Effects of Gas–Solid Hydrodynamic Behavior on the Reactions of the Sorption Enhanced Steam Methane Reforming Process in Bubbling Fluidized Bed Reactors

A three-dimensional two-fluid modeling approach with the kinetic theory of granular flow was used to study the process of sorption enhanced steam methane reforming (SE-SMR) carried out in a bubbling fluidized bed reactor. The effects of the superficial gas velocity and restitution coefficient on the solid flow pattern and reactions were investigated. The hydrodynamic properties of the reactive flow showed different behaviors compared to the cold flow. The superficial gas velocity and restitution coefficient influence the bed expansion and bed uniformity in different ways. The reactions of SE-SMR were affected mainly by the superficial gas velocity, while the restitution coefficient has a smaller influence on the reactions. The CO(2) adsorption is a faster reaction than the SMR reactions. A uniform bed state will be of more benefit to slow reactions than to fast reactions.