Innovative ZoneFlow Structured Catalytic Reactors for Steam Reforming

Transcription

1 ZoneFlow Reactor Technologies, LLC Gearing for future in Hydrogen Generation : Innovative ZoneFlow Structured Catalytic Reactors for Steam Reforming Sanjiv Ratan, ZFRT, USA & Prof. Juray de Wilde, UCL, Belgium International Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Conference Jodhpur, India 9-11 December

2 Presentation Outline Introduction Steam reforming pellet catalyst - Status quo ZoneFlow TM (ZF) structured catalytic reactor technology - an innovative breakthrough ZF development update and validation programs Application of ZF reactor technology suite for hydrogen steam methane reformers (SMR) 2

3 Steam Reformer: heart of a hydrogen plant Flue gas 15 Typical Overview Fuel 180 Steam Reforming duty C Steam Air BFW C 340 C Syngas Excess steam 10 (Desul.) Feed 3

4 Steam Reforming Catalyst - Status Quo State-of-the-art steam reforming catalysts have by and large stayed pellet-based and so have the inherent deficiencies in terms of : Random (non-uniform) packing and settling high pressure drop (strength limited voidage) limited heat transfer (sporadic catalyst-to-wall contact) very low catalyst effectiveness (intrinsically diffusion limited) catalyst attrition / breakage from thermal cycling flow / temperature non-uniformity Various attempts for structured catalyst made over the years but weren t successful due to few core challenges till lately 4

5 ZoneFlow Reactor Technology an Innovative Breakthrough Advanced high-performance structured catalyst overcoming most of the Pellet catalyst deficiencies : robust but flexible engineered metal foil highvoidage casing coated with proprietary catalysts annular casing design ensuring wall proximity in cold as well as hot conditions, also creating nearwall flow turbulence against stagnant layer higher heat transfer (up to 85% including internal radiative transfer) step reduction in pressure drop (up to 40%) more than 10 times higher catalyst effectiveness no attrition from thermal cycling; stable dp uniformity of flow over its entire operating life uniquely befitting for Recuperative reforming 5

6 ZF dp v/s HTC modeling 6

7 Rigorous CFD Modeling and FEA Temp Profiles FE Analysis 7

8 ZF s Commercial Demonstration Installation Operation Extraction Up to 80 o C lower TMT compared to adjacent tubes Up to 24% lower pressure drop No hot spots ZF structure intact in original form after >15,000 hrs operation and with 5 thermal cycles 8

9 HTC-dP Test Rigs and Kinetics Lab 9

10 Pressure drop, mbar Furnace exit temp, o C HTC-dP Test Rig Results ZFRT CT-2 Packed bed Packed bed ZFRT 10 CT Flow rate, Nm3/h Flow rate, Nm 3 /h 10

11 DP-HTC Mapping HTC Improvement +/- 75% for same dp 2.4 dp gradient 11

12 ZFRT Pilot Plant Installation At Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL), Belgium Fully equipped and instrumented for rigorous testing under commercial conditions In collaboration with Prof. Froment and Prof. de Wilde Operational 1Q

13 ZF Applications in SMRs: Core-Merit and Benefits ZF s lower dp, higher HTC and higher catalyst effectiveness allow the following underlying advantages, especially for retrofits : higher throughput without increasing pressure drop higher SMR outlet temp without increasing maximum tube skin temperature (TSM) higher heat flux (average and peak) and/or higher reforming severity with minimized increase in bridge-wall temperature and thus related firing and flue gas lower approach to equilibrium Exploitation of ZF s annular structure supports recuperating reforming 13

14 ZF Advanced Solutions for SMRs ZF-Single pass (ZF-SP) De-stressing and/or debottlenecking of existing SMRs (upto 15%) Higher-flux, cost-effective and more reliable new SMRs ZF-Bayonet (ZF-B) Uniquely applicable for recuperative reforming in new SMRs, overcoming current challenges ZF-Convective pre-reforming (ZF-CPR) (Under development) Unmatched in-situ retrofit for additional capacity in existing SMRs without major modifications Efficient and cost-effective applications in new SMRs 14

15 ZF-SP for SMR Debottlenecking De-stressing Upgrading Max. current capacity, % Post ZF retrofit capacity, % S/C Ratio Outlet temp, C Approach to equilibrium C CH4 slip, vol % dry Catalyst pressure drop (design 2.8 bar ), bar < Relative Radiant duty % Avg heat flux kw/m Bridgwall temp, C Max. Tube Skin Temp (design 940 C) C <

16 ZF-Bayonet Configurations 16

17 ZF-Bayonet : Drivers and Benefits Direct exploitation of ZF s inherent annular design Overcomes innate limitations of the pellet catalyst against crushing from differential expansion / thermal cycling SMR size reduction up to 20% based on high grade heat recovery for reforming Allows Zero export steam hydrogen plants for : remote, stand-alone or distributed hydrogen plants not having a steam host cases where export steam has low or no credit compared to fuel Allows lowering of carbon-footprint from reduced firing per unit H2 Applicable in various SMR configurations and designs 17

18 Conclusions Steam Reforming has been the predominant technology for Hydrogen generation SMR catalysts governs to a large extent its performance, tube life and operational reliability Current pellet catalysts have inherent deficiencies, thus limiting the extent of improvements. ZoneFlow Reactor Technologies (ZFRT) has developed breakthrough and innovative structured catalyst reactors for steam reforming ZoneFlow TM (ZF) suite of catalysts offer exceptional and advanced solutions for revamping as well as new SMRs, providing attractive Capex and Opex benefits. After successful demo and test rig results, the upcoming world class pilot plant will allow extensive testing under commercial conditions and beyond for establishing its merits. 18

19 ZoneFlow Reactor Technologies, LLC Thank You! For additional information, contact: Sanjiv Ratan Director of Marketing and Prod Dev