Numerical analysis of steam methane reforming over a novel multi‐concentric rings Ni/ Al ₂ O ₃ catalyst pattern

Abstract

Summary Herein, a 2D numerical analysis is conducted to study the steam methane reforming reaction (SMR), which is the dominant method for hydrogen production, over a packed bed reactor embedded with a Ni/Al2O3 catalyst. Aiming to achieve higher methane conversion and low catalyst weight, a comparative study on an SMR reactor consisting of a 1‐m long, 0.04‐m diameter cylinder, is examined under three distinct operative configurations to explore new routes for process intensification. In the first configuration, the SMR reactor is filled with the catalyst in accordance with the conventional approach. In case 2, a novel design is proposed where the reactor is partially filled with annular catalyst bed patterns while in the last case, the length of the reactor is extended by 35.4% to obtain the same catalyst weight as in case 1 while adopting the annular catalyst patterns concept. The advantages of implementing the catalyst patterns concept over the conventional reactor are illustrated and justified. The results indicate that the partially filled reactor improves the methane conversion by 10.6% by reducing the catalyst weight by 26.16% compared to the conventional reactor. This latter leads to a lower overall cost of the reactor. Extending the reactor increases the methane conversion by around 23% compared to the conventional reactor; however, this affects the reactor compactness.

New Perspectives on Catalytic Hydrogen Production by the Reforming, Partial Oxidation and Decomposition of Methane and Biogas

“…Even though a patterned-bed reactor intuitively contains less catalyst compared to a conventional packed bed of the same size, simulation results suggest that even halving the mass of catalyst reduced the methane conversion rate by only 15%, suggesting the possibility of obtaining high conversion even with a lower catalyst load. Radial patterning of the catalyst, as opposed to axial layering, appears to be a more promising solution, as numerical investigation indicates a capability of achieving an increase in methane conversion while lowering the required catalyst mass (10.6% increase in conversion with a 26.16% decrease in catalyst load) [264]. Crucial aspects of optimization of the process consist in determining the number of layers, their size and the catalyst-to-gap ratio [265].…”

Composite Structured M/Ce0.75Zr0.25O2/Al2O3/FeCrAl (M = Pt, Rh, and Ru) Catalysts for Propane and n-Butane Reforming to Syngas

“…Structured catalysts formed from metal alloys have a level high thermal conductivity [ 5 ]. Moreover, it has been shown that using structured forms of catalysts can improve the efficiency of hydrocarbon catalytic reforming and decrease the overall cost of the process [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”