Combining Process Simulation and CFD Simulation to Improve the Efficiency of SMR (Steam Methane Reformer Plants).

Steam methane reforming is an endothermic process carried out in nickel-based catalyst filled tubes inside a large gas fired furnace. Due to the high temperature of the combustion gas and the furnace walls, radiation is the predominant mode of heat transfer in the furnace. The furnace walls in the tubular reformer are lined with refractory, bricks and fiber materials having a relative low emissivity. By applying a “high emissivity coating” on the surface of the wall, it is possible to increase the heat transferred to the tubes (mainly radiation) and thereby improve the thermal efficiency of the furnace box. Considering the scale and the important of the industrial process even a small rise in the heat transfer to the tubes can be translated into an important increase in the hydrogen production rate or an important decrease in the required fuel consumption [1]. In this article, the impact of high emissivity coating on the global efficiency of a side-fired SMR furnace was conducted through process simulation (Aspen HYSYS) and 3D CFD simulation.