A compact and high-efficiency electrified reactor for hydrogen production by methane steam reforming

An electrified reactor driven by renewable electricity, substituting conventionally fired reactors, will reduce CO2 and provide a compact manner for hydrogen generation. Herein, we proposed a high-efficiency electrified reactor based on a high-temperature heat pipe (HTPR). The start-up of the HTPR powered by electricity was firstly evaluated, showing a start-up duration of 250 s and maintaining significant temperature uniformity of 96.7%. Then, the feasibility and performance of the HTPR were validated by experiments. The methane conversion and hydrogen mole fraction were 80.0% and 70.5% at a steam to carbon ratio of three, respectively. Finally, the reaction performance under different operating conditions was simulated. The methane conversion and the hydrogen mole fraction were attenuated with the increase in flow rate, and improving catalyst porosity is beneficial for the heat transfer between catalysts and gases. This study serves as a framework for designing an electrified reactor for endothermic reactions.(c) 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.