Methanol steam reforming: A comparison of different kinetics in the simulation of a packed bed reactor

The kinetics of the steam reforming of methanol have been studied in experimental conditions similar to those used in industrial applications, i.e., by using a commercial catalyst in cylindrical pellets. The catalyst used is based on a mixture of Cu–Zn–Al oxides and is normally employed in industry for the low-temperature CO water gas shift reaction. Two kinetic laws have been tested on kinetic runs, performed in a CSTR gradientless Berty reactor and reported in our previous work, by comparing in particular the detrimental effect on the reaction rates of water and/or hydrogen, by comparing in this way the results reported by different authors on this subject. These kinetic laws, together with others reported in the literature, based on different reaction mechanisms, have then been tested for the simulation of runs performed in a tubular pilot-scale packed bed reactor, taking into account for both mass and heat balance along the reactor and inside the catalyst particles. Effectiveness factors were determined through both a rigorous calculation method and experimentally.