Search

Methanol reforming is a key method of producing hydrogen, an eco-friendly energy source. A feasible validation has been performed using previous experimental data. Present numerical model, validated using previously published experimental data, facilitates a factor-by-factor study of methanol reforming performance characteristics. In particular, the effects of inlet temperature of reformed gas and heat source gas, gas hourly space velocity (GHSV), reformer length, and reformer diameter are numerically analyzed. The effect of each parameter on reforming performance was presented by analyzing the average temperature of the reformed gas for each location inside the reformer. In addition, the inlet temperature of the heat source gas was more dominant in reforming performance than that of the reformed gas through sensitivity analysis. Finally, the performance was explained in terms of residence time, and the relationship between CO selectivity and residence time was presented. • A Numerical simulation of a shell and tube methanol reformer was performed. • The effect of operating conditions (temperature, GHSV) on reforming performance was analyzed. • The effect of geometric shapes of the reformer on reforming performance was analyzed. • The reforming performance is more sensitive to the inlet temperature of heat source gas than that of the reformed gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]