Fuel cell plant design requires an appropriate integration of components, e
specially with the fuel processing unit. The integration of a steam reforme
r for methanol with a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell plant is
examined here. The integration considers the use of the fuel cell anode of
f gas (AOG) for combustion in order to supply the necessary heat for the re
forming reaction. The whole fuel cell plant is considered with simple model
s for the components that allow sizing of the components and characterisati
on of their operating conditions. A reformer, based on a plate heat exchang
er, is considered with catalytic combustion of the AOG and methanol to supp
ly the required energy. A detailed model for a plate heat exchanger, which
considers reactions and heat transfer is used to predict temperature profil
es. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.