Kinetics-guided electro-magnetic-thermal coupling for intensified induction-heated hydrogen production from ammonia

Ammonia decomposition via induction heating requires precise spatial power modulation to balance throughput enhancement against strict catalyst thermal constraints. To resolve the inherent axial thermal mismatch, this study develops a multiphysics model coupling electromagnetic, thermal, fluid flow, and reaction fields to optimize reactor performance. A kinetics-guided segmented variable-turn coil strategy is proposed to tailor the local heat input profile according to the reaction's endothermic demand. Results demonstrate that this front-loaded coil configuration successfully eliminates downstream thermal redundancy, reducing thermal energy consumption by 19.3% (to 0.251 kW h·Nm −3 ) at a fixed flow rate of 1.1 Nm 3 ·h −1 . Furthermore, under a strict catalyst temperature limit (≤600 °C), this optimized strategy expands the operational window, boosting the maximum ammonia processing capacity by 209% (to 3.4 Nm 3 ·h −1 ). These findings provide a rational design framework for efficient, on-demand hydrogen supply.