A Two-Dimensional Heterogeneous Numerical Model for Auto-Thermal Reforming of Synthetic Crude Glycerol in a Packed Bed Tubular Reactor
type: CreativeWork
description: Hydrogen (H2) production has garnered attention amongst renewable energy researchers and intergovernmental agencies because of its potential to be an energy carrier and ability to satisfy the energy requirements of society. To date, the primary resource for H2 production is methane (CH4) found in natural gas, and to reduce fossil fuel utilization, other hydrocarbon sources have been identified. Glycerol is the by-product of biodiesel production, and with excess crude glycerol on the market, it proves advantageous to apply reforming methods to this feedstock to produce hydrogen. This work presents numerical models for a catalytic auto-thermal reforming (ATR) process developed for converting synthetic crude glycerol (CG) to hydrogen gas in packed bed tubular reactor (PBTR). The models were heterogenous, considering the presence of the solid catalyst and created with two numerical methods, the finite difference method (FDM) in MATLAB and the finite element method (FEM) in COMSOL Multiphysics. Both models were validated with experimental data obtained from a laboratory-scale ATR process in the presence of a Ni-based catalyst, developed under the Advanced Green Energy Systems research portfolio at the University of Regina. The power law rate model derived from the experiments was used in the model development. The CG conversion in the simulation data from the models were in good agreement with experimental data giving absolute average deviation(AAD) values of 7.56% and 6.34% for that created with FEM and FDM respectively. The conversion and temperature trends for the two models were compared to each other, with a previously built pseudo- homogeneous model for this same ATR process, developed in other work. From a qualitative standpoint, the two heterogeneous models, though not aligned perfectly, trended in the same manner. At the reaction zone, the FDM model prediction gave a slightly higher bulk fluid temperature. The heterogeneous models predicted a lower reaction zone…
abstract: Hydrogen (H2) production has garnered attention amongst renewable energy researchers and intergovernmental agencies because of its potential to be an energy carrier and ability to satisfy the energy requirements of society. To date, the primary resource for H2 production is methane (CH4) found in natural gas, and to reduce fossil fuel utilization, other hydrocarbon sources have been identified. Glycerol is the by-product of biodiesel production, and with excess crude glycerol on the market, it proves advantageous to apply reforming methods to this feedstock to produce hydrogen. This work presents numerical models for a catalytic auto-thermal reforming (ATR) process developed for converting synthetic crude glycerol (CG) to hydrogen gas in packed bed tubular reactor (PBTR). The models were heterogenous, considering the presence of the solid catalyst and created with two numerical methods, the finite difference method (FDM) in MATLAB and the finite element method (FEM) in COMSOL Multiphysics. Both models were validated with experimental data obtained from a laboratory-scale ATR process in the presence of a Ni-based catalyst, developed under the Advanced Green Energy Systems research portfolio at the University of Regina. The power law rate model derived from the experiments was used in the model development. The CG conversion in the simulation data from the models were in good agreement with experimental data giving absolute average deviation(AAD) values of 7.56% and 6.34% for that created with FEM and FDM respectively. The conversion and temperature trends for the two models were compared to each other, with a previously built pseudo- homogeneous model for this same ATR process, developed in other work. From a qualitative standpoint, the two heterogeneous models, though not aligned perfectly, trended in the same manner. At the reaction zone, the FDM model prediction gave a slightly higher bulk fluid temperature. The heterogeneous models predicted a lower reaction zone…
author: Williams, Jason McNair
language: en
date published: 2017-09
date modified: 2026-07-24T04:03:49Z
provider: University of Regina
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: https://hdl.handle.net/10294/8503

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.82465/5024