Model-based investigation of a CO preferential oxidation reactor for polymer electrolyte fuel cell systems

This paper deals with a two-dimensional model of a preferential oxidation (PROX) reactor to be used in a beta 5 kWe hydrogen generator, named HYGen II, to integrate with polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) for residential applications. The reactor geometrical configuration developed is a single-stage multi-tube configuration, in which a cocurrent air flow in the interspace is aimed at improving heat transfer and consequently controlling the temperature of the reactor. The aim of the model is to investigate the process performance of the reactor in order to enhance optimization and control of the PROX unit. The model concerns chemical kinetics and heat and mass transfer phenomena in the reactor. The model plays a key role in overcoming the issues of system design, by evaluating the temperature and the gas concentration profiles in the reactor. The CO removal from simulated reformate was examined with varying inlet temperature. Simulation results showed the strong dependence of the overall performance upon the reactor geometrical configuration.