Simulation of five-step one-bed sorption-enhanced reaction process

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2003

Authors

Alírio Rodrigues (Author) FEUP; Guo-hua Xiu (Author) Other; José Luciano Soares (Author) Other

Journal

Title: AICHE Journal

Vol. 48 No. 12

Pages: 2817-2832

ISSN: 0001-1541

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Indexing

ISI Web of Science

COMPENDEX

Scientific classification

CORDIS: Technological sciences > Technology > Biotecnology > Downstream processing

Other information

DOI: 10.1002/aic.690481210

Abstract (EN): A five-step, one-bed, sorption-enhanced reaction process proposed by Carvill et al. in 1996 for hydrogen production by steam - methane reforming was analyzed. For the simulated results of the first step, data from Hufton et al. (1999) and Ding and Alpay (2000) for a fixed-bed column of an admixture of a catalyst and a sorbent that selectively removes CO2 from the reaction zone were used. The sorbent is periodically regenerated by using the principles of pressure-swing adsorption. The process steps allow direct production of hydrogen with high purity and high methane conversion. A model considering multicomponent and overall mass balance, Ergun relation for pressure drop, energy balance for the bed-volume element, and nonlinear adsorption equilibrium isotherm coupled with three main reactions was derived to describe the sorption-enhanced reaction cyclic process. Two different isotherms were used under wet and dry conditions. The LDF model adopted describes the mass-transfer rate of CO2 in the adsorbent. Numerical solution of model equations for the cyclic process was obtained by the orthogonal collocation method. The operating conditions allow the combination of a sufficiently high purity of hydrogen (average purity over 80%) with traces of CO and CO2, high methane conversion, fast adsorbent regeneration, and cyclic steady-state operation. The model predictions agree reasonably with the literature data. The package is suitable for the design and analysis of sorption-enhanced reaction process.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 16