Abstract
Partial oxidation reformer was fabricated and operated using commercial transportation fuels. Fuel injector and heating coil were used for fuel atomization and startup, respectively. The reformer was designed to produce syngas for $150{\sim}200W_e$ class solid oxide fuel cell. The reformer was operated in the $O_2$/C range between 0.6 and 0.8 while the capacity was fixed at $150W_e$. The temperature range in catalyst bed was between $500^{\circ}C$ and $900^{\circ}C$. Only 83% fuel was converted to $H_2$, CO, $CO_2$ and $CH_4$ at the operating conditions. The lowest temperature increase to $700^{\circ}C$ when the reformer was operated at $200W_e$, Although the temperature profiles was improved, fuel conversion was 88%. On the other hand, fuel was completely converted when micro-reactor operated at the same condition. This difference maybe due to aromatic compounds formation at homogeneous region. In addition, a significant amount of coke deposition was observed at vent line. Homogeneous reaction depends on the degree of mixing. For this purpose, two fluid nozzle and Ultra sonic injector were compared to investigate the effect of atomization. Sauter mean diameter(SMD) of Ultra sonic injector was lower than two-fluid nozzle at test condition. However, conversion efficiency and fuel conversion were not improved by using two-fluid nozzle. these results imply that the temperature of homogeneous reaction region should be controlled to prevent coke formation.
