Development of a thermally self-sustaining kWe-class diesel reformer using hydrogen peroxide for hydrogen production in low-oxygen environments

A novel technology of a diesel reformer that uses hydrogen peroxide is developed to obtain the hydrogen required for fuel cell air-independent propulsion for underwater applications, such as submarines and unmanned underwater vehicles. Diesel fuel could be a promising hydrogen source for underwater applications due to its high hydrogen density and its globally well-equipped infrastructure. An alternative oxidant, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), is applied to supply not only oxygen but also the water required for diesel autothermal (ATR) reforming. The proposed reformer does not require an additional heating device to supply heat for the vaporization of diesel or oxidant due to the exothermic nature of the ATR reaction and the heat of decomposition of H2O2. The effects of H2O2 on diesel reforming were confirmed based on operating the engineering-scale (kWe-class) diesel-H2O2 reformer. Undecomposed H2O2 caused an excessively high temperature in the mixing zone and a corrosion effect in the reformer wall. To overcome these phenomena, we introduced a catalytic H2O2 decomposer to fully decompose hydrogen peroxide into steam and oxygen. From this important step, we essentially eliminate side effects from undecomposed H2O2 and retain a high reforming efficiency by utilizing the heat of decomposition of H2O2.