• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
• /
• v.7 no.6
• /
• pp.32-41
• /
• 1999

Natural gas is an attractive fuel in view of environment benefits due to its flow carbon-to-hydrogen ratio. However, its compositions and properties are varied depending upon production regional groups. Therefore, study on the combustion characteristics of natural gas engines with a variety of compositions has been demanded for the efficient application of gas engines. This study aims to investigate the effects of gas composition on engine combustion characteristics. It was found that , by controlling an engine with fixed fuel nozzle area, power and heat release were subject to Wobbe Index. And at fixed excess air ratios, power and heat release were subject to low heating value of unit mixture . In addition, in case of constant nozzle area, combustion duration was found to be inversely proportional to CP(Combustion Potential), and the condition of fixed excess air ratios showed no change in combustion duration, regardless of CP.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.30 no.9 s.252
• /
• pp.850-857
• /
• 2006

Hydrogen production using current fueling facilities is essential for near-term applications of fuel cells. A preliminary process for developing a natural gas autothermal reforming (ATR) reactor for fuel cells is presented in this paper. A experimental reactor for methane ATR was constructed and used for characterization of Jin reactor. Temperature profiles of the reactor were observed, and reformed gas compositions were analyzed to evaluate efficiency, conversion and reaction heat with varying amounts of $O_2/CH_4$ at selected furnace temperature and $H_2O/CH_4$. The amount of $O_2/CH_4$ showed strong offsets on reactor temperature, efficiency and conversion indicating that $O_2/CH_4$ is a crucial operation condition. Operation conditions which result in thermal neutrality of ATR reactor system were determined for two cases of an ATR system based on the estimation of enthalpy difference between reactants of assumed inlet temperatures and the products from experimental results. The determined conditions for thermally neutral operations could be used for guidelines to design reformers and for determining the operation parameters of a self sustaining ATR reactor.