Novel Structured Catalytic Reactors

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2020) | Viewed by 17583

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
CNR- Institute of Sciences and Technologies for Sustainable Energy and Mobility, Naples, Italy
Interests: development of structured multi-functional and hybrid catalytic reactors; Hydrogen/syngas production (steam/dry/tri- reforming, partial oxidation, CO2/H2O solar thermochemical splitting); catalytic upgrading of by-products and/or waste streams (glycerol, waste organic solvents); environmental catalysis (deNOx, DPF, VOC, CH4 abatement); hydrogen purification for fuel cells (CO-PROX); high pressure catalytic combustion
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Dear Colleagues,

Robustness, low pressure drops, and high catalyst efficiency are some of the key features that have allowed for structured catalytic reactors penetrating into the technological market in the past decades. For instance, they are the main technology used in the pollutant abatement (TWC, DPF, stationary and mobile SCR, etc.).

On the other hand, drawbacks, such as low volumetric catalyst density (requiring large reactor volumes), limiting mass transfer from the gas to the solid phase (especially in honeycomb monolith where laminar flow prevails), low thermal conductivity in ceramic monoliths, or adhesion problems on metallic substrates, have stimulated researchers worldwide, and, consequently, novel structured catalytic reactors and/or novel preparation approaches have been studied, leading to structured systems with improved features.

In particular, hybrid systems (such as packed foams), multi-functional and/or multi-scale “hierarchical” (based on 3-DOM and/or inverse opal structure) catalytic reactors, and micro-reactors have been investigated. The benefits included (but were not limited to) improved transport properties and process intensification. Advanced structured catalytic reactors also required the development of novel preparation techniques. Among others, there will be particular attention to 3D printing, multi-scale (from nano to macro) assembling, and electro-deposition.

A key feature of the structured catalytic reactors is the co-occurrence of multiple chemical and physical phenomena (mass transfer to, inside, and from the catalytic layer, radial, and axial heat transfer, and a chemical reaction on the catalyst surface), related not only to the intrinsic features of the active phase, but also to the substrate properties. In this respect, several phenomena have been understood and/or previewed by numerical studies, especially by CFD simulations.

This Special Issue will be focused on the recent advances in the novel structured catalytic reactors configurations and advanced preparation techniques. Both experimental and numerical studies are welcome.

Dr. Gianluca Landi
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Multi-functional structured catalysts
  • Hybrid structured catalysts
  • Hierarchical structured catalysts
  • 3D printing
  • Electro-deposition
  • CFD simulations
  • Heat and mass transport properties in structured catalysts

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 159 KiB  
Editorial
Novel Structured Catalytic Reactors
by Gianluca Landi
Catalysts 2021, 11(12), 1472; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11121472 - 1 Dec 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1195
Abstract
Structured catalytic reactors are widely used in the automotive sector for exhaust after-treatment, thus representing the state-of-art technology in this sector [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Structured Catalytic Reactors)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

13 pages, 6574 KiB  
Article
Fuel Pretreatment Systems in Modern CI Engines
by Jacek Eliasz, Tomasz Osipowicz, Karol Franciszek Abramek, Zbigniew Matuszak and Łukasz Mozga
Catalysts 2020, 10(6), 696; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal10060696 - 20 Jun 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2922
Abstract
The article concerns the possibility of using a fuel pretreatment system in modern compression ignition CI engines, the main task of which is the reduction of toxic emissions in the form of exhaust gases. This fuel pretreatment system consists of a catalytic reactor [...] Read more.
The article concerns the possibility of using a fuel pretreatment system in modern compression ignition CI engines, the main task of which is the reduction of toxic emissions in the form of exhaust gases. This fuel pretreatment system consists of a catalytic reactor used in common rail (CR), and a modified fuel atomizer into spiral‒elliptical channels covered with catalytic material. In the system presented here, platinum was the catalyst. The catalyst’s task is to cause the dehydrogenation reaction of paraffin hydrocarbons contained in the fuel to create an olefin form, with the release of a free hydrogen molecule. In the literature, the methods of using catalysts in the exhaust systems of engines, or in combustion chambers, injection pumps, or fuel injectors, are known. However, the use of a catalytic reactor in the CR system in a high-pressure fuel atomizer rail is an innovative project proposed by the authors. Conditions in the high-pressure CR system are favorable for the catalyst’s operation. In addition, the spiral‒elliptical channels made on the inoperative part of the fuel atomizer needle increase the flow turbulence and contact surface for the catalyst. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Structured Catalytic Reactors)
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13 pages, 4856 KiB  
Article
A Novel Catalytic Micro-Combustor Inspired by the Nasal Geometry of Reindeer: CFD Modeling and Simulation
by Valeria Di Sarli, Marco Trofa and Almerinda Di Benedetto
Catalysts 2020, 10(6), 606; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal10060606 - 31 May 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2807
Abstract
A three-dimensional CFD model of a novel configuration of catalytic micro-combustor inspired by the nasal geometry of reindeer was developed using the commercial code ANSYS Fluent 19.0. The thermal behavior of this nature-inspired (NI) configuration was investigated through simulations of lean propane/air combustion [...] Read more.
A three-dimensional CFD model of a novel configuration of catalytic micro-combustor inspired by the nasal geometry of reindeer was developed using the commercial code ANSYS Fluent 19.0. The thermal behavior of this nature-inspired (NI) configuration was investigated through simulations of lean propane/air combustion performed at different values of residence time (i.e., inlet gas velocity) and (external convective) heat transfer coefficient. Simulations at the same conditions were also run for a standard parallel-channel (PC) configuration of equivalent dimensions. Numerical results show that the operating window of stable combustion is wider in the case of the NI configuration. In particular, the blow-out behavior is substantially the same for the two configurations. Conversely, the extinction behavior, which is dominated by competition between the heat losses towards the external environment and the heat produced by combustion, differs. The NI configuration exhibits a greater ability than the PC configuration to keep the heat generated by combustion trapped inside the micro-reactor. As a consequence, extinction occurs at higher values of residence time and heat transfer coefficient for this novel configuration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Structured Catalytic Reactors)
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20 pages, 3463 KiB  
Article
Insights on a Methanation Catalyst Aging Process: Aging Characterization and Kinetic Study
by Eduard Alexandru Morosanu, Fabio Salomone, Raffaele Pirone and Samir Bensaid
Catalysts 2020, 10(3), 283; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal10030283 - 2 Mar 2020
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4670
Abstract
Power to gas systems is one of the most interesting long-term energy storage solutions. As a result of the high exothermicity of the CO2 methanation reaction, the catalyst in the methanation subsystem is subjected to thermal stress. Therefore, the performance of a [...] Read more.
Power to gas systems is one of the most interesting long-term energy storage solutions. As a result of the high exothermicity of the CO2 methanation reaction, the catalyst in the methanation subsystem is subjected to thermal stress. Therefore, the performance of a commercial Ni/Al2O3 catalyst was investigated over a series of 100 hour-long tests and in-process relevant conditions, i.e. 5 bar from 270 to 500 °C. Different characterization techniques were employed to determine the mechanism of the observed performance loss (N2 physisorption, XRD, TPO). The TPO analysis excluded carbon deposition as a possible cause of catalyst aging. The BET analysis evidenced a severe reduction in the total surface area for the catalyst samples tested at higher temperatures. Furthermore, a direct correlation was found between the catalyst activity decline and the drop of the catalyst specific surface. In order to correctly design a reliable methanation reactor, it is essential to have a kinetic model that includes also the aging kinetics. For this purpose, the second set of experiments was carried out, in order to determine the intrinsic kinetics of the catalyst. The kinetic parameters were identified by using nonlinear regression analysis. Finally, a power-law aging model was proposed to consider the performance loss in time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Structured Catalytic Reactors)
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13 pages, 3659 KiB  
Article
Metal Foams as Novel Catalyst Support in Environmental Processes
by Anna Gancarczyk, Katarzyna Sindera, Marzena Iwaniszyn, Marcin Piątek, Wojciech Macek, Przemysław J. Jodłowski, Sebastian Wroński, Maciej Sitarz, Joanna Łojewska and Andrzej Kołodziej
Catalysts 2019, 9(7), 587; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal9070587 - 5 Jul 2019
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 5182
Abstract
Metal foams are considered as promising catalyst carriers due to their high porosity, large specific surface area, and satisfactory thermal and mechanical stability. The study presents heat transfer and pressure drop experiments performed for seven foams of different pore densities made from diverse [...] Read more.
Metal foams are considered as promising catalyst carriers due to their high porosity, large specific surface area, and satisfactory thermal and mechanical stability. The study presents heat transfer and pressure drop experiments performed for seven foams of different pore densities made from diverse metals. Mass transfer characteristics are derived using the Chilton–Colburn analogy. It was found that the foams display much more intense heat/mass transfer than a monolith, comparable to packed bed. Next, the foams’ efficiencies have been compared, using 1D reactor modeling, in catalytic reactions displaying either slower (selective catalytic reduction of NOx) or faster kinetics (catalytic methane combustion). For the slow kinetics, the influence of carrier specific surface area at which catalyst can be deposited (i.e., catalyst amount) was decisive to achieve high process conversion and short reactor. For this case, monolith appears as the best choice assuming it’s the lowest pressure drop. For the fast reaction, the mass transfer becomes the limiting parameter, thus solid foams are the best solution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Structured Catalytic Reactors)
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