Modified simulation of methane steam reforming in Pd-membrane/packed-bed type reactor

Methane Steam Reforming (MSR) is a catalytic process in which methane is re acted with steam to produce hydrogen and carbon dioxide gases. Many experim ental and simulation studies have been assumed to be under isothermal condi tions using a packed-bed inert membrane reactor (PBIMR). However, the flow fields inside the reactor are complex and a temperature gradient also occur s because of the catalyst particles packed in the reactor. This study sugge sts a new model considering heat transfer at the reactor wall and pressure drop inside the reactor. The model applies to the MSR reaction using PBIMR with a stainless steel reactor supported by a palladium membrane and packed -bed type reactor. Results are compared with the published experimental and simulation results. The simulation results suggested in the study shows be tter agreement than the simple model with constant temperature assumption, for both cases of palladium membrane and packed-bed type reactor. In additi on, the effects of H2O/CH4, flow rate of sweep gas and particle diameter of catalyst on the methane conversion are investigated. In ail cases, the pro posed heat transfer model reveals better agreement with the published exper imental data than that of the isothermal model.