FLUIDIZED BED MEMBRANE REACTOR FOR STEAM REFORMING OF HIGHER HYDROCARBONS: MODEL SENSITIVITY

摘要

A fluidized bed membrane reactor (FBMR) was built and operated at temperatures ＜600°C to reform higher hydrocarbons like propane and heptane. A two-phase reactor model is utilized to simulate the FBMR with hydrogen withdrawn from both phases. The superficial gas velocities in the reactor change because of variations in molar flow due to reaction and hydrogen withdrawal through the membranes, as well as variations in temperature, pressure and cross-sectional area. Sensitivity studies show that the FBMR performance is primarily controlled by chemical equilibrium and hydrogen permeation through the membranes, while being insensitive to errors in accurately characterizing the chemical kinetics and hydrodynamics.