Performance analysis of a multi-fuel reforming variable-power generation system: A forward-backward thermodynamic approach

[Display omitted] •A multi-fuel reforming variable-power generation system is proposed.•A novel Ni-based catalyst is designed for multi-fuel reforming.•A multi-fuel reforming test platform to evaluate the catalyst performance.•The system is estimated utilizing forward and backward thermodynamic analysis methods. The limitations of conventional fuel reforming power generation systems lie in their capability to reform only a single type of fuel, restricted by both the catalyst and system design. This constraint becomes highly inconvenient when the available fuel types cannot meet the system requirements, especially in remote areas such as high-altitude regions and mountainous terrain. This study presents a novel nickel-based catalyst-reforming power generation system capable of processing multiple hydrocarbon and biomass fuels, including methane, methanol, ethanol, kerosene, and diesel, to address this issue. The system aims to flexibly utilize locally available fuels, thereby minimizing the need for extensive fuel storage and transportation infrastructure. The reforming temperature for these five fuels is within the same medium-to-high temperature range of 580–760°C. This work also develops a testing system to evaluate the performance of a platinum-nickel reforming catalyst (Pt-Ni/Al2O3) for multi-fuel reforming. Experimental results demonstrate that the catalyst can efficiently reform five fuels simultaneously and exhibit good catalytic performance, thereby validating the reliability of the proposed fuel reforming model. The system is estimated utilizing both forward and backward thermodynamic analysis methods, with criteria including system efficiency, equipment exergy destruction, and output power. The forward research method determines each system’s optimal operating mode and the ideal reforming temperature. For example, when the diesel system with a power output of 5 kW, the diesel reformer operates at 650°C with an inlet flow of 4.3 mol/h, and the combustor uses kerosene as fuel with a flow of 1.7 mol/h, resulting in a thermal energy efficiency of 45.9%. The backward research method is applied to assess the power generation capacity of each fuel in its optimal system mode, where all fuels operate under the same reforming inlet flow. At a 50 mol/h reforming inlet fuel flow, the power production of each fuel system is as follows: diesel (44.7 kW), kerosene (33.3 kW), ethanol (6.7 kW), methane (5.2 kW), and methanol (4.1 kW).