(440d) Modeling of an Industrial Top-Fired Steam Methane Reformer

A rigorous zone model has been developed for a top-fired steam methane reformer (SMR) by linking the heat balance on the furnace and process side of the reformer. The governing equations in the SMR are coupled with Hottel's zone method for an accurate prediction of the radiative heat flux distribution inside the furnace. Total exchange areas -required as inputs to the zone model- are obtained from a Monte Carlo ray-tracing simulator. To illustrate the accuracy of the model as simulation platform for SMR performance, results of a case study on an industrial unit are presented.