Last modified: 2017-10-10
Abstract
The world’s ever-increasing energy demands and anticipated limitations of energy supply in the foreseeable future have motivated the researchers to examine energy production technologies for sustainability. Process intensification of available technologies has thus become an active area of research. One such technology for energy production is the use of hydrogen-based fuel cells. Fuel cells need high purity hydrogen gas for successful operation. Considering the storage and transportation difficulties associated with hydrogen, significant attention has been given to the development and optimization of on-site hydrogen production technologies. An autothermal methanol reformer is one such alternative that can potentially address these issues.
In this study, we present a systematic methodology for exploring the reactor dynamics and control strategies for an autothermal methanol reformer using commercial process simulators Aspen Plus® and Aspen Plus Dynamics®. First, a rigorous steady state model is developed for the autothermal reforming process in Aspen Plus®. Detailed kinetic model including key desired and undesired reactions is implemented as a user-defined subroutine. The steady state model is fine-tuned to match available experimental data. The model is then exported to Aspen Plus Dynamics®. Alternative control configurations are developed and compared for stability and control performance for selection of an optimum design.