No abstract

Designing an appropriate methanol steam reformer requires detailed knowledge about the processes within such a reactor. Thus, the axial temperature and concentration gradients and catalyst ageing were investigated. It was found that for a fresh catalyst load, the catalyst located in the reactor entrance was most active during the experiment. The activity of this part of the catalyst bed decreased after some time of operation due to ageing. With further operation, the most active zone moved through the catalyst bed. From the results concerning hydrogen production and catalyst degradation, the necessary amount of catalyst for a mobile PEMFC-system can be estimated.

No abstract

The automotive propulsion technology market is likely to experience significant change over the next 10 to 15 years, with today's incumbent internal combustion engines (ICE) coming under attack from a multitude of alternative technologies. In the short term, these will mainly be hybrid drive trains. In the longer term, fuel cells may emerge as the strongest challengers. New fuels like natural gas, biodiesel, and hydrogen will challenge the current dominance of oil‐based fuels. The McKinsey DRIVE study assesses the perspectives of conventional and alternative power trains and their world market potential over the next 15 years, deriving implications for OEMs, suppliers, and the fuel industry.