Numerical studies of sorption-enhanced glycerol steam reforming in a fluidized bed membrane reactor at low temperature

Abstract

In order to improve the hydrogen production efficiency by glycerol steam reforming, a membrane-assisted fluidized bed reactor with carbon dioxide sorption is developed to enhance the reforming process. Low-temperature operation in a membrane reactor is necessary considering the thermal stability of membrane. In this work, the sorption-enhanced glycerol steam reforming process in a fluidized bed membrane reactor under the condition of low temperature is numerically investigated, where the hydrotalcite is employed as CO2 sorbents. The impact of operating pressure on the reforming performance is further evaluated. The results demonstrate that the integration of membrane hydrogen separation and CO2 sorption can effectively enhance the low-temperature glycerol reforming performance. The fuel conversion above 95% can be achieved under an elevated pressure.