Untersuchung und Entwicklung eines katalytischen Brenners zur Beheizung eines Kompaktreformers

The task of this thesis is the production of process heat for a compact reformer at a low level of harmful substances in the flue gas. The catalytic burner is connected with the compact reformer and a gas cleaning unit. Consequently two different kinds of running this burner are possible, first using pure methanol as a fuel and secondly a mixture of methanol and hydrogen, to witch water and carbondioxide has been added. At the beginning the catalytic combustion is described and the burner concept is chosen. The catalytic combustion enables almost the total oxidation of the fuel even in case of the addition of a large amount of inert components. The selected premixing radiant catalytic burner is very compact. It is very effective and leads to a low level ofharmful substances in the flue gas. The results are, that water as an inert component does not influence the emissions of carbonmonoxide and unburned hydrocarbons, that carbondioxide added to the fuel causes only a small increase of these emissions, that a high amount of hydrogen in the fuel causes a reduction of these emissions and that with regard to these emissions an air ratio of $\lambda$,= 1,1 is optimal. The nitrogen oxides remain always at a very low level. The operating temperature of the catalytic burner can be reached within a time of 120 seconds. Of advantage is the preheating of the catalyst. The operating temperature is reached within a time of 80 seconds after having changed the load of the burner. It is possible to reduce the emissions of carbonmonoxide and unburned hydrocarbons in the flue gas without influencing the level of the nitrogen oxides. The reason is the low level of the combustion temperature, ranging between 400°C and 700°C. This is the most important result of this thesis