Simulation of Sorbent-Enhanced Steam Methane Reforming and Limestone Calcination in Dual Turbulent Fluidized Bed Reactors

This paper presents a steady-state simulation of sorbent-enhanced steam methane reforming in turbulent fluidized bed reactors. The effects of different operating conditions are assessed, including the reactor temperature, operating pressure, gas feed composition, and sorbent/methane molar feed ratio. The potential system performance is also evaluated when hydrogen perm-selective membranes are installed inside the reactor. Increasing the sorbent/methane molar feed ratio and decreasing the methane feed concentration can enhance the methane conversion, hydrogen yield, and product purity. On the other hand, the reactor performance depends strongly upon the system pressure, with higher temperatures required for pressurized operation. In situ hydrogen removal is shown to enhance the methane conversion and hydrogen production yield, while reducing the hydrogen concentration in the reformer off-gas. A predictive model is used to determine the operating conditions required for steam and methane-concentrated oxy-fuel calciners. The methane-concentrated oxy-fuel calciner is shown to benefit from a lower reactor temperature, higher hydrogen production yield, and lower CO₂ emissions.