Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Simulation of Transport Phenomena in Bubble Column Reactors

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1894210· OSTI ID:1894210
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [3]
  1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  2. Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule (ETH), Zurich (Switzerland); Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  3. Shell International Exploration and Product Inc., Houston, TX (United States)
The production of carbon and hydrogen from methane is a viable pathway for monetizing the vast reserves of US natural gas. Liquid (metals and/or salts) bubble column reactors operating at temperatures greater than 1000°C allow the conversion of methane into hydrogen without CO2 emission. The low-density carbon floats on top of the liquid surface, allowing an easier removal, compared to other reactor concepts for methane pyrolysis. In this current report, we present results from simulations of transport phenomena in a liquid bubble column reactor. The goal is to investigate and understand parameters that are crucial for bubble column reactor design and scale up. The report presents the formulation and numerical methods used in the multiphase direct numerical simulation software, Quilt. This software was validated for the bubbly flow using numerical and physics based test problems. Quilt was then used to perform simulations of the bubble column reactor as a parametric study, varying the bubble injection parameters. The simulations were visualized for qualitative analysis and followed up with a quantitative analysis. The effect of injection parameters on various quantitative measures of the bubble residence time, interfacial area and motion through the column are presented.
Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO)
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1894210
Report Number(s):
ORNL/TM-2021/2318; NFE-19-07532
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Numerical investigation of gas-driven flow in 2-D bubble columns
Journal Article · Tue Feb 29 23:00:00 EST 2000 · AIChE Journal (American Institute of Chemical Engineers) · OSTI ID:20080292

Numerical investigation of turbulent mixing in a jet bubble column
Conference · Thu Dec 30 23:00:00 EST 1993 · OSTI ID:45088

Computational Analysis of Different Sparging Systems and their Influence in the Fluid-Dynamic Behavior of Bubble Column Reactors
Conference · Wed Jan 31 19:00:00 EST 2024 · OSTI ID:2293492