Preheats Effects on JP8 Reforming Under Volume Distributed Reaction Conditions

Abstract

Conventional noncatalytic fuel reforming provides low efficiency, large amounts of char and tar and limited control on chemical composition of the syngas produced. The distributed reaction regime can be used to assist noncatalytic reforming. In this paper, volume distributed reaction technique is used to enhance reformate quality as compared to conventional noncatalytic reforming. This work examines the intermediate regimes between volume distributed reaction and conventional flame to reform JP8 with focus on the chemical and mixing time scales. Chemical time scales were controlled with air preheat temperatures while the mixing time scales were kept constant. Progressive shift toward distributed reaction regime resulted in higher quality reformate with increased amounts of hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the syngas, but with reduced acetylene concentrations and soot formation. Visible soot formation was observed on reactor walls only under the flamelets in eddies regime. Higher hydrogen and carbon monoxide without any catalyst for JP8 reformation offers significant advantages on costeffective plant operation, reliability, and high yields of syngas. Air preheats of 600, 630, and 660 آ°C showed a distributed reaction regime wherein the Damkohler number was below the Damkohler criterion, and this condition provided high H2 and CO yields and no soot. At temperature of 690 آ°C, laminar flame thickness approximated the integral length scale (at the interface of distributed and traditional reforming flame) showed minor soot formation. At even higher temperature of 750 آ°C, conventional reforming occurred with increased soot observed.