Maximum Hydrogen Production Rate Optimization for Tubular Steam Methane Reforming Reactor

The performance of a steam methane reforming (SMR) reactor is optimized by using the theory of finite time thermodynamics in this paper. The maximum hydrogen production rate (HPR) and the corresponding optimal exterior wall temperature (EWT) and the optimal pressure of the reaction mixture (PRM) profiles in the SMR reactor are obtained by using nonlinear programming method. In the optimization process, the fixed inlet mole flow rate of components, the thresholds of the state variables and the conservation equations are taken as the constraints. The performance of the optimal reactor is compared with that of the reference reactor with a linear EWT profile. The results show that the HPR of the optimal reactor increases by about 11.8 %. The optimal EWT profile is alike with the linear EWT profile. The HPR increases with the increase of the inlet temperature of reaction mixture and the decrease of the inlet PRM. The influence of the TRM on the HPR is smaller than that of the PRM. The results obtained herein are helpful to the optimal design of practical tubular reactors.