Conceptual design and CFD simulation of a novel metal-based monolith reactor with enhanced mass transfer

This paper introduces a novel structured metallic catalyst that improves mass transfer performance of a monolith reactor for highly exothermic gas–solid reactions. The monolith channels are designed to have metallic substrates that consist of two layers with one of the layers being the metallic support and another layer being a foam metal annular that is tightly deposited onto the support surface by some means. Parametrical studies based on a 2D monolith reactor model showed that the present design yields an enhanced mass transfer between the bulk fluid and the catalyst layer due to a decrease in external film resistance, and an enhanced mass transfer within the solid phase mainly due to the viscous flow effect within the porous catalyst layer.