Modeling of methane steam reforming in a microchannel with a heat flow distributed in length

Numerical modeling of a flow of a high-temperature mixture of methane with water vapors in a two-dimensional plane microchannel with activation of chemical conversions on the channel wall has been performed. The modeling was performed within the framework of Navier-Stokes equations for a laminar flow of a multicomponent compressible gas. The influence of the external heat flux supplied to the gas mixture and its distribution along the channel length on the properties of the methane steam reforming have been investigated. It has been shown that not only the amount of heat supplied to the reaction zone but also the method of heat supply along the channel length are important. All the reactions with the residence time of the mixture on the order of tens of milliseconds terminate several centimeters downstream from the channel inlet, which makes it possible to optimize a compact reactor for obtaining a synthesis gas.     

Numerical simulation on the influence of water spray in thermal plasma treatment of CF4 gas

Nitrogen thermal plasma generated by a non-transferred DC arc plasma torch was used to decompose tetrafluoromethane (CF₄). In the thermal decomposition process, water was used as a chemical reactant source. Two kinds of water spray methods were compared: water spray directly to the arc plasma flame and indirectly to the reactor tube wall. Although the same operating conditions of input power, waste gas, and sprayed water flow rate were employed for each water spray methods, a relatively higher decomposition rate was achieved in the case of water spray to the reactor wall. In order to investigate the effects of water spraying direction on the thermal decomposition process, a numerical simulation on the thermal plasma flow characteristics was carried out considering water injection in the reactor. The simulation was performed using commercial fluid dynamics software of the FLUENT, which is suitable for calculating a complex flow. From the results, it was revealed that water spray to the reactor wall and use of a relatively small quantity of water are more effective methods for decomposition of CF₄, because a sufficiently high temperature area and long reaction time can be maintained over large area.     

蒸汽喷射制冷系统中喷射器内特殊流动现象的研究

本文通过求解二维N-S方程来模拟蒸汽喷射器内复杂的流动混合过程,模拟时使用了蒸汽的真实物性公式。与理想气体假设不同,真实物性的带入,真实地反映了蒸汽经缩放喷嘴时,温度递减,喷嘴出口后温度场波动变化的特征．模拟时,通过对节点焓值的计算,得出了喷射器内发生相变的蒸汽的百分含量,实现了相变现象的定量分析。在激波捕捉方面,验证了喷射器内喷嘴出口后,膨胀波(压缩波)经混合层反复折射、转化、衰减的过程,以及在扩压室入口会产生斜激波的理论预测。     

压水堆冷凝回流特性的研究

利用高压汽水两相流试验系统模拟压水堆小破口失水事故中冷凝回流传热模式,进行了传热、流动及不凝结气影响的试验。实验表明：冷凝回流传热是一种十分有效的传热模式,它在很小的一、二次侧温差时就能排放大量堆芯余热。冷凝回流系统在正常情况下流动阻力很小且稳定,但在达到回流流动极限后出现不稳定。不凝结气的存在将大大降低蒸汽发生器的传热能力,但一般情况下,系统能自动增加一次侧压力而达到排除余热的目的。     

Hydrogen production by methanol steam reforming in an annular microchannel on a Cu-ZnO catalyst

Steam reforming of methanol into a hydrogen-containing gas under activated methanol conversion on annular microchannel walls was experimentally investigated. The methanol conversion was carried out on a copper-zinc catalyst deposited on the channel internal wall. The concentrations of the chemical conversion products in the output gas mixture were determined at different reactor temperatures and residence times. The channel wall temperature range within which the methanol steam reforming is intensified was also determined. It was shown that the CO content in the reaction products is determined by the CO₂ partial pressure rather than by the reactor temperature. A kinetic model of methanol steam reforming on a copper-zinc catalyst was developed.     

Modelling of methanol-to-hydrogen steam reforming with a heat flux distributed along a microchannel

The flow of reacting mixture of methanol and steam in a 2D microslot was studied numerically at activation of the reactions on the channel wall. This modelling was carried out in the framework of Navier — Stokes equations for a laminar flow of multicomponent compressible gas. Correlations between thermal, diffusion, and physical-chemical processes were studied under the conditions of intense endothermic reaction and external heat supply distributed along the channel. It is shown that not only the amount of heat supplied to the reaction zone is essential, but also the mode of heat supply along the channel length is important, which allows optimization of the compact reactor for hydrogen production.     

Simulation of the organic-waste processing in plasma with allowance for kinetics of thermochemical transformations

Kinetic calculations of the plasma processing/utilization process of organic waste in air and steam ambient were carried out. It is shown that, during the time of waste residence in the plasma reactor, 0.7 and 1.2 s, at the exit from the reactor there forms a high-calorific fuel gas with a combustion heat of 3540 and 5070 kcal/kg, respectively. In this process, 1 kg of waste yields 1.16 kg of fuel gas at air gasification of waste and 0.87 kg of pure synthesis gas at steam gasification. The energy efficiency of the waste gasification process, defined by the ratio between the calorific value of the resultant fuel gas and the initial calorific value of the waste amounts to 91 % in air plasma and 98 % in steam plasma. A comparison between the results of kinetic and thermodynamic calculations has revealed their good agreement.     

Decomposition of volatile organic compounds by a novel electrode system integrating ceramic filter and SPCP method

We developed a new efficient apparatus for gas treatment in which a ceramic filter and SPCP (surface corona discharge induced plasma chemical process) were integrated. In this study, the feasibility of the reactor to decompose volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and performance were evaluated. The efficiency was examined against various conditions of initial concentration of VOCs, as trichloroethylene (TCE), toluene and benzene, and by using variable flow rates of carrier gases (air, nitrogen, and mixture of nitrogen and oxygen or water vapor). TCE was decomposed effectively within the reactor system, especially when the carrier gas contains oxygen or water as an oxygen source, whilst the decomposition efficiency was low with the nitrogen carrier. With a sufficient oxygen source, no organic by-products were detected in the treated gas, and TCE was oxidized to inorganic substances. Toluene and benzene were efficiently decomposed as well.For performance evaluation of such non-thermal plasma reactors for VOC treatment, we proposed a new parameter which is derived with substance based energy density, mSED (J/mol). The new parameter has merit to express the performance with a single parameter for a range of discharge power, flow rates, and initial concentrations of the gas to be treated. With the parameter proposed, the evaluation resulted in a new reactor in this study that has as high a performance as a conventional packed-bed reactor, and their performances are higher than pulse corona (PC), and dielectric barrier discharge reactors.     

Partial catalytic oxidation of methane to synthesis gas over rhodium: in situ Raman experiments and detailed simulations

The partial catalytic oxidation of methane to synthesis gas over Rh/ZrO₂ was investigated experimentally and numerically at fuel-to-air equivalence ratios of 2.5 and 4.0 and pressures of 4 and 6 bar. Experiments were performed in an optically accessible, laboratory-scale, channel-flow catalytic reactor and involved in situ one-dimensional Raman measurements of major species (CH₄, O₂, H₂O, CO₂, H₂, CO, and N₂) concentrations across the reactor boundary layer. The numerical model included a two-dimensional elliptic code with elementary homogeneous (gaseous) and heterogeneous (catalytic) chemical reaction schemes. Homogeneous ignition experiments and numerical predictions have validated the employed gas-phase reaction mechanism and have further delineated the reactor extent over which the contribution of the homogeneous reaction pathway was negligible. Over the reactor extent where oxygen was still available, the employed heterogeneous reaction scheme provided good agreement with the measured species concentrations, overpredicting only to a small degree the partial over the total oxidation route. In the oxygen-depleted zones of the reactor, however, the heterogeneous scheme overpredicted to a greater degree the impact of steam reforming and water gas shift reactions, resulting in higher computed hydrogen yields at the reactor exit. Additional experiments and predictions were carried out in a sub-scale gas-turbine honeycomb reactor, at operating conditions leading to oxygen breakthrough. The predictions again favored the partial over the total oxidation route. A modified heterogeneous scheme was proposed that provided very good agreement with measurements in the honeycomb reactor and in the oxygen-rich zones of the laboratory-scale reactor. The hydrogen produced during partial oxidation was partly re-adsorbed on the catalyst leading to superadiabatic surface temperatures, thus exemplifying the importance of proper thermal management in commercial reactors.     

Methane steam reforming in an annular microchannel with Rh/Al2O3 catalyst

Regularities of methane conversion in the presence of water steam were obtained experimentally while activating chemical conversions on the inner convex wall of an annular microchannel. The steam methane reforming was done on the Rh/Al₂O₃ nanocatalyst with the heat applied through the microchannel gap from the outer wall. Concentrations of the products of chemical reactions in the outlet gas mixture are measured at different temperatures of the outer microchannel wall. The range of channel wall temperatures at which the ratio of hydrogen and carbon oxide in the outlet mixture grows substantially is determined. Data on the composition of methane conversion products for the ratio H₂O/CH₄ = 1.77 and the activation energy of methane steam reforming at reactor outer wall temperatures of up to 880°C are obtained. The effect of the radiation heat exchange and the external diffuse limitation on the rate of chemical conversions in methane steam reforming in an annular microchannel with external heat supply is determined.     

Influence of gas flow rate and reactor length on NO removal usingpulsed power

A short duration of 100-ns pulsed power has been used to remove nitric oxide (NO) in a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, and NO, simulating flue gases from a power station. The effects of the gas flow rate, the reactor length, and the pulse repetition rate on the percentage of NO removal and its energy efficiency are reported. The percentage of NO removal at a fixed gas flow rate increased with increasing pulse repetition rate due to the increased energy into the discharge. At a fixed pulse rate, the removal of NO increased with decreasing gas flow rate due to the increased residence time of the gas in the discharge reactor, thus facilitating the creation of increased radicals of O and N which then decreased NO. The energy removal efficiency of NO (in mol/kWh) decreased with increasing gas flow rate and increasing removal ratio of NO. The removal of NO increased with increasing energy density (J/I), input into the discharge at different reactor length     

生物质超临界水流化床气化制氢系统与方法研究

本文提出在生物质超临界水气化制氢过程中采用流化床反应器防止反应器结渣堵塞.首先,基于流化床内多相流动力学理论,通过分析获得了超临界水流化床的主要参数包括最小流化速度、终端速度、流化方式等的设计准则.应用此设计准则成功构建了一套超临界水流化床气化制氢系统,实验研究表明高浓度生物质浆料在长达5个小时的气化过程中反应器未见堵塞现象,并获得了与生物质在管流反应器中气化相似的气体产物.     

Near-infrared spectroscopy as a rapid tool for water content analysis in the partial oxidation of ethanol

Abstract

The oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde was previously investigated in a continuous flow bench scale reactor using a zirconium-oxide-supported vanadium catalyst. Products were analyzed by near-infrared spectroscopy, a fast and accurate tool for the determination of water, ethanol, and acetaldehyde content. Water content was calibrated by Karl Fischer titration while gas chromatography was used to calibrate ethanol and acetaldehyde contents. Near-infrared spectroscopy is a fast, cost-effective method for the determination of water, ethanol, and acetaldehyde products from partial ethanol oxidation.     

Treating NOx emission of hydrogen fueled combustion engines by NOx storage and reduction catalysts: A transient kinetic study including PLIF measurements

NOx storage and reduction (NSR) catalysts are a well-known and broadly used technology to reduce NOx emissions from combustion engines, which may also be applied for hydrogen fueled engines in the future. In this study, Pt- and Pd-based NSR-catalysts were investigated in the absence and presence of water to understand how NO oxidation as well as the storage and reduction phases are influenced by the gaseous environment with H₂ as a reductant. A planar channel configuration was chosen for conducting planar laser-induced fluorescence experiments during the storage phase in addition to steady-state oxidation measurements and transient lean/rich cycles in a packed bed reactor. The presence of steam significantly decreases the NO oxidation activity of both noble metal catalysts. The Pt/BaO/Al₂O₃ catalyst is more active during transient lean/rich cycles, however, it suffers an activity loss during repeated cycles, whereas the activity of the Pd/BaO/Al₂O₃ sample is slightly more stable in the wet gas feed over time. All experiments showed a strong correlation between the NO₂ formation over the catalyst and its storage capability. The influence of water in the exhaust gas on the NSR-catalysts shows a strong temperature dependency on storage and reduction of NO for both catalysts containing Pt and Pd. The storage behavior is also strongly influenced by both the experimental configurations chosen revealing the significance of the interaction of intrinsic catalytic kinetics and mass transfer in the surrounding flow field.     

Experimental and numerical investigation on performance of a swirling jet reactor

In this work, a three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) analysis of a swirling jet reactor was implemented to gain a better understanding of fluid dynamics into the reactor. The effect of different geometries of the reactor, by considering different diameters of the injection slots of the reactor, on flow velocity and flow pressure distributions was investigated. Firstly, a one-phase model was implemented by considering only water into the reactor. Then, a two-phase model was defined including dissolved air into the water. The inlet flow pressure was set to 0.25 bar to consider non-cavitating conditions and, then, to get more accurate results on fluid dynamics into the reactor due to the absence of cavitating conditions. Data collected from experimental tests were used to calibrate and validate the model. Results of numerical simulations were in good agreement with experimental data, showing for all the geometries a rotating flow around the central axis of the reactor and at the exit of the double cone. The highest flow velocities and flow pressure drops were observed for the reactor geometry with the smallest injection slots diameters. Finally, noise measurements were performed during another set of experimental tests by considering different inlet flow pressures.     

Condensation Characteristics of Flue Gas/Steam Mixtures with Fine Lignite and Ash Particles along Horizontal Finned Tube Bundles

The condensation behavior for a gas/steam mixture with fine lignite particles and lignite ash particles is experimentally investigated as the particles flow over horizontal finned tube bundles. The effects of the gas velocity, inlet temperature of cooling water, excess air coefficient, and particle dimension are discussed. The total mass flow rate of the condensate and the condensation heat transfer coefficient for flue gas including particles are higher than those of flue gas excluding particles when Reynolds number is higher than 2,300. The area covered by ash depositions tends to grow from the leeward toward the windward side with increasing particle diameter.     

Sonochemical reaction with microbubbles generated by hollow ultrasonic horn

A microbubble generator with a cylindrical hollow ultrasonic horn (HUSH), gas flow path, and an orifice inside it can produce high ultrasonic pressure around the generated microbubbles. We used this microbubble generator with a HUSH as a sonochemical reactor for the degradation of indigo carmine and evaluated the sonochemical reaction by simply inserting the horn end into a liquid. The experimental results revealed that the ultrasonic irradiation around ultrasonically generated microbubbles effectively degraded indigo carmine in water. In addition, degradation experiments performed by varying the ultrasonic power and gas flow rates indicated that a continuous gas supply and ultrasonic pressure were required for generating the microbubbles, without the generation of millimeter-scale bubbles, to enhance the sonochemical reaction in water.     

XPS of a steam reforming NiAl2O4 catalyst

An XPS study of the behaviour of a Ni-αAl₂O₃ catalyst for a methane—steam reforming reaction was undertaken. The combined information from binding energy shifts and intensities is discussed in terms of the oxidation state of the Ni atoms in the fresh, used and reduced catalyst. Accumulations of Si and Pb were detected on the surface of the used catalyst, Si originating from the packing in the preheating zone in the reactor and Pb from the corrosion of a lead-containing valve by distilled water used to produce steam.     

平面叶栅中的湿蒸汽两相结流动数值模拟

对存在自发凝结的湿蒸汽两相流动建立了完全欧拉坐标系下的数值模型.考虑水蒸汽与理想气体的偏差,引入维里型状态方程对模型作了进一步完善.对平面叶栅中的两相凝结流动进行了数值模拟,计算结果与实验值比较表明本文计算模型正确,可以扩展到三维复杂两相凝结流场的计算.     

非平衡等离子体水处理器的优化设计及性能评价

在正交实验和单因素实验的基础上,对非平衡等离子体水处理反应器的整体结构进行了优化设计,并对优化后反应器的性能进行了定性评价。正交实验结果表明,影响降解效率的因素为气高、液高和气体流量。针高度为4mm、电极间距为17mm、气体流量为96L·h^-1时甲基橙的降解效果最佳。用40目不锈钢网作地电极,采用正脉冲放电能提高降解效率,预处理溶液中放置不锈钢阻挡网有助于提高臭氧的利用率。降解效率和COD去除率随溶液初始浓度的增加而降低,但相同时间内有机污染物的绝对去除量增加,重复实验表明实验误差小于3.5%。