Tailoring the Reactor Properties in the Small-Scale Sorption-Enhanced Methanol Synthesis

The performance of a fixed-bed and entrained flow reactor for the sorption-enhanced methanol synthesis from CO2 is assessed by modelling. Both reactors achieve good performance but show possible drawbacks. The fixed bed reactor requires several units working in parallel, while the entrained flow reactor needs a large volume due to the high superficial particle velocity. We propose a new reactor type, which combines a circulating sorbent with a fluidized bed methanol catalyst in bubbling regime. This solution achieves high CO2 conversion with high space velocity in a continuous manner.