A simulation study for the hybrid reaction of methane steam reforming and in situ removal in a moving bed reactor of a catalyst admixed with a CaO-based acceptor for production

A hybrid reaction system of catalytic methane steam reforming (MSR) and in situ non-catalytic removal of CO 2 by the carbonation of CaO to CaCO 3 in a moving bed reactor where reforming catalyst and CaO-based CO 2 acceptor in pellets move co-currently with gaseous reactants has been simulated through a mathematical model. The model has been developed at non-isothermal, non-adiabatic, and non-isobaric operating conditions assuming that the rate of the CaO carbonation in a local zone of the reactor bed is governed by kinetic limitation or by the CO 2 limitation in bulk gas phase. The effects of major operating parameters such as the feed rates of CaO and CH 4 , and the reactor bed temperature on steady-state behavior of the hybrid reaction in a moving bed reactor have been determined. It was revealed that the feed rate of CaO for a given feed rate of CH 4 should be optimized in order to maximize the utilization degree of CaO carbonated through the reactor while producing the reformed gas in the possible lowest concentration of CO 2 at a given temperature of reaction.