Enhancement of membrane hydrogen separation on glycerol steam reforming in a fluidized bed reactor

Membrane hydrogen separation can effectively promote fuel conversion and hydrogen yield by means of altering chemical equilibrium of reforming reactions. In this work, the enhancing process of glycerol steam reforming via a fluidized bed membrane reactor is numerically investigated. Under the framework of the Euler-Euler method, chemical kinetic model is implemented and the reforming performance with and without membrane separation is compared. The effect of densified zones caused by membrane separation is examined. Meanwhile, the impacts of operating parameters including hydrogen partial pressure on the permeate side and fuel gas velocity on densified zones and hydrogen yield are evaluated. The results demonstrate that the excessive reduction of hydrogen partial pressure on the permeate side and the increase of feed gas velocity are detrimental to fuel conversion and hydrogen yield.