Catalytic combustion of methane over Pd/γ-Al2O3 in a monolithic reactor:kinetic study

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper focuses on the kinetic study of the methane combustion over a Pd/γ-Al 2 O 3 catalyst deposited on a cordierite monolithic structure. The experiments were performed in an integral reactor, and the operating conditions were chosen to adequately represent the operation of a domestic-scale catalytic heater, i.e. relatively high volumetric flowrates and high methane molar fractions. The experimental data together with an appropriate model for the integral reactor were used to estimate the intrinsic kinetic parameters for a power law type reaction. For the laboratory catalyst, internal mass transfer limitations become appreciable for temperatures higher than 430 °C. A heterogeneous reactor model, which includes the evaluation of the methane concentration gradient inside the washcoat, allowed to reproduce with high accuracy the laboratory data.