Conical-shaped foam reactors for catalytic partial oxidation applications

The role of the reactor geometry for catalytic partial oxidation of methane is numerically investigated to improve catalyst thermal stability and at the same time to achieve high fuel conversion and reforming efficiency. The performance of cylindrical-shaped foam monolith reactors is compared with that of conical-shaped foam monolith reactors. A quasi-1D heterogeneous mathematical model was developed to account for a variable reactor cross-sectional area and for a variety of chemical and transport steps. Radiative heat transfer within the cellular structure was properly accounted for with the zone method. The results suggest that converging conical-shaped reactors allow a significant decrease of the maximum surface temperatures and high reforming performance.