IMPROVEMENT STEAM METHANE REFORMING REACTION OVER A CATALYST SURFACE USING A METAL FOAM SUPPORT

摘要

The present work consists in a steam methane reaction (SMR) modeling in catalytic wall reactor which consists in a rectangular channel including a metal foam support over a catalyst layer. The kinetics reaction mechanism was characterized by a general expression of rate reaction which obtained by experiment using a nickel-based catalyst supported on a metal plate in the flat channel. Metal foam support was inserted to fill the catalyst region in the studied channel, which is crossed by a power-law fluid. The modified Brinkman–Forchheimer extended Darcy model for powerlaw fluids is used in the porous layer while the Navier–Stokes equation are employed in the clear region of the channel. The performance of the foam support is compared with a smooth channel for a number of operating conditions pertinent to the SMR system. The results include reaction and conversion rates of species on the catalytic surface, temperature and mass fraction profiles. It is demonstrated that such materials can bring a significant enhancement for hydrogen production, heat and mass transfer processes.