Investigation of methanol steam reforming reformer heated by catalyst combustion for kW-scale fuel cell

•The effect of back pressure, heating temperature, S/C and LHSV were studied.•Local hotspot leads to the methanation reaction.•When the S/C is 1.2, the reforming performance of the reformer is the greatest.•The reforming gas can be directly used for 1 kW SOFC after simple dehydration.•Amplifying the reformer power to 50 kW and 100 kW is feasible. Supplying hydrogen for fuel cells safely and efficiently is the premise and guarantee of distributed power generation. A methanol steam reforming reformer was designed to supply fuel for kW-scale fuel cells. The reforming performance of reformer was evaluated through experiments. Based on the experimental results, a simulation model was established. The study found that the reforming performance of reformer is most affected by steam to carbon ratio (S/C) and heating temperature. By increased the heating temperature, the methanol conversion can reach up to 99.64%. At high heating temperature, the local hotspot is appeared, leading to the methanation. The influence of back pressure on reforming performance is not significant. Increasing liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) reduces methanol conversion. When the S/C is 1.2, the reforming performance is the greatest. Reforming gas can be directly used for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) after simple dehydration. When the LHSV is 1.2 h−1, it can supply fuel for 1 kW SOFC. Considering manufacturing cost and reforming performance, aluminum and S-shaped channel (≥10 mm) are suitable for large-scale production of reformer. Power amplification of reformer is feasible. Amplifying the reformer power to 50 kW and 100 kW, the methanol conversion of reformer can reach over 95%.