and the behavior tends to be obvious under large λ. It is demonstrated that the combination of REGR and the lean-burn combustion strategy can improve the trade-off relationship between the NOx emissions and brake specific fuel consumption of the marine NG engine to meet the IMO Tier Ⅲ NOx emissions legislations and maintain relatively low brake specific fuel consumption.

Particle emissions of direct injection internal combustion engine fed with a hydrogen-rich reformate

Thermochemical Recuperation is a promising waste heat recovery method that enables utilization of the engine waste heat together with onboard hydrogen production resulting in a significant improvement in thermal efficiency and a massive reduction in gaseous pollutants emission. However, an unexpectedly high particle emission level as compared to the gasoline-fed engine was measured despite the combustion of a hydrocarbon-free hydrogen-rich methanol steam reforming (MSR) products, containing 75% mol. H2 and 25% mol. CO2. In the existing literature, this phenomenon has not described yet.In this reported study, experiments are performed to investigate reasons of the elevated particle emissions by a direct injection spark ignition engine fed with MSR reformate, and results are compared with a baseline engine fed with gasoline at the same engine loads and speeds. Results of particle number concentration and size distribution measurements show that the total particle number concentration emission of engine fed with MSR reformate is 170% higher compared to gasoline. A direct experimental comparison between the port and the direct reformate injection performed on the same engine shows an increase in particles formation with a direct injection method. Based on these findings, several hypotheses are presented attributing to excessive lubricant involvement in the combustion process. The peculiarities specific for direct reformate injection that could result to the enhanced particles formation are jet – lubricated wall interaction, lubricant vapor entrainment into the reformate jet and shorter flame quenching distance of hydrogen compared to gasoline.

On-board generation of hydrogen to improve in-cylinder combustion and after-treatment efficiency and emissions performance of a hybrid hydrogen–gasoline engine

Abstract Hydrogen on-board fuel reforming has been identified as a waste energy recovery technology with potential to improve Internal combustion engines (ICE) efficiency. Additionally, can help to reduce CO2, NOx and particulate matter (PM) emissions. As this thermochemical energy is recovered from the hot exhaust stream and used in an efficient way by endothermic catalytic reforming of petrol mixed with a fraction of the engine exhaust gas. The hydrogen-rich reformate has higher enthalpy than the petrol fed to the reformer and is recirculated to the intake manifold, which will be called reformed exhaust gas recirculation (rEGR). The rEGR system has been simulated by supplying hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) into a conventional Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system. The hydrogen and CO concentrations in the rEGR stream were selected to be achievable in practice at typical gasoline exhaust temperatures (temperatures between 300 and 600 °C). A special attention has been paid on comparing rEGR to the baseline ICE, and to conventional EGR. The results demonstrate the potential of rEGR to simultaneously increase thermal efficiency, reduce gaseous emissions and decrease PM formation. Complete fuel reformation can increase the calorific value of the fuel by 28%. This energy can be provided by the waste heat in the exhaust and so it is ideal for combination with a gasoline engine with its high engine-out exhaust temperatures. The aim of this work is to demonstrate that exhaust gas fuel reforming on an engine is possible and is commercially viable. Also, this paper demonstrates how the combustion of reformate in a direct injection gasoline engine via reformed Exhaust Gas Recirculation (rEGR) can be beneficial to engine performance and emissions.

Experimental characterization of high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells under CO- and methane-containing hydrogen-rich gases

The objective of this work is to study a high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell using CO- and methane-containing hydrogen-rich gases because of the advantages of high operating temperature and the growing feasibility of using natural gases or methane as the sources of hydrogen-rich reformate gases. According to the experimental results, it is suggested that the fuel cell be operated at 180 °C under reformate gases with high CO concentrations to avoid not only a significant decrease in performance, but also severe potential oscillations. In addition, the anode oxidation reaction is more sensitive to the temperature than the cathode reduction reaction under CO-containing H2. On the other hand, the effects of methane in the reformate gas on the fuel cell can be ignored because the existence of methane causes neither a decrease in the cell performance nor an increase in the anodic charge transfer resistance. Thus, the CO concentration and operating temperature are still the two dominant parameters with regard to the cell performance under CO- and methane-containing hydrogen-rich gases.

Adjusted interactions of nickel nanoparticles with cobalt-modified MgAl2O4-SiC for an enhanced catalytic stability during steam reforming of propane

Steam reforming of propane (SRP) for the stable production of hydrogen-rich reformates was investigated using the Ni-supported on the cobalt-modified SiC-embedded MgAl2O4 support (denoted as NCMAS). The adjusted interactions of the Ni nanoparticles with the cobalt-modified SiC-embedded MgAl2O4 (MgAl2O4-SiC) and its crystallite size distributions largely altered the catalytic activity and stability of NCMAS. The introductions of SiC on the NCMAS, where SiC has a higher thermal conductivity, also increased the dispersion of smaller MgAl2O4 grains with the less formations of inactive NiAl2O4 species, which resulted in the higher catalytic activity with smaller formations of unreformed light hydrocarbons. The positive roles of cobalt promoter on the MgAl2O4-SiC matrices were mainly attributed to the suppressed aggregation of nickel nanoparticles by their strong and intimate interactions with the cobalt-modified MgAl2O4. The effects of cobalt promoter at an optimal 5wt%Co in the MgAl2O4-SiC (NCMAS(5)) enhanced the oxidation-resistance of the nickel nanoparticles with less formations of inactive metal aluminates by being reversibly re-reduced under the SRP reaction conditions. These phenomena further lessen coke depositions by intimately interacting with highly dispersed oxophilic cobalt or cobalt aluminate species. The optimal NCMAS(5) was applied to derive kinetic parameters using Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson (LHHW) mechanisms, and the reasonable activation energy of 73 kJ/mol and optimal operating parameters to maximize hydrogen production by SRP reaction was estimated in terms of the reaction conditions such as space velocity, feed ratio and reaction temperature.

Comparison of hydrogen and hydrogen-rich reformate enrichment of JP-8 in an open flame

Hydrogen enhanced combustion of JP-8 provides an additional control parameter for external combustion based power sources. When supplied as part of a “reformer gas” mixture, hydrogen provides similar benefits as pure hydrogen, given sufficient oxygen mixing. Previous work showed benefits of hydrogen enhanced combustion for external combustion based power sources. As a step closer to practical applications, the present work examines the use of hydrogen rich reformate. This mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen is produced by fuel reforming of JP-8 and other logistics fuels.Tests evaluated the temperature profiles of dual fueled flames using JP-8 and either hydrogen or a bottled mixture representing fuel reformate. Both supplemental fuels move combustion earlier, allowing more stable combustion and potential for reduced size. JP-8 flow rate was reduced to maintain fuel energy input at a constant 5.5kWth. In comparing two cases, the important factor was the total energy contribution. The ratio of hydrogen and carbon monoxide had little effect on the flame structure.This research also compared methods of hydrogen addition. It was added with either the atomizing air or the secondary air which reiterated the importance of oxygen availability. For example, hydrogen through the nozzle produces additional changes to the flame structure due to the combustible mixture of hydrogen and air in the nozzle. The equivalent flow rate of reformate in the nozzle does not produce the same effect because the air in the nozzle is replaced by the other gases in the reformate (CO, CO2, and N2).Hydrogen enrichment tests establish the benefit of dual firing hydrogen and JP-8. These reformate tests show the variables that must be considered in implementing this technique in a practical system.

Highly efficient MOF-templated Ni catalyst towards CO selective methanation in hydrogen-rich reformate gases

Highly efficient and non-noble metal-based Ni/ZrO2 catalyst templated with Ni/UiO-66 precursor was successfully prepared and applied to CO selective methanation in H2-rich gases. This catalyst showed excellent activity and selectivity in an extremely wide temperature window of 215–350 °C, and it also had high stability with no deactivation during a long-term stability test (120 h). The increased specific surface area, smaller crystallite size (3.5 nm) and higher dispersion (15.3%) of Ni nanoparticles, and the enhanced chemisorption capability for CO might contribute to its excellent performance.

Control of autothermal reforming reactor of diesel fuel

In this paper a control system for autothermal reforming reactor for diesel fuel is presented. Autothermal reforming reactors and the pertaining purification reactors are used to convert diesel fuel into hydrogen-rich reformate gas, which is then converted into electricity by the fuel cell. The purpose of the presented control system is to control the hydrogen production rate and the temperature of the autothermal reforming reactor. The system is designed in such a way that the two control loops do not interact, which is required for stable operation of the fuel cell. The presented control system is a part of the complete control system of the diesel fuel cell auxiliary power unit (APU).

Control of an air siphon nozzle using hydrogen and gases other than air

Air siphon nozzles are a simple device commonly used to transport liquid fuel to a combustor. Recent research in dual fuel combustion demonstrates benefits to using gas and liquid phase fuels in the same system. This paper demonstrates the use of hydrogen and other gases other than air to control liquid fuel flow through the siphon nozzle. It is shown mathematically that the two major variables controlling liquid flow rate are the specific heat ratio and upstream pressure of the gas. Since diatomic gases have similar specific heat ratios (k = 1.4 at 300 K), a mixture of hydrogen and air can control liquid flow using only pressure, regardless of mixture composition. At relevant gas pressures, it is analytically shown that the error from changing k is small for 1.1 < k < 1.67. The analytical work was verified experimentally by measuring the suction pressure on the fuel line. Tests using air, hydrogen, argon and helium showed good agreement between gases. However, the deviation begins to increase with the use of propane. This flexibility with gas selection enables liquid flow control with gas mixtures such as hydrogen rich reformate.

Study on an integrated natural gas fuel processor for 2-kW solid oxide fuel cell

A natural gas fuel processor integrated a compact reformer with two heat exchangers was developed and tested as a hydrogen generator for 2 kW distributed solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) applications. The compact reformer is comprised of a reforming chamber and two non-catalytic combustion chambers, in which the endothermic and exothermic reactions are coupled into a multilayered cylindrical reactor vessel. The integrated fuel processor can be started up quickly by the combustion of methane and run steadily within 30 min under the preferred thermodynamic operating conditions. The higher temperature zone is located at the latter half part of the reforming chamber, where the temperature gradient is relatively small and favorable for hydrogen production. The results show that a high methane conversion and H2 molar fraction (dry basis) can be achieved, irrespective of the hydrogen production capacity. The energy efficiency of the integrated fuel processor can reach 74.11% when producing 2 Nm3/h of H2. A SOFC system was fueled successfully by the generated hydrogen-rich reformate in the integrated fuel processor.