Fabrication and performance test of catalytic micro-combustors as a heat source of methanol steam reformer

Abstract

Two different types of H(2) catalytic micro-combustors were fabricated and evaluated as a heat source of methanol steam reformer through MEMS fabrication technology with photosensitive glass wafers. in a packed-bed micro-combustor design, ceramic foam coated with Pt was the catalyst bed. In the thin-film-coated combustor, Al(2)O(3) was used as catalyst supports and coated on the combustion chamber wall. Pt was coated on the Al(2)O(3) thin-film, which was constructed on the wall. The preparation of Al(2)O(3) coating solution and coating process was set up based on sol-gel method. Both combustors had a combustion chamber whose height was 1 mm and the external volume of combustors was 1.8 cm(3). Catalytic combustion of H(2) was stable with both combustors. H(2) conversions were over 90% for packed-bed micro-combustor and over 99% for Pt/Al(2)O(3) coated microcombustor. Both combustors burned 80 ml/min of H(2). The catalytic micro-combustors fabricated were applicable to the methanol steam reforming system for 20 W level PEMFC. (c) 2009 Professor T. Nejat Veziroglu. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.