This study presents the effect of natural gas (NG), composition on carbon m
onoxide (CO) yield in the products of an autothermal reforming (ATR) proces
s. Since NG is a mixture without definite composition, a computer routine i
s coded, which is able to randomly generate various compositions whose indi
vidual constituents fall within the defined ranges Then each NG is analyzed
based on the AIR process within optimal ranges of the air-to-fuel ratio (A
FR) and water-to-fuel ratio (WFR), which were obtained from a typical compo
sition of NG under the constraints of maximum hydrogen production, minimum
carbon monoxide yield, and free from solid carbon in the reformate. Finally
, the correlation between NG composition and carbon monoxide yield is estab
lished. This provides valuable information for the development of methods f
or the clean-up of carbon monoxide. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All righ
ts reserved.