CFD (computational fluid dynamics) analysis of a novel reactor design using ion transport membranes for oxy-fuel combustion

Pervez Ahmed*, Mohamed A. Habib, Rached Ben-Mansour, Patrick Kirchen, Ahmed F. Ghoniem

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Scopus citations

Abstract

Conventional two-channel ITM (ion transport membrane) reactors applied to oxy-combustion, face the potential drawback of high thermal gradients and high local temperatures, which can result in membrane damage. In such reactors, air flows on the feed side and fuel are introduced on the permeate side, where it reacts with the permeated oxygen. In this work, we propose to use a three-channel configuration in which a porous plate is used to separate the permeate stream from the fuel stream, allowing the fuel to diffuse gradually into the permeate side. The gradual combustion of the fuel results in a slow temperature rise and a more spatially uniform temperature distribution along the membrane. We model this three-channel reactor using computational fluid dynamics and compare its performance to a conventional two-channel reactor. It is shown that, indeed, in case of a two-channel reactor, a high temperature zone is concentrated near the inlet, whereas the three-channel reactor produces a milder temperature gradient along the reactor length. The more-uniform heat flux associated with the latter results in a moderate temperature distribution and reduction in the wall shear stress along the channels and the associated pressure drop. The more uniform temperature distribution should be less damaging to the membrane. The reaction zone associated with the gradual fuel diffusion into the sweep side improves the membrane performance by maintaining a more uniform oxygen flux.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)932-944
Number of pages13
JournalEnergy
Volume77
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Dec 2014
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Keywords

  • Ion transport membrane
  • Oxy-fuel combustion
  • Reactors

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Pollution
  • Energy Engineering and Power Technology
  • General Energy
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering
  • Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
  • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
  • Building and Construction
  • Fuel Technology
  • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
  • Civil and Structural Engineering
  • Modeling and Simulation

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