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Structural design and performance evaluation of diesel steam reformer for hydrogen production

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  • Zhang, Yu-Cai
  • Wu, Bo
  • He, Xu-Dong
  • Jiang, Wenchun
  • Tu, Shan-Tung

Abstract

In this paper, a heat pipe-based reactor for hydrogen production by diesel steam reforming is designed, and the numerical reformer model is developed using COMSOL Multiphysics to evaluate its reforming performance. Based on the comprehensive performance analysis, a systematic evaluation methodology for diesel reformers is proposed to assess the reforming efficiency and guide the structural optimization. The results indicate that increasing inlet velocity or decreasing inlet temperature of reforming gas reduces both n-hexadecane conversion rate and hydrogen yield rate. When the inlet flow rate exceeds the critical threshold of 1.0 m/s, the rate of temperature decline gradually stabilizes. Considering hydrogen production performance, the reformer achieves its optimal overall efficiency at an inlet velocity of 1 m/s and an inlet temperature of 700 K. Structural optimization identifies the optimal configuration as six axially aligned heating pipes positioned radially at 20 mm from the central axis, each with an active length of 0.15 m. Following the structural optimization, high performance is achieved with a diesel reforming conversion rate exceeding 98%.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang, Yu-Cai & Wu, Bo & He, Xu-Dong & Jiang, Wenchun & Tu, Shan-Tung, 2026. "Structural design and performance evaluation of diesel steam reformer for hydrogen production," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 356(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:356:y:2026:i:c:s0360544226014222
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2026.141316
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