{"id":5995,"date":"2014-01-09T11:27:00","date_gmt":"2014-01-09T11:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prod.zbt.compositas.io\/?post_type=news&p=5995"},"modified":"2025-02-13T11:30:56","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T11:30:56","slug":"ethanol-fuel-processor","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/zbt.de\/en\/news\/ethanol-fuel-processor\/","title":{"rendered":"Ethanol Fuel Processor"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Ethanol Fuel Processor<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n

Hydrogen production for PEM Fuel Cell Applications<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

ZBT developed a compact ethanol fuel processor for small scale high temperature and low temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) systems in the range of 200 \u2013 500 W electrical power. Promising markets for reformer fuel cell systems based on ethanol are mobile or portable leisure and security applications as well as small scale stationary off grid power supply and backup power. Main components of the fuel processor which had to be developed were the reformer reactor, the shift-converter, a catalytic burner, evaporators and heat exchangers. Special attention turned on the homogeneous evaporation of the liquid reactants ethanol and water for the reformer and burner and on the development of an efficient and autarkic start up method, respectively. Theoretical as well as experimental work has been carried out for all main components separately including for example catalyst screening and evaporator performance tests in a first project period. Afterwards all components have been assembled to a complete fuel processor which has been qualified with various operation parameter set ups. The overall start up time to receive reformate gas with appropriate quality to feed for example a HT-PEMFC (xCO < 2 %) takes around 30 minutes. At steady state operation the hydrogen power output is around 900 W with H2 and CO fractions of 41.2 % and 1.5 %, respectively.<\/p>\n

Table 1: Fuel Processor Performance, Development Status in Comparison to Targets<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Performance Data<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Status<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Target<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Reforming principle<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Autothermal reforming<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Power output PH2\u00a0\/ W<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

900<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

600 – 1500<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

H2 efficiency in %<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

55<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

70<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Ethanol conversion \/ %<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

~ 100<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

100<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Gas quality, CO \/ %<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1.0 \u2013 1.5<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

<\u00a01.0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Start up time \/ Min<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

~ 30<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

<\u00a015<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Pressure drop \/ mbar<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

15 – 20<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

20<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

This work has been presented at\u00a013AIChE\u00ae Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA\u00a0in the Technical Session \u201cFuel Processing for Hydrogen Production\u201d. The project was partly supported within the BMBF program \u201cForschungspr\u00e4mieZwei\u201d under the grant No. 03FPZN0144<\/p>\n

For further information see also
\nDepartment fuel processing<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

\n

More News<\/h2>\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n \"Mann\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n
\n

FDFC 2026 – Improved Mn-based catalysts for electrolysis<\/h4>\n

Can manganese oxides, which are abundant in the earth, withstand the harsh, acidic environment of PEM water electrolysis? – A presentation at the FDFC 2026 in Montpelier <\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n
\n Read more<\/span>\n <\/svg><\/i>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n
\n
\n \"\"\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n
\n

Top Cited Article 2025 – Award for ZBT-DOCTORAL student<\/h4>\n

Adib Caidi has received the “Top Cited Article Award 2025” from the scientific publisher Wiley. This is in recognition of a publication that is one of the most cited articles in the journal Particle & Particle Systems Characterization. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n
\n Read more<\/span>\n <\/svg><\/i>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n
\n
\n \"\"\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n
\n