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SBH Thermal Simulation

Physics-based thermal study comparing 5 heat-recovery configurations for the SBH hydrogen system — from simple retrofit to fully integrated design.

2024

Fig. 1 Reduced-Order Thermal Model

Lumped-parameter control volumes — SBH H₂ generator, G/L separator, heat exchanger, and CO purifier — coupled through gas, fluid, and heat flows.

Fig. 2 Heat-Recovery Configurations

Four heat-exchange layouts compared: external line-wrapped, internal line, purifier inside the SBH reactor, and purifier with lines inside the reactor.

What it is

A physics-based simulation study that extends the bench-scale SBH experiment into design space: five reactor heat-recovery configurations — baseline, wrap coil, internal coil, embedded purification, and hybrid — compared under identical model equations.

Highlights

  • Answers the what-if questions experiments can’t reach: coil placement, thermal integration, operating envelopes
  • Internal coil cuts peak temperature the most; the hybrid design gives the best overall balance
  • Embedded purification is a win–win coupling: reaction heat improves CO-removal catalysis while cooling the reactor
  • Clear design guidance — simplicity → wrap coil · thermal performance → internal coil · purification efficiency → thermal integration

Scenario values withheld pending publication.

→ Built with the SBH Thermal Reactor Framework. → Next: CCPP-LOHC Optimization applies the same method at MW scale.

Thermal SimulationODEHeat RecoveryScenario Analysis