Simulation of fibrous catalysts applied to CO2 methanation: enhancement of mass and heat transport

A. SÁNCHEZ; V.G. MILT; E.E. MIRÓ

Congreso; VIII Congreso Internacional y XVII Congreso Mexicano de Catálisis; 2021

A structuredceramic fibrous catalyst was studied by modeling and simulation, applied to theexothermic CO2 methanation reaction. Heat transfer limitations andpressure drop were the main factors affecting reactor efficiency. Changes infiber dimensions and catalyst configuration inside the reactor were applied, inorder to reduce the limitations and improve the performance.A briefcomparison to a packed bed of ceramic pellets showed that fibrous materialsfavor mass and heat transfer with respect to the traditional catalyst. Moremoderate hot-spots are achieved, and the overall catalyst utilization isincremented. The results suggest that fibrous catalysts can be beneficial forreactions limited by mass and heat transfer, and that they are interestingmaterials due to their potential for process intensification.