Homogeneous vs. catalytic combustion of lean methane—air mixtures in reverse-flow reactors

To carry out a comparative assessment of a recently proposed idea of using thermal flow-reversal reactors (TFRR) for mine ventilation air, the results for the catalytic flow-reversal reactor (CFRR) investigated within the European Project (2003) are briefly presented. Next, experimental investigations of thermal combustion are presented in this paper. These consisted of the kinetic study of homogeneous combustion in the pelletized bed and in the monolith. Kinetic equations for the two cases are derived and discussed. Experimental autothermal reverse-flow operation in a laboratory setup was performed. Due to the high heat capacity of the wall and insulation of the pelletized bed reactor, with considerable heat losses to the surroundings, autothermal operation was successful only in the monolithic reactor. It is finally concluded that the thermal combustion can be competitive compared with the catalytic oxidation.