International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol.34, No.13, 5554-5562, 2009
Conceptual design and modelling of the Steam-Iron process and fuel cell integrated system
The Steam-Iron process, based on the redox reaction of iron oxides (Fe(3)O(4) + 4H(2) <-> 3Fe+4H(2)O), is an interesting alternative to other methods of storing and generating pure hydrogen. In order to evaluate the ability of the Steam-Iron process to supply hydrogen to a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), a mathematical model for the oxidation process in a fixed bed reactor has been developed and is used to estimate the behaviour of the reactor under various operating conditions (e.g. amount of iron, steam flow rate, temperature). As a result of the simulations, information is provided for the preliminary design of the reactor and the selection of optimal reaction conditions. Furthermore, we have shown that the Steam-Iron reactor can be successfully integrated with an SOFC, and two system options have been explored to determine the overall system efficiency. (C) 2009 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.