(32g) Parametric Studies of Steam Methane Reforming Using a Multiscale Reactor Model
AIChE Annual Meeting
2017
2017 Annual Meeting
Catalysis and Reaction Engineering Division
Multi-Scale Modeling
Sunday, October 29, 2017 - 5:35pm to 6:00pm
In this work, a parametric study to verify the influence of a porous catalystâs structural parameters on a packed bed reactor is performed through the application of a multiscale model. The set of constitutive equations for the catalytic pellet and the packed bed reactor are derived using the Reynolds Transport Theorem and applicable geometric parameters. Diffusive fluxes in the micro-scale (catalytic pellet) and the macro-scale (reactor) porous domains are calculated by using the rigorous Dusty Gas Model (DGM) and the Stefan-Maxwell equations respectively, while Chapman-Enskog theory is applied to estimate diffusion coefficients and viscosity. Simulations using the finite element method are carried out for a case study considering hydrogen production using steam methane reforming. The steam methane reforming processâ effectiveness factors are quantified considering different structural characteristics of the porous catalyst, such as volumetric porosities, tortuosity factors, solid phase conductivity, and mean pore diameter.