On Process Intensification through Storage Reactors:a Case Study on Methane Steam Reforming

In this work, the novel storage reactor (SR) process is introduced. A SR consists of two physically distinct domains, designated as the reactor domain and the storage domain, which are allowed to communicate with each other through a semipermeable boundary. It is envisioned that the SR process is dynamic (periodic), enabling the loading and unloading of the storage domain through Partial Pressure Swing Operation (PPSO). In this work, a first principle SR model is developed that quantifies SR dynamic behavior and a illustrative case study on Hydrogen production through Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) is carried out. Through parametric studies on reactor and catalyst structural characteristics parameters it is shown that the SR outperforms an equivalent steady-state reactor.