Steady state performance analysis of OSR and serial OSR-WGS reactors

• We designed and constructed a propane fuel processor test prototype (FPP).
• Response of the FPP to the changes in concentration of the reactants is determined.
• The results will form a basis to a heuristic for FP operation in our future studies.

A lab scale fuel processor test prototype (FPP) was designed, constructed, and used in analyzing steady state performance of individual propane oxidative steam reforming (OSR) reactor and serially combined propane OSR and water gas shift (WGS) reactors. OSR and WGS reactions were performed over novel Pt‐Ni/δ-Al2O3 and Au‐Re/ZrO2 catalysts, respectively. During the steady state tests, concentrations of C3H8, O2, H2, CH4, CO and CO2 in the feed and product streams were measured on line-real time by a mass spectrometer. The tests have been conducted for different compositions of oxygen, propane and steam in the feed stream of OSR reactor in both individual and serial tests. The highest achieved H2/CO product ratio was ca. 32–33 for 723–623 K and 673–573 K OSR-WGS reactor temperature combinations in serial operation, with S/C feed ratio of 3 and O/C feed ratio of 0.74. In the performance tests, maximum conversions achieved were 100% C3H8 and 50% CO in the OSR and WGS reactors, respectively. In the tests, steady state, dry basis, inert free, H2 concentrations higher than 50% and CO concentrations as low as 1% in the WGS product stream were obtained. The performance stability of both catalysts were confirmed by the product concentration profiles obtained during 75 h time-on-stream stability test performed on OSR-WGS system and by microstructural characterization of the OSR and WGS catalysts as well.