Conventional and improved fluidized bed reactors for dry reforming of methane: Mathematical models

Abstract

Abstract Dry reforming of methane is a potentially useful reaction, but has some drawbacks: catalyst deactivation by coke and yield limited by thermodynamic equilibrium. New improved fluidized bed reactors may compensate these disadvantages. Mathematical models for the dry reforming of methane in three types of fluidized bed reactors have been developed. These reactors include: a) conventional fluidized bed reactor, b) two zone fluidized bed reactor, which provides simultaneous reaction and catalyst regeneration in a single fluidized bed, and c) two-zone fluidized bed reactor with hydrogen selective membranes, which in addition to the previous one provides increased yield to hydrogen, because the selective removal of hydrogen through the membrane. The situations where these reactors counteract the two main drawbacks of dry reforming of methane are shown. Comparison with previous experimental results shows that the models predict well the effect of operating conditions.