Abstract
The one-dimensional (1D) mathematical model of fixed bed reactor was developed for dimethyl ether (DME) synthesis at pilot-scale (capacity: 25–28 Nm3/h of syngas). The reaction rate, heat, and mass transfer equations were correlated with the effectiveness factor. The simulation results, including the temperature profile, CO conversion, DME selectivity, and DME yield of the outlet, were validated with experimental data. The average error ratios were below 9.3%, 8.1%, 7.8%, and 3.5% for the temperature of the reactor, CO conversion, DME selectivity, and DME yield, respectively. The sensitivity analysis of flow rate, feed pressure, H2:CO ratio, and CO2 mole fraction was investigated to demonstrate the applicability of this model.
Highlights
Due to the rise of the negative effects of fossil fuels on greenhouse gas emissions, the development of alternative fuels is an urgent task for researchers globally [1]
This study presented valuable data which could be used for future research focusing on dimethyl ether (DME) synthesis reactor at commercial stages
The temperature profile, CO conversion, DME selectivity, and DME yield were validated along the reactor axis in each data set
Summary
Due to the rise of the negative effects of fossil fuels on greenhouse gas emissions, the development of alternative fuels is an urgent task for researchers globally [1]. A significant advantage is that the emission of NOx, SOx, and CO2 is near-zero upon combustion of DME. Brunetti et al accounted that combustion of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)/DME could reduce 30–80% and 5–15% of CO2 emission and NOx emission, respectively [7]. The global DME market size was estimated at approximately 4 billion tonnes in 2014, registering a Compounded Annual Growth rate (CAGR) of 15.67% between 2015 and 2020 [8]. This confirms that DME production technology is an inevitable research topic in the field of energy
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