Simulating and Optimizing Auto-Thermal Reforming of Methane to Synthesis Gas Using a Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II Method

Conventional synthesis gas production plants consist of a natural gas steam reforming to CO + 3H 2 on Ni catalysts in a furnace. An alternative method for highly endothermic steam reforming is auto-thermal reforming. In this work, synthesis gas production by auto-thermal reforming was simulated base...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemical engineering communications 2016-01, Vol.203 (1), p.53-63
Main Authors: Azarhoosh, M. J., Ebrahim, H. Ale, Pourtarah, S. H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Auto-thermal reforming
Catalysts
Chemical engineering
Chemical reactions
Computer simulation
Genetic algorithms
Mathematical models
Methane
NSGA-II
Optimization
Reforming
Simulation
Sorting
Synthesis gas
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Summary:Conventional synthesis gas production plants consist of a natural gas steam reforming to CO + 3H 2 on Ni catalysts in a furnace. An alternative method for highly endothermic steam reforming is auto-thermal reforming. In this work, synthesis gas production by auto-thermal reforming was simulated based on a heterogeneous and one-dimensional model in two cases. The first case was the auto-thermal reformer of Dias and Assaf's study. The present work was validated by the reported experimental results. The second case was the fixed-bed catalytic auto-thermal reactor operated at high pressure, which was suitable for methanol production and Fischer-Tropsch reactions (baseline case). Then, the effect of operating variables on the system behavior was studied. Finally, Pareto-optimal solutions were determined by non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II. The objectives included obtaining a H 2 /CO ratio of 2 in the produced synthesis gas and the maximum methane conversion. The adjustable parameters were the feed temperature, mass flux, and O 2 /CH 4 and H 2 O/CH 4 ratios in the feed.
ISSN:0098-6445
1563-5201
DOI:10.1080/00986445.2014.942732