Numerical study of methane TPOX within a small scale Inert Porous Media based reformer

•Methane thermal partial oxidation within a small scale porous media based reactor.•Numerical simulation of the process using quasi-1D model of the reactor.•Effect of operating conditions on reforming efficiency and soot formation.•Procedures for maximizing reforming efficiency and minimizing soot formation.

Methane Thermal Partial Oxidation (TPOX) within a small scale Inert Porous Media (IPM) based reactor was investigated numerically in order to explore the operating conditions and possible procedures for maximizing the reforming efficiency and minimizing the soot formation. A quasi-1D model of the TPOX reactor was validated and further used to study the process. The model considers detailed chemistry and solves the energy balances for both gas and solid phases, including radiative heat transfer in the solid phase. The parametric results of the reactor operation show that the optimal air–fuel ratio is a compromise between soot formation and reforming efficiency. Moreover, a high preheating temperature of the reactants is found to be always beneficial for the process, and the effect of power input is negligible for the reforming efficiency. The numerical investigations also suggest that shorting the IPM length, as well as mixing small amounts of water vapor with the reactants, appear to be effective procedures for improving the operation performance of the TPOX reactor.