Syngas production plus reducing carbon dioxide emission using dry reforming of methane: utilizing low-cost Ni-based catalysts

Applicability of using Dry Reforming of Methane (DRM) using low-cost Ni-based catalysts instead of Conventional Steam Reformers (CSR) to producing syngas simultaneously with reducing the emission of carbon dioxide was studied. In order to achieving this goal, a multi-tubular recuperative thermally coupled reactor which consists of two-concentric-tubes has been designed (Thermally Coupled Tri- and Dry Reformer [TCTDR]). By employing parameters of an industrial scale CSR, two proposed configuration (DRM with fired-furnace and Tri-Reforming of Methane (TRM) instead of fired-furnace (TCTDR)) was simulated. A mathematical heterogeneous model was used to simulate proposed reactors and analyses were carried out based on methane conversion, hydrogen yield and molar flow rate of syngas for each reactor. The results displayed methane conversion of DRM with fired-furnace was 35.29% and 31.44% for Ni–K/CeO2–Al2O3 and Ni/La2O3 catalysts, respectively, in comparison to 26.5% in CSR. Methane conversion in TCTDR reached to 16.98% by Ni/La2O3 catalyst and 88.05% by NiO–Mg/Ce–ZrO2/Al2O3 catalyst in TRM side. Also, it was 15.88% using Ni–K/CeO2–Al2O3 catalyst in the DRM side and 88.36% using NiO–Mg/Ce–ZrO2/Al2O3 catalyst in TRM side of TCTDR. Finally, the effect of different amounts of supplying energy on the performance of DRM with fired-furnace was studied, and positive results in reducing the energy consumption were observed.