Chemical Engineering & Technology, Vol.28, No.4, 474-476, 2005
Microstructured components for hydrogen production from various hydrocarbons
Fuel cells for mobile and decentral electricity production are of particular interest for compliance with legal regulations concerning exhaust gas emissions and for minimizing the consumption of resources in the future. With them, higher efficiencies can be achieved, noise emissions are reduced, and environmentally relevant pollutant emissions can be avoided. A problem is the supply and storage of H-2 due to its small energy densities and the heavy storage systems. An alternative is the production of hydrogen where it is needed. The system components required, such as the chemical reactor/reformer and the heat exchangers need to have very good dynamics and efficiencies. Here, microstructure technology may be a solution, as extremely high thermal and mass transfer coefficients may minimize the sizes, weights, and energy losses of the devices. The present article focuses on developments made by the Institute for Micro Process Engineering in the field of hydrogen production from methane, methanol, propane, and gasoline.