Authors:
Luca Cimmino
;
Francesco Calise
;
Francesco Cappiello
;
Massimo Dentice d’Accadia
and
Maria Vicidomini
Affiliation:
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Piazzale V. Tecchio 80, 80125, Napoli, Italy
Keyword(s):
Ethanol Reforming, Hydrogen Production, Sustainable Energy, Reactor Modeling, Energy Transition.
Abstract:
The transition toward sustainable energy systems emphasizes hydrogen as a clean energy carrier, with ethanol steam reforming emerging as a promising pathway for its renewable production. This study presents a one-dimensional reactor model developed and simulated using MatLab, integrating thermodynamic, kinetic, and heat transfer analyses to evaluate the performance of ethanol reforming. The model was validated against existing literature and simulated under varying operational parameters. Key numerical results indicate that the reactor achieves a hydrogen yield of 85% and an energy efficiency exceeding 75% at optimal conditions, with inlet temperatures of 600°C and an ethanol-to-water molar ratio of 1:3. Sensitivity analysis revealed that increasing the ethanol flow rate from 0.1 to 0.3 mol/s reduced the hydrogen yield by 12%, while adjusting the reactor diameter from 0.05 m to 0.1 m improved the thermal efficiency by 10%. The system performance was also significantly influenced by h
eat transfer coefficients, which ranged from 500 to 800 W/m²·K along the reactor. The study also highlights the potential of integrating carbon capture technologies to mitigate CO2 emissions generated as a byproduct. These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing ethanol reforming reactors, paving the way for scalable and sustainable hydrogen production technologies in renewable energy systems.
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