Modeling of Partial Oxidation of Methane in a Membrane Reactor

Abstract

Partial oxidation of methane is one of the most important chemical processes for the production of syngas. In recent years, the abundant availability of natural gas and the increasing demand of hydrogen have led to high interest to further develop this process increasing the yield of syngas. In this work the partial oxidation of methane was studied from a modeling point of view in a membrane reactor and in a conventional reactor. A mathematical model of a membrane reactor used for partial oxidation of methane, assuming steadystate conditions, was developed to simulate and compare the maximum yields and operating conditions in the reactor with that in a conventional reactor. Simulation results show that different parameters affect methane conversion and H /CO ratio, such as temperature, operating conditions, and membrane 2 parameters such as membrane permeance. In a membrane reactor an increase in the operating pressure corresponds to an increase in methane conversion, since allows for a greater partial pressure gradient between the reaction and permeate zone, thus contributing to shift the equilibrium towards the products. As such, the membrane reactors are a good alternative to produce syngas especially for GTL processes. Operating conditions can be set to control the H2/CO ratio to a desired value, and high conversions at mild temperatures can be achieved reducing capital and operational costs.

Investigation of Multistage Circulating Fast Fluidized Bed Membrane Reformers for Production of Ultraclean Hydrogen and Syngas

“…This ratio is very important for the quality of the syngas used as a feedstock for the gas to liquid processes (GTL). The recommended optimum value of this ratio lies between 0.7 up to 3.0 . It is shown that the profiles assume inflection points as a reflection to the behavior of the H 2 and CO profiles shown in Figures a and a, respectively.…”

“…Iron and Cobalt based catalysts are used in industry to catalyze Fishcer–Tropsch synethsis. Low-temperature Fischer–Tropsch (LTFT) and high-temperature Fischer–Tropsch (HTFT) processes are used to produce different products such as gasoline, diesel oil, linear olefins, and waxy material. − Depending on the target product, catalyst, and operating conditions, the ratio of H 2 /CO in Fishcer–Tropsch synthesis can be adjusted accordingly. In order to ensure that the appropriate industrial range is satisfied to any desired level, it is possible to adjust this ratio by mixing part of the pure hydrogen with the syngas from the CFFBMR 2 as shown in Figure .…”

Development of Membrane Reactor Coupling Hydrogen and Syngas Production

“…The products obtained as a result of reaction (1) upon contact with the active centers of the catalyst and methane molecules interact according to the following reactions [ 28 ] CO 2 + CH 4 = 2CO + 2H 2 H 2 O + CH 4 = CO + 3H 2 …”

Comparative Analysis of Energy and Exergy Performance of Hydrogen Production Methods

“…The processes have been simulated with the open-source process simulator DWSIM [ 36 ]. In addition, the mathematical software MATLAB was used to check the evolution of the different kinetics of each process (which were compiled from different previous articles): natural gas pyrolysis [ 37 ], dry reforming of methane [ 37 ], steam reforming of methane [ 38 ], partial oxidation of methane [ 39 , 40 ], electrolysis [ 41 ], coal gasification [ 42 , 43 ] and autothermal reforming of methane [ 44 ]. This information is detailed in “ supplementary materials ”.…”