New Methanol-Steam Reformer with Porous Radiative Converters.

A new methanol-steam reformer has been developed on the basis of the effective energy conversion method between flowing gas enthalpy and thermal radiation. The basic concept consists of a porous medium (heating side) and a porous catalyst (heated side), which are separated by a solid wall. The combustion gas is used to heat the system, and a methanol-water solution is supplied to the heated side. The evaporation rate of the solution is controlled by the radiant energy. The radiant energy is effectively converted into the endothermic reaction heat for the hydrogen production and the enthalpy increase in the flowing methanol-steam mixture in the porous catalyst.