Experimental and Modeling Analysis of the Thermal Behavior of an Autothermal C3H8 Catalytic Partial Oxidation Reformer

In this work, a spatially resolved sampling technique is applied to characterize the performance of a C3H8 CPO reformer and to compare it with that of a CH4 reformer. The case of Rh-coated honeycomb catalysts is examined. The axial profiles show that higher temperatures are reached in C3H8 CPO, especially at the reactor inlet. Surface hot-spot temperatures around 950 °C lead the catalyst to rapid loss of activity. A detailed model analysis is also applied to better understand the reasons for the observed differences of the thermal behavior. On one hand, the heat release via oxidation reactions is controlled by O2 mass transfer rate and thus proportional to O2 inlet concentration, which is 20% higher in the C3H8/air mixture at equal C/O ratio. On the other hand, while CH4 steam reforming is partly chemically controlled, C3H8 steam reforming is mainly limited by gas–solid diffusion. Thus, a less efficient balance between exo- and endothermic reactions occurs in the case of C3H8 CPO, and this results in much higher hot-spot temperatures. As a consequence, specific strategies for the optimization of the thermal behavior are required depending on the fuel. Modeling of the C3H8 CPO results shows that an increased catalyst load or a suitable aspect ratio of the reactor, combined with a decrease of the flow rate, produces a beneficial moderation of the hot-spot temperature of the catalytic wall.