CHE 612

Term Project

Fall 2016

Introduction
With the recent expansion in natural gas production, a large proportion of the hydrogen used in
the US is produced from natural gas. A prominent method is steam reforming of the alkanes in
natural gas, specifically methane, according to the net reaction:
cat.
CH 4 +2H 2 O
CO 2 +4H 2 O

This endothermic reaction can be carried out with or without a catalyst. If the reactants are fed
in stoichiometric proportions, then CO is a major byproduct, and the production of hydrogen is
limited. For this reason (and to aid thermal management) steam is typically supplied in excess
with feed ratios of steam to methane of up to 5.
The materials science department in your company has developed a new catalyst. The
developers claim that with a feed ratio FH2O/FCH4 of 4, the concentration of steam can be treated
as approximately constant, and the net reaction rate can be described as first order:
rCH 4 k CCH 4

It is now proposed to set up a pilot scale packed-bed reactor to demonstrate the catalysts
capabilities. Your task is to design this reactor from parts that you have available in your lab.
Specifically, you have available 3 ten-foot sections of 4-inch diameter stainless steel pipe, which
you can effectively heat. You may fill these sections with catalyst and combine them in any
manner you see fit.
The Nickel-based catalyst will be coated by the developers on commercially available
catalyst support particles. The highly porous catalyst support consists of -alumina; it has a very
high specific surface area and corresponding low density. The support is available in different
sizes, from approximately 100 m particles to pellets of 2 inch diameter. You should select the
appropriate catalyst particle size.
Operating temperature, initial pressure, and feed rate have been set in order to be similar
to current operations in your company, using a different catalyst. You are not free to vary these
parameters. All reactor parameters and limiting conditions are summarized in Table 1.
Initial considerations
You expect that with very small catalyst particles, there is a significant pressure drop in the
catalyst bed, and the overall methane conversion will be limited. At the same time, internal
diffusion in large catalyst particles render the catalyst ineffective, and the overall methane
conversion will also be limited. You therefore expect that the maximum methane conversion
occurs with catalyst particles of some intermediate size. The choice of catalyst size is therefore
most critical for optimum methane conversion in this reactor. The pressure drop also depends on
the linear flow rate in the reactor, and you do have some control over it depending on how you
combine the three tube segments.
Your main goal is to choose catalyst particle dimensions and an arrangement of the three
tubes that maximize the methane conversion.
- Progress memo is due on November 22, 2016
- Final report is due on December 8, 2016
- You must submit your code, and it must produce your results.

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 Term Project

CHE 612
Table 1. Parameters
steel tube sections
packing density of catalyst pellets
inlet pressure
operating temperature
feed rate of methane
steam/methane feed ratio
reported net rate constant
catalyst specific surface area
catalyst specific pore volume
catalyst particle sizes
alumina bulk density
effective diffusivity in catalyst
fluid viscosity at T

Fall 2016

3 count, 10 feet length, 4 inch diameter

60 % (volume/volume)
P0 = 10 atm
T = T0 = 800 C
FCH4,0 = 2 mol/s
H2O = 4
k" = 0.005 cm/s
Sa = 150 m2/g
77 cm3/g
Dp = 100 m 2 inch
rAl2O3 = 3.6 g/cm3
0.07 cm2/s
0.04 cP

Your assignment
As mentioned, you want to maximize the methane conversion in the test reactor. To achieve this
goal, specify
-

the catalyst support particle size that you want to use

an arrangement of the available steel reactor tubes

The results should be provided in the form of a report.

The final report is due on December 8, 2016.
Progress milestone
You must demonstrate intermediate progress by submitting a short memo (max. 2 pages no
long form text, please) where you describe your approach for determining the optimum catalyst
particle size. Preliminary code is welcome.
The memo is due on November 22, 2016.
The purpose of this memo is to make sure you dont start with this project the night
before it is due. The progress memo will not be graded, but whether or not you submit
one will influence the grade for the actual report.
Final report format
The report must be submitted in electronic format using the Moodle website. The text should be
in MS Word or PDF format. You must submit your Polymath or Matlab code as well. Your
code must execute, and it must produce the results that you show in the report. Working code
will count for about 25 % of your grade. If you want to use other software or formats for the
text or the calculations, please talk to me first.
- Progress memo is due on November 22, 2016
- Final report is due on December 8, 2016
- You must submit your code, and it must produce your results.

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CHE 612

Term Project

Fall 2016

Use the following format for the text of the assignment. About 25 % of your grade for the
term project will be based on this format. Your report should have the following sections:
Part I: The Lead
In this section, briefly define the problem and the objectives.
Part II: Executive Summary
Describe the major findings of your study. Support this with appropriate high-level data
(numeric, or in the form of selected graphs).
Part III: Experimental details
This part should contain a detailed description of the reactor design. In particular, graphs are
required of the reactant flows under limited and under optimal conditions. You must give a
detailed reason why you chose your particular approach over alternatives.
Part IV: Problems and solutions
Address any problems/issues/concerns/unexpected results that you encountered in your study,
discuss how the overall result was affected, and suggest solutions or alternatives. If you needed
to make assumptions or approximations, you should discuss them here.
Appendix
This section must contain any detailed calculations, derivations, and other supporting material
which would otherwise be inappropriate in the main body of the report.
THE FINAL REPORT IS DUE ON DECEMBER 8, 2016

- Progress memo is due on November 22, 2016

- Final report is due on December 8, 2016
- You must submit your code, and it must produce your results.

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