A Theoretical Comparative Study Between Open Cell Foam and Conventional Packed Bed in Externally Cooled Multitubular Fixed-Bed Reactors for the C1 Chemistry

The open cell foams are likely to be the next generation of catalyst supports due to their interesting specific properties (large exchange area, easy control of external porosity, etc.). In multitubular packed-bed reactors used for the C1 chemistry which constitute the focus of this work, it is well known that the removal of the reaction heat and the pressure drop are the most critical aspects for planning and designing chemical engineering processes. In this context, the objective of the present work is to compare the 'conventional' SiC spherical particles bed and SiC open cell foam bed for the C1 chemistry. From simulations, this work allows observing and quantifying the influences of the fluid velocity and the type of catalyst used (foam or packed bed) on the properties of transport. The observed responses are the total effective thermal conductivity and the pressure drop. The results indicate that it will be necessary to tune the void fraction and morphological parameters of the open cell foam in order to obtain the best compromise between pressure drop and a good thermal behavior.