Syngas from dodecane in a simple compact reactor, designed for coke reduction phenomena

Fuel cell auxiliary power unit (FC-APUs) systems have attracted growing interest as an alternative technology for on-board power generation in naval field. On this respect, CNR - ITAE developed an hydrogen generator, named DSR1, based on steam reforming (SR) of n-dodecane (n-C12H26) as surrogate of diesel fuel for solide oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), as on-board auxiliary power unit. The objective of the presented study is the optimization of the start-up procedure of the fuel processor (DSR1). The goal of this investigation is to achieve a minimum start-up time of the DSR1 system, avoiding carbon and by-products formation in order to guarantee long-term performance in both start-up and regime phases.