Modeling and upscaling of a pilot bayonet-tube reactor for indirect solar mixed methane reforming

• Main Authors: Rendón, Carlos, Schwager, Christian, Ghiasi, Mona, Schmitz, Pascal, Bohang, Fakhri, Chico, Ricardo A., Boura, Cristiano Teixeira, Herrmann, Ulf
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: Endothermic reactions; Methane; Methanol; Natural gas; Reactor design; Reforming; Solar energy; Synthesis gas; Thermal storage
• ISSN: 0094-243X; 1551-7616
• DOI: 10.1063/5.0029974

A 16.77 kW thermal power bayonet-tube reactor for the mixed reforming of methane using solar energy has been designed and modeled. A test bench for the experimental tests has been installed at the Synlight facility in Juelich, Germany and has just been commissioned. This paper presents the solar-heated reactor design for a combined steam and dry reforming as well as a scaled-up process simulation of a solar reforming plant for methanol production. Solar power towers are capable of providing large amounts of heat to drive high-endothermic reactions, and their integration with thermochemical processes shows a promising future. In the designed bayonet-tube reactor, the conventional burner arrangement for the combustion of natural gas has been substituted by a continuous 930 °C hot air stream, provided by means of a solar heated air receiver, a ceramic thermal storage and an auxiliary firing system. Inside the solar-heated reactor, the heat is transferred by means of convective mechanism mainly; instead of radiation mechanism as typically prevailing in fossil-based industrial reforming processes. A scaled-up solar reforming plant of 50.5 MWth was designed and simulated in Dymola® and AspenPlus®. In comparison to a fossil-based industrial reforming process of the same thermal capacity, a solar reforming plant with thermal storage promises a reduction up to 57 % of annual natural gas consumption in regions with annual DNI-value of 2349 kWh/m2. The benchmark solar reforming plant contributes to a CO2 avoidance of approx. 79 kilotons per year. This facility can produce a nominal output of 734.4 t of synthesis gas and out of this 530 t of methanol a day.