State-of-the-art in methane-reforming reactor modeling: challenges and new insights

The reforming of methane is an important industrial process, and reactor modeling and simulation is frequently employed as a design and analysis tool in understanding this process. While much research work is devoted to catalyst formulations, reaction mechanisms, and reactor designs, this review aims to summarize the literature concerning the simulation of methane reforming. Applications in industrial practice are highlighted, and the three main approaches to representing the reactions are briefly discussed. An overview of simulation studies focusing on methane reforming is presented. The three central methods for fixed-bed reactor modeling are discussed. Various approaches and modern examples are discussed, presenting their modeling methods and key findings. The overall objective of this paper is to provide a dedicated review of simulation work done for methane reforming and provide a reference for understanding this field and identifying possible new paths.

Selection, Sizing, and Modeling of a Trickle Bed Reactor to Produce 1,2 Propanediol from Biodiesel Glycerol Residue

Propylene glycol, also known as 1,2 propanediol, is one of the most important chemicals in the industry. It is a water-soluble liquid, considered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as safe to manufacture consumer products, including foodstuffs, medicines, and cosmetics. This chemical has essential properties, such as solvent, moisturizer, or antifreeze, in addition to a low level of toxicity. This paper aims to present the selection, simulation, and dimensioning of a trickle bed reactor at a laboratory scale. The sizing was validated with other authors. Two predictive models have been considered for reactor modeling, intrinsic kinetics and coupled intrinsic kinetics, along with mass transfer equations and the wetting of the catalyst particles. The model was implemented using Aspen Custom Modeler® (20 Crosby Dr. Bedford, MA 01730, EE. UU.) to study the reactor behavior in terms of conversion. The results show the profiles of different variables throughout the reactor and present higher glycerol conversion when mass transfer is added to the model.