Energy to chemicals using direct electrical current flowing through dense beds

利用流过致密床的直接电流将能量转化为化学物质

• 批准号: RGPIN-2019-03912
• 负责人: Nikrityuk, Petr
• 金额: $ 2.04万
• 依托单位: University of Alberta
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=714119
• 关键词: Energy; chemicals; using; direct; electrical

One promising energy storage technology is the direct conversion of electrical current into chemical energy, which is known as electricity to chemicals' (E2C). One option to store electrical energy in chemicals is to use so-called steam methane reforming (SMR) and/or dry reforming of methane (DRM). SMR is the conversion of methane and steam to syngas (CO and H2), a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Both processes require a large heat supply due to the highly endothermic character of SMR and DRM. The primary objective of this research project consists in gaining a fundamental understanding of the transport processes in a new type of fixed-bed reactor for endothermic reforming, e.g. steam methane reforming and dry reforming of methane. This reactor consists of two sorts of spherical particles: electrically conductive particles and electrically nonconductive catalyst particles. The addition of catalyst particles can increase the conversion rate of endothermic chemical reactions. The main feature of this reactor is the application of electric resistance heating using the electrically conductive particles, which heat the nonconductive catalyst particles and reacting gas inside the reactor. The main purpose of this reactor is to store electricity produced from renewable sources in chemicals such as syngas. The so-called overproduced electricity can also be used, especially when electricity prices are negative. The proposed research focuses on the following aims: 1. Development and validation of a multiscale Euler Lagrange model describing transport processes (heat and mass transfer) of SMR and DRM occurring in polydisperse fixed beds heated by a direct current flowing through electrically conductive particles. Numerical investigation of the impact of scaleup on the reactor efficiency regarding methane conversion. 2. Experimental (lab-scale) and numerical studies of steam methane reforming and dry reforming of methane driven by a direct current (DC) used to heat electrically conductive particles (using the Joule heating effect) to sustain' the temperature for endothermic chemical reactions inside a fixed bed. The vision followed by the project in the long term consists in the development of new, efficient energy storage technologies to convert renewable energy and turn methane and carbon dioxide, which are basic greenhouse gases, into syngas which can be then used in the production of different chemicals. The short-term goal of this project consists in the development and validation of a comprehensive multiscale Euler-Lagrange-based computational model which can be used to predict the main parameters of a new type of fixed-bed reactor for steam methane reforming and dry reforming of methane. The project's success will help advance knowledge on the fundamentals of steam methane reforming and dry reforming of methane driven by the Joule heating effect, supplied by electricity from renewable energy sources such as the wind and sun.

一种很有前途的储能技术是将电流直接转换为化学能，即所谓的“电化”（E2C）。在化学品中储存电能的一种选择是使用所谓的蒸汽甲烷重整（SMR）和/或甲烷干重整（DRM）。SMR是将甲烷和蒸汽转化为合成气（CO和H2），一种一氧化碳和氢气的混合物。由于SMR和DRM的高吸热特性，这两个过程都需要大量的热量供应。