Kinetic Modeling of Autothermal Reforming of Dimethyl Ether

A global kinetic model was developed for the autothermal reforming of dimethyl ether (DME) over a Pd-Zn/Al2O3 catalyst on a cordierite monolith. A kinetic model consisting of five key overall reactions was found to capture the main features of experimental data. The modeling also accounted for heat transport effects in the reactor that are of importance when coupling the exothermic oxidation reactions with endothermic steam reforming reactions. The modeling confirmed that oxidation reactions dominate near the inlet of the reactor, generating a local hot spot. The heat from oxidation reactions accelerates the reforming reactions. Water adsorption was found to have a weak detrimental influence on the activity. On the basis of the model, the influence of the reactor scale and oxygen supply by air feed on the performance of the reactor was examined.