Bed structure and its impact on liquid distribution in a trickle bed reactor

The work reported in this investigation involves the determination of the hydrodynamic properties of the Trickle Bed Reactor which has been loaded in various ways to mark the effect of the loading methodologies employed to pack the catalyst pellets. The bed structure of a packed three-phase reactor is critical to study as it provides the essential contact between the phases and provides the catalytic sites where the reaction takes place. Depending on the structural properties of the bed such as local void structure, liquid distribution, two-phase pressure drop, and holdup of fluids gets affected. The study aims to envelop the catalyst bed characteristics such as the local void structure, the length of the catalyst bed, flow characteristics such as liquid and gas flow rate, and liquid distributor at the top of the catalyst bed to gauge and quantify their effect on the hydrodynamics of a trickle bed reactor.

Ex-situ biological CO2 methanation using trickle bed reactor: review and recent advances

Power-to-methane technology is a promising solution to facilitate the use of excess variable renewable energy for biomethane production. In this approach, hydrogen produced via electrolysis is used to upgrade raw biogas, which can be subsequently used as fuel or stored in the gas grid. Ex-situ biomethanation is an emerging technology that could potentially replace conventional energy-intensive biogas upgrading methods and allow CO2 utilization for biomethane production. This work provides a comprehensive overview on the current status of ex-situ biomethanation with particular attention to trickle bed reactor. The review includes description of ex-situ biomethanation and summarizes previous works on this topic. The key elements related to operational conditions, efficiency, and microbiology of ex-situ biomethanation using trickle bed reactor are described here. Additionally, the review highlights the technical and economic issues that have to be addressed for future development and large-scale implementation of ex-situ biomethanation.