Modeling and control of hydrogen production with artificial neural networks by methanol steam reforming process in micro/mini channel

With the developing world, the damages of fossil fuels used as energy in factories and transportation are known. It is also known that these fuels one day will be over. Therefore, it is now directed to alternative sources that can replace fossil fuels used up to now. Hydrogen is a pretty good choice for the search for alternative energy. Compared to other hydrocarbon fuels, it does not have the disadvantage of generating large amounts of air pollutant emissions. It has the highest energy content per unit mass relative to any fuel. It is a good alternative energy source that it can be produced from many renewable and non-renewable sources by using various starting sources from many different processing paths. There are several methods for the production of hydrogen. Methanol vapor reformation method enables production at low temperatures and provides convenience in terms of raw materials, making it one of the methods that can be used for hydrogen production. In this study, hydrogen production carried out in microreactors manufactured by electro etching method. In the electro etching method, a series of experiments were carried out using parameters such as voltage, distance between electrodes, process time, electrolyte concentration and the results obtained were modeled with artificial neural networks. With these experiences obtained for the final reactor, 51 parallel microchannel microreactors were manufactured. Although there are many different traditional methods for the catalyst to be used in production, spray pyrolysis method has been chosen due to its many advantages. This method is a very effective and new method considering the coating of microreactors with catalyst. After deciding on the method, the system for spray pyrolysis was designed and installed. Thanks to this method, both the synthesis and the coating of the reactor with the catalyst were carried out in a single step. Synthesis and coating in one step with spray pyrolysis is advantageous in terms of coating quality as well as time saving. At the last stage of the thesis, a methanol vapor reformation system was installed to carry out the experiments in the microreactor with a catalyst coating. In hydrogen production, was carried out in different steam carbon ratios, different reactor temperatures, different feed rates and different surface area-volume reactors using methanol steam reforming method. The obtained results, parameter effects are interpreted.