Ultra-rich combustion in parallel channels to produce hydrogen-rich syngas from propane

Although hydrogen is abundant in nature, it is primarily bound into other molecules such as hydrocarbons. The conversion, or reforming, of a hydrocarbon into a hydrogen-rich syngas may be accomplished through either catalytic or non-catalytic processes. In this paper, we examine a non-catalytic reactor for syngas production that consists of multiple parallel channels with alternating flow directions. Heat recirculation between channels with opposing flow directions promotes reactions of rich mixtures beyond the conventional flammability limit. Experimental results with propane/air mixtures show that stable reaction fronts are obtained at a wide range of equivalence ratios and inlet velocities. The performance of the reactor with propane/air is compared to previously published results with methane/air mixtures, where significant differences are attributed to the more complex reaction chemistry of rich propane combustion.