Numerical simulation of ethanol steam reforming on structured SiC foam catalyst with direct electrical heating

Ethanol steam reforming (ESR) is a promising technology for clean hydrogen production. Silicon carbide (SiC) foam is an ideal material for structured catalyst carrier due to its excellent thermal conductivity and mechanical stability. Furthermore, SiC foams are well-suited as conductive substrates for structured catalysts facilitates the integration of Joule heat and achievement of the electrification of the ESR. In this present study, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed for a novel ESR reactor incorporating SiC foam structured catalysts with direct electric heating. The effects of various operational parameters, including the inlet temperature (T_inlet), water-to-ethanol molar ratio (R_we), weight hourly space velocity (WHSV), and power (P) were thoroughly analyzed. The results demonstrated that, with direct electrical heating, the temperature distribution within the ESR reactor remained uniform. Increasing T_inlet, WHSV, and P and decreasing R_we significantly enhanced ethanol conversion. Furthermore, the high thermal conductivity of SiC, in conjunction with the direct nature of Joule heating, to ensure that the axial temperature difference of the reactor remains below 12 K, while the radial temperature difference approaches zero. Although the ethanol conversion on the packed SiC foam structured catalyst was lower than that of the coated SiC foam structured catalysts, the former showed a higher hydrogen outlet flow rate and reduced CO concentration.