Effects of a baffle and H2 injection on methane combustion in a turbulent fluidized bed

Abstract

Methane combustion in fluidized beds is inefficient at bed temperatures of 750 °C or lower, because the ignition delay of methane increases under such conditions. Owing to this, tail-off gases such as methane find limited use as fuel in fluidized beds, such as regenerators of light-naphtha fluid catalytic cracking. In this study, methane combustion in a fluidized bed with a light-naphtha cracking catalyst was investigated to enhance methane conversion using a baffle and H2 injection as an ignition source. Two design parameters, the open area ratio and hole size of the baffle, were evaluated to determine their effects on methane conversion and thermal uniformity in the fluidized bed. In addition, it was confirmed that the use of a baffle and H2 injection enhances methane conversion by a factor of three, compared to that without H2 injection.