CFD Simulation of Syngas Combustion in a Two-Pass Oxygen Transport Membrane Reactor for Fire Tube Boiler Application

The oxygen transport membrane reactor technology enables the stable combustion of syngas and reduction in NOx emission. Applying the syngas combustion membrane reactor to fire tube boiler can integrate oxygen separation, syngas combustion, and steam generation in a single apparatus. In this study, a CFD model for oxygen permeation and syngas combustion in a two-pass LSCoF-6428 tubular membrane reactor for fire tube boiler application was developed to study the effects of the inlet temperature, the sweep gas flow rate, and the syngas composition on the reactor performance. It is shown that the inlet temperature has a strong effect on the reactor performance. Increasing the inlet temperature can efficiently and significantly improve the oxygen permeability and the heat production capacity. A 34-times increase of oxygen permeation rate and a doubled thermal power output can be obtained when increasing the inlet temperature from 1073 to 1273 K. The membrane temperature, the oxygen permeation rate, and the thermal power output of the reactor all increase with the increase of sweep gas flow rate or H2/CO mass ratio in syngas. The feasibility of the syngas combustion membrane reactor for fire tube boiler application was elucidated.