Catalytic partial oxidation of CH4 and C3H8: experimental and modeling study of the dynamic and steady state behavior of a pilot-scale reformer

Abstract

An investigation which combines kinetic tests, adiabatic reactor tests and mathematical modeling has been performed to gain insight on Catalytic Partial Oxidation (CPO) of hydrocarbons. A pilot-scale honeycomb reactor, equipped with sliding thermocouples, was assembled for testing the CPO of methane over a 2 (wt/wt) Rh/α-Al2O3 catalyst at atmospheric pressure. Both the cold start-up and the steady state performances of the reactor are presented and discussed. A one-dimensional (1D) mathematical model of the reactor was applied to the quantitative analysis of the observed performances. The model analysis was extended to the simulation of CPO of propane.