Glycerol steam reforming in a bench scale continuous flow heat recovery reactor

摘要

In the present study glycerol was successfully gasified using a diesel engine waste heat recovery system obtaining hydrogen and methane rich gaseous products. The reforming reactor was equipped with a vaporization pre-chamber to ensure uniform reactants distribution and a fixed reaction bed, being mounted in countercurrent flow configuration with the engine combustion gases stream. Accordingly, the reactions were conducted at gradually increased temperature conditions; starting at around 300 ℃ in the top section of the reaction bed and finishing in a controlled outlet bed temperature of 600-800 ℃. When compared to homogeneous temperature reactors, the configuration used here produced a syngas of higher methane and ethylene contents. With regards to the reactor performance, syngas lower heat values of more than 22 MJ/kg were achieved with glycerol feed concentrations within 50-70% and outlet bed temperatures above 700 ℃, corresponding to cold gas efficiencies of around 85%. The present results indicate that glycerin can be utilized as a syngas feedstock for steam reforming processes based on waste heat recovery.