Dynamics of a sodium heat pipe reforming reactor

Abstract

Abstract A prototype of a sodium heat pipe reactor for steam reforming processes has been developed and tested at energy levels up to 6 kW. Both experimental and model simulation data were obtained. Temperature profiles at nonflow and nonreaction flow conditions were used to adjust the parameters of the model, along with an intrinsic rate equation measured in a differential, bench‐scale apparatus. Very good agreement between experiment and model was found for approximately 50 runs under steady state reaction conditions covering a range of process variables. Advantages of the heat pipe as a reactor energy source were confirmed. These include isothermal wall temperatures, energy flux transformation, adjusted flux profiles, and rapid startup. These measurements and computations have provided a model from which optimized configurations have been determined.