A Methane-Steam Reformer for a Basic Chemically Recuperated Gas Turbine

Abstract

Several illustrative designs are presented for a methane-steam reformer (MSR) that is used as a chemical recuperator in a Basic Chemically Recuperated Gas Turbine power cycle (a “Basic” CRGT is defined as one without intercooling or reheat). In this cycle, an MSR, heated by the turbine exhaust flow, converts a methane-steam mixture into a hydrogen-rich fuel that powers the gas turbine. A computer code was developed to calculate the size and performance characteristics of counterflow reformers. The code consists of a one-dimensional marching scheme that integrates the chemical, thermodynamic, and geometric variables along the heat exchanger/reformer tubes. The calculated designs were selected to give near-minimum catalyst volumes. These designs show that maintaining a high reformer gas temperature, using combustion-side heat transfer augmentation techniques, and using a catalyst of high reactivity are critical to obtaining a compact reformer design.