Effect of Anode off-gas Recycling on Reforming of Natural Gas for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Systems.

The effect of anode off-gas recycling (AOGR) on the characteristic performance of a natural gas reformer equipped with a precious metal catalyst is investigated experimentally. The reformer is operated both with synthetic AOGR gas and in steam reforming (SR) conditions. The characteristic performance in SR and AOGR mode are compared with equilibrium, and it is found that equilibrium is more readily achieved in AOGR mode. The reformer is used for extended periods of time (100-1,000 h) in conditions where carbon formation is thermodynamically possible to measure any changes in characteristic performance. No significant change in the performance is observed due to carbon formation or catalyst deactivation. The reformer could be successfully implemented in a 10 kW SOFC system with an anode off-gas recycling loop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]