(401a) Temperature Profile in Catalyst Bed during Methane Autothermal Reforming: Experiments and Modelling

The catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) of methane represents a promising solution for the development of small and medium scale technologies of syngas and hydrogen production. The possibility of operating at very short reaction times in simple and compact reactors and of using air as oxidant instead of pure oxygen makes this process suitable for stationary and mobile applications. The main technical barrier to the application of CPO is catalyst deactivation due to the very high temperatures formed in the initial portion of the catalyst bed. The temperature profile developed in the catalyst bed is therefore an important aspect in catalyst and reactor design. Furthermore, a good insight of the temperature profile allows to address the most suitable kinetic mechanism taking place in the reactor. In this work we present experimental data of products composition and temperature profiles within the reactor, and theoretical predictions obtained via numerical simulation of a heterogeneous model. Temperature profiles were measured with an IR camera which operates in the short wave range 3-5 ?Ým. The reactor consists of a cylindrical quartz tube in which the catalyst section is placed between two beds of inert spheres. The reactor was operated feeding methane, oxygen and nitrogen, to produce syngas. To assess the impact of steam, on temperature profile and product composition, an experimental campaign feeding also water was performed. The effect of different operating conditions on the overall conversion and selectivity to syngas is studied.