Methane Steam Reforming Reaction Behaviour in a Packed Bed Membrane Reactor

Abstract

In this work, the performance of the reaction of steam reforming of methane carried out in a pd-membrane reactor was theoretically studied and analyzed. In order to determine the optimal conditions leading to the improvement of the hydrogen production from this reaction, an isothermal steady-state model was developed to simulate the operating parameters. The main results show that the model can predict the performance of the membrane reactor. It was found that the conversion of methane was significantly enhanced by the removal of hydrogen from the reaction side under the following conditions: temperature ranging from 580-600°C, pressure=300-600kPa, steam to methane ratio=3 and sweeping ratio=3. Under those conditions, the H2/CO ratio obtained is satisfactory, a nearly complete conversion of methane and highly hydrogen recovery were achieved.