Numerical studies of sorption-enhanced glycerol steam reforming in a fluidized bed membrane reactor at low temperature.

In order to improve the hydrogen production efficiency by glycerol steam reforming, a membrane-assisted fluidized bed reactor with carbon dioxide sorption is developed to enhance the reforming process. Low-temperature operation in a membrane reactor is necessary considering the thermal stability of membrane. In this work, the sorption-enhanced glycerol steam reforming process in a fluidized bed membrane reactor under the condition of low temperature is numerically investigated, where the hydrotalcite is employed as CO 2 sorbents. The impact of operating pressure on the reforming performance is further evaluated. The results demonstrate that the integration of membrane hydrogen separation and CO 2 sorption can effectively enhance the low-temperature glycerol reforming performance. The fuel conversion above 95% can be achieved under an elevated pressure. • Low-temperature glycerol reforming is investigated considering membrane stability. • Fuel conversion above 95% is achieved under high pressure condition. • Capacity of hydrotalcite as low-temperature sorbents is examined. • Concentration polarization by membrane separation in a fluidized bed is analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]