Update: PDH case demonstrator at TU/e (TRL 5)
- 03/01/2025
At TU/e, the membrane-assisted propane dehydrogenation demonstration will be performed in a stainless-steel tubular membrane reactor (internal diameter = 52.51 mm, length excluding freeboard = 400 mm) accommodating 4 Pd-Ag membranes which can be slid upwards through the reactor’s freeboard to sustain regeneration (Figure 1). The membranes will be immersed in a fluidized bed of catalyst (300 g, developed inhouse, Pt Sn/HTC MG70, UNISA).
Figure 1. Fluidized bed membrane reactor for PDH demonstration at TU/e (left) and its internal design for membrane regeneration (right).
Figure 2. Schematic representation of PDH demonstration setup at TU/e. (1) gas feeding system (C3H8, N2, H2, and Air via Bronkhorst mass flow controllers); (2) controlled evaporation system; (3) MACBETH PDH fluidized bed reactor; (4) steam condensation system; (5) analysis zone (micro-GC and Horiba bubble flowmeters).
Figure 3. PDH plant at TU/e laboratories. Before tracing and insulation (left), traced and insulated for operation (right).
Figure 4. Preliminary C3H8 conversion at 550°C, 2bar, 2x umf per GC injection. The test was performed as preliminary factory acceptance test to evaluate the acceptability of the experimental error.
The results highlighted a umf of ~0.003 m/s at 20 °C, which decreased to ~0.0012 m/s at 500 °C. This led to a feed selection of ~2x umf, corresponding to ~350 ml/min of C3H8, accounting for the additional production of H2 given by the PDH reaction.
