Steady and Transient Characteristics of Catalytic Flow Reverse Reactor Integrated with Central Heat Exchanger

A Pd/Al2O3 monolith catalyst was prepared by wet impregnation. Its excellent performance was demonstrated in the removal of lean methane. After 1000 h of operation, a higher catalytic activity can be sustained. On this basis, a pilot-scale catalytic flow reversal reactor (CFRR) coupled with a central heat exchanger was designed for catalytic removal of ventilation air methane. Experiments showed high methane destruction ratios were achieved at elevated reactor temperatures maintained by reverse flow operations. Transient and steady characteristics of the reactor were also studied experimentally and analyzed under various operating parameters involving methane concentration, cycle period, and heat transfer flux. The coupling of central heat exchanger caused the complex quasi-periodic states and the significant divergences on the reactor behaviors compared with the results in the literature. To further verify the robustness of the heat recovery method, the experimental unit was operated in a long-time course. The lean methane can be efficiently eliminated and utilized.