Waste heat recovery was considered as a promising candidate for energy conservation and emission reduction. Methanol steam reforming was considered to be an effective means for hydrogen production because of its advantages. In this work, a micro reactor was constructed and thermoelectric generation coupled with hydrogen production from methanol steam reforming was innovatively used to recycle waste heat, which was simulated by hot air from a hot air gun. The waste heat was converted into electricity and hydrogen at the same time. The characteristic of thermoelectric generation coupled with methanol steam reforming was investigated. It was experimentally verified that both the hydrogen production rate and methanol conversion increased with the increasing inlet temperature, but thermal efficiency increased firstly and then decreased with the increasing temperature. The methanol steam reforming could effectively maintain cold side temperature distribution of thermoelectric generation. In the case of the thermoelectric module (1), the highest temperature difference of 37 °C was determined and the maximum open circuit voltage of 2 V was observed. The highest methanol conversion of 64.26% was achieved at a space velocity of 0.98 h−1 when the temperature was 543 K, comprehensively considering the CO content and thermal efficiency.
The noncontact heating technology of IH targets heat directly where it is needed through the electromagnetic energy adsorption and conversion of magnetic materials. Unlike conventional heating methods, the heat generated by electromagnetic induction of magnetic materials can be applied directly into the reactor without heating the entire device; this new heating method is not only more energy efficient but also safer, cleaner and more sustainable if renewable electricity is adopted; moreover, magnetic catalysts can be recovered and reused by separating chemical reactants and products from the catalyst by the application of a magnetic field, and it can provide the required heat source for the reaction without altering its catalytic properties. Magnetic catalysts with an electric field have been applied to some industrial areas, such as the preparation of new materials, catalytic oxidation reactions, and high-temperature heat absorption reactions. It is a trend that is used in the hydrogen production process, especially the endothermic steam reforming process. Therefore, in this paper, the heat release mechanism, properties, preparation methods and the application of magnetic catalysts were presented. Highlights of the application and performance of magnetic catalysts in the hydrogen production area were also discussed.
A conceptual design for a 100 MW(th) organic cooled reactor is proposed with the application of organic fluid HB-40 as a coolant. In order to obtain the axial and radial power distribution, a physical model for the proposed core is developed using the Monte Carlo particle transport code MCNP. Moreover, a single-channel model is developed using multi-physics simulation software COMSOL to calculate the temperature distribution of the fuel elements and corresponding coolant channels. A neutronics-thermohydraulics coupling calculation method is established to couple the MCNP code and COMSOL software by means of mesh mapping and data transfer. Through coupling calculation, the high fidelity power and temperature distribution can be obtained. The key thermohydraulics parameters of the hottest channel in the core are investigated, and the changes after coupling calculation are analyzed. The proposed core design and coupling method can be used as a reference for further optimization of organic cooled reactors.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.