Numerical simulation of monolithic catalysts with a heterogeneous model and comparison with experimental results from a wood-fired domestic boiler

An increased utilization of biomass for heat and power production contribut es to reduced emission of the greenhouse gas CO2. However, when combusted i n small-scale units, such as domestic stoves and boilers, the emissions of unburned gases, i.e. CO and light and heavy hydrocarbons, tend to be high. An attractive solution to reduce these emissions is the integration of oxid ation catalysts. In this paper the development of a multidimensional hetero geneous mathematical model for the simulation of one channel in a monolithi c catalyst is presented. The results of the simulation are compared with ex perimental data from a wood fired domestic boiler in which a monolithic cat alyst has been integrated. The results show that the mass transfer inside t he channels limits the conversion and that segmentation of the monolithic c atalyst may therefore significantly increase the conversion. A good agreeme nt between the simulation and the experimental data was achieved, for both the segmented and the unsegmented catalyst, and the model was proven to be a valuable tool for the optimization of the catalyst design.