• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.15.2-15.2
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• 2005

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.184-187
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• 2007

Hydrogen could be produced from any substance containing hydrogen atoms, such as water, hydrocarbon (HC) fuels, acids or bases. Hydrocarbon fuels couold be converted to hydrogen-rich gas through reforming process for hydrogen production. Even though fuel cell have high efficiency with pure hydrogen from gas tank, it is more beneficial to generate hydrogen from city gas (mainly methane) in residential application such as domestic or office environments. Thus hydrogen is generated by reforming process using hydrocarbon. Unfortunately, the reforming process for hydrogen production is accompanied with unavoidable impurities. Impurities such as CO, $CO_2$, $H_2S$, $NH_3$, and $CH_4$ in hydrogen could cause negative effects on fuel cell performance. Those effects are kinetic losses due to poisoning of electrode catalysts, ohmic losses due to proton conductivity reduction including membrane and catalyst ionomer layers, and mass transport losses due to degrading catalyst layer structure and hydrophobic property. Hydrogen produced from reformer eventually contains around 73% of $H_2$, 20% or less of $CO_2$, 5.8% of less of $N_2$, or 2% less of $CH_4$, and 10ppm or less of CO. Most impurities are removed using pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process to get high purity hydrogen. However, high purity hydrogen production requires high operation cost of reforming process. The effect of carbon dioxide on fuel cell performance was investigated in this experiment. The performance of PEM fuel cell was investigated using current vs. potential experiment, long run (10 hr) test, and electrochemical impedance measurement when the concentrations of carbon dioxide were 10%, 20% and 30%. Also, the concentration of impurity supplied to the fuel cell was verified by gas chromatography (GC).

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.30 no.11 s.254
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• pp.1123-1130
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• 2006

This study discusses about research efforts of hydrogen generation from hydrocarbon(e.g., diesel, gasoline, natural gas, and LPG), especially, butane reforming by using Autothermal Reforming Reaction (ATR) technology. Several catalysts were selected for butane ATR. Thermodynamic reactor conditions (temperature, $O_2$/C, S/C) are varied and reforming characteristics of 2 catalysts (Pt and Rh on ceramic supports) and 1 commercial catalyst (FCR-HC35) have been examined. To understand reaction behaviors in an ATR reactor comprehensively, temperature profiles of reactor were observed. By mass transfer limitation, fuel conversion decreases when GHSV increases. Significant temperature variation along the reactor was observed and it was mainly due reaction kinetics difference between exothermic oxidation and endothermic reforming reaction.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.58-63
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• 2005

As fuel cells approach commercialization, hydrogen production becomes a critical step in the overall energy conversion pathway. Reforming is a process that produces a hydrogen-rich gas from hydrocarbon fuels. Hydrogen production via autothermal reforming (ATR) is particularly attractive for applications that demand a quick start-up and response time in a compact size. However, further research is required to optimize the performance of autothermal reformers and accurate models of reactor performance must be developed and validated. The design includes the requirement of accommodating a wide range of experimental set ups. Factors considered in the design of the reformer are capability to use multiple fuels, ability to vary stoichiometry, precise temperature and pressure control, implementation of enhancement methods, capability to implement variable catalyst positions and catalyst arrangement, ability to monitor and change reactant mixing, and proper implementation of data acquisition. A model of the system was first developed in order to calculate flowrates, heating, space velocity, and other important parameters needed to select the hardware that comprises the reformer. Predicted performance will be compared to actual data once the reformer construction is completed. This comparison will quantify the accuracy of the model and should point to areas where further model development is required. The end result will be a research tool that allows engineers to optimize hydrogen production via autothermal reformation.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.46-52
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• 2009

Hydrogen can extend the lean misfire limit to a large extent when it is mixed with conventional fuels for an internal combustion engine. This study is about fuel reforming to produce hydrogen enriched gas as a fuel for engine. Especially gasoline, which consists of numerous hydrocarbon fuels, considered as source of reformed gas. Various hydrocarbons, including commercial fuel were reformed and potentialities of reformed gas on vehicles were accessed. The reforming efficiency and hydrogen yield were observed. Maximum hydrogen yield were found with different gas hourly space velocity(GHSV) and O2/C ratio of reforming conditions.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.25-28
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• 2008

Steam reforming reaction is a matured technology to get hydrogen from hydrocarbon fuels compared with other reforming reactions such as partial oxidation(POX), autothermal reforming(ATR). It is so endothermic that it needs heat source to activate the reaction. Due to the reaction characteristics, heat transfer limitation phenomena generally occur in the steam reformer. As one of new ideas, the effect of discontinuous gas feeding is investigated based on heat transfer characteristics. The new operating method is usually favorable at high GHSV region(i.e. over $10,000h^{-1}$). In order to numerically simulate the physical issues, numerical approach is adopted based on heterogeneous reaction model, two-equation model in energy equation, and other constitutive models in porous media.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.11a
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• pp.115.2-115.2
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• 2010

Autothermal reforming(ATR) processes of hydrocarbon liquids such as diesel fuels are spotlighted as methods to produce hydrogen for Fuel cell. However, the use of heavy hydrocarbons as feedstocks for hydrogen production causes some problems which increase the catalyst deactivation by the carbon deposition. Coking can be inhibited by increasing the water dissociation on the catalyst surface. This results in catastrophic failure of whole system. Performance degradation of diesel autothermal reforming leads to increase of undesirable hydrocarbons at reformed gases and subsequently decrease the performance. In this study, perovskite-based catalysts were investigated as alternatives to substitute the noble metal catalyst for the ATR of diesel. The investigated perovskite structure was based on LaCrO3. and metals were added at the A-site to enhance oxygen ion mobility, transition metals were doped on the B-site to enhance the reformation. Substituted Lanthanum chromium perovskite were made by aqueous combustion synthesis, which can produce high surface area. And for the homogeneous fuel supply, we made ultrasonic injection system for reforming. We compared durability of evaporation system and ultrasonic system for fuel injection.

• 한국전기화학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2003.07a
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• pp.89-95
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• 2003

Fuel processing is an enabling technology for faster commercialization under lack of hydrogen infrastructures. It has been reported that the development of novel catalysts that are active and selective for hydrocarbon reforming reactions. It has been realized, however, that with pellet or conventional honeycomb catalysts, the reforming process is mass transport limited. This paper reports the development of catalyst structures with microchannels that are able to reduce the diffusion resistance and thereby achieve the same production rate within a smaller reactor bed. These microchannel reforming catalysts were prepared and tested with natural gas and gasoline-type fuels in a microreactor (1-cm dia.) at space velocities of up to 250,000 per hour. These catalysts have also been used in engineering-scale reactors (10 kWe, 7-cm dia.) with similar product qualities. Compared to pellet catalysts. the microchannel catalysts enable a nearly 5-fold reduction in catalyst weight and volume.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.108-114
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• 2011

Steam reformer was organized with steam reforming process and CO removing process. The steam reforming process needed high temperature, 600~900 $^{\circ}C$, for catalytic-reaction which was extract of hydrogen from steam and hydrocarbon. The effects of the evaporator configuration on its heat transfer characteristics were investigated both experimentally and numerically to pursue the miniaturization. In this study, three configurations were considered where the different structures were tested; empty, embossing and mesh filled. For the comparison of heat transfer performance of shape evaporator disk, numerical analysis using SC-Tetra code and experiment were carried out. In case of reformer system design, it should be considered heat transfer rate, differential pressure and fluid flow direction.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.58-63
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• 2007

In recent years, the technologies for the production of synthetic fuel from natural gas have been attracting considerable interest because of high oil prices. While oil prices remaining high, GTL (Gas-to-Liquids) technology would provide an attractive option for utilizing gas resources. Furthermore, GTL fuels contain almost zero sulfur and low aromatics and have a very high cetane so that they are estimated to be environmentally friendly diesel fuels able of meeting the advanced fuel specifications of the 21st century. GTL process generally consists of three primary steps: synthesis gas production from natural gas reforming, hydrocarbon production from synthesis gas by Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) synthesis, product upgrading by hydrocracking/hydroisomerization. This paper presents a brief summary of GTL technology and worldwide development trend about it focusing on the reforming of natural gas and the F-T synthesis.