Analysis Of Heat Transfer And Transport Processes In Sofcs Involving Internal Reforming Reactions

The heat transfer rates in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are controlled by various operating and design parameters and have significant effects on chemical reactions and coupled transport processes. In this article, the considered composite duct consists of a porous anode layer for the internal reforming reactions of methane, the fuel gas flow duct, and the solid plate. A fully three-dimensional calculation code is employed to analyze heat transfer and combined effects of internal reforming/electrochemical reactions on the coupled transport processes, with the purpose to reveal the importance of various parameters. The results show that the internal reforming reactions are mostly confined within 200-300 mu m into the anode porous layer and almost no methane reaches the triple phase boundary (TPB) after the first 10% of the duct length. The operating temperatures have significant effects on the chemical reactions, fuel gas distribution, and overall performance. This study also evaluated the convective heat transfer in the fuel flow duct, in terms of interface thermal boundary/temperature gradients and convective heat transfer coefficients

CFD Approach to Analyze Transport Phenomena Coupled Chemical Reactions Relevant for Methane Reformers

Various transport phenomena in conjunction with chemical reactions are strongly affected by reformer configurations and the properties of the involved porous catalyst layers. The considered composite duct is relevant for a methane steam reformer and consists of a porous layer for the catalytic chemical reactions, the fuel gas flow duct and the solid plate. In this paper, a fully three-dimensional calculation method is developed to simulate and analyse the reforming reactions of methane, with the purpose of revealing the importance of design and operating parameters. The reformer conditions, such as mass balances associated with the reforming reactions and gas permeation to/from the porous catalyst reforming layer, are applied in the analysis. The results show that the characteristic parameters have significant effects on the transport phenomena and the overall reforming reaction performance

Transport Phenomena Coupled by Chemical Reactions in Methane Reforming Ducts

Mass, heat and momentum transport processes are strongly coupled with catalytic chemical reactions in a methane steam reforming duct. In this paper, a three-dimensional calculation method is developed to simulate and analyze reforming reactions of methane, and the effects on various transport processes in a steam reforming duct. The results show that the design and operating parameters grouped as characteristic ratios have significant effects on the transport phenomen