A scalable silicon micro-reactor for preferential CO oxidation with an integrated platinum heater

Recent advances in PEM fuel cell systems have demonstrated their role in the production of clean and efficient power. However, due to complexities and safety concerns in the storage and transport of hydrogen, development of on-board fuel processing of hydrocarbon into hydrogen is being considered a critical issue in the success of the fuel cell technology in transportation application. In this paper; a novel concept of scalable silicon micro-reactor with an integrated platinum heater is developed for preferential CO oxidation. The performance of the micro-reactor is assessed and compared to a packed-bed reactor model. Complementary experimental and modeling efforts are made to identify the optimal thermal design parameters. It is demonstrated that the silicon micro-reactors successfully achieves the objectives of scalability without suffering from loss of efficiency due to the mass transfer limitations.