Computational fluid dynamics modeling of a microchannel-type reactor for the coupling of OCM and reforming reactions*

Oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) is a reaction that converts methane to high-value added ethylene and ethane. However, strong exothermic heat of reaction leads to thermally unstable operation and lowers the selectivity of the desired species. To control the heat of OCM, we developed a microchannel-based reactor that couples OCM with the steam reforming of methane (SRM), one of strong endothermic reactions.
The computational fluid dynamics model clearly showed that temperature increase in the OCM bed was maintained below 80 °C and the reaction temperature was close to the optimal one (820 °C). However the temperature profile in the SRM bed showed abrupt decease due to strong endothermic characteristic. To expand the kinetically controlled region of the SRM bed, the effects of the operating conditions and structure parameters were evaluated.
In conclusion, the modeling approach in the present study could determine the optimal operation strategy, and provide important information on the design of industrial microchannel based reactors.