Reaction dynamics of separation-enhanced steam reforming of methanol for hydrogen production

Abstract

The theoretical performance of a multifunctional catalyst possessing an activity and selectivity for hydrogen production by steam methanol reforming and integrated sites for simultaneous and continuous removal of carbon dioxide from the reaction medium was studied by simulation. The objective of the simultaneous CO2 removal is to reduce the CO concentration by shifting the equilibrium of the water-gas shift reaction towards more CO consumption. The method of CO2 removal considered here for calculation purpose is by adsorption, assuming steady operation by some means like membrane separation. The concentration profiles of the primary components of the reaction inside the reactor were simulated using a kinetic model comprising known rate equations for the reaction and the adsorption. The results showed that significantly higher methanol conversion and the reduction in CO concentration are achieved at high temperatures. At low temperatures, although the CO concentration is significantly lower, the process is severely limited by kinetics, resulting in low hydrogen production.