METHANOL DECOMPOSITION BY AN INNER FIN TUBE REACTOR

An attempt was made to produce an inner fin-type tubular reactor for methanol decomposition. Raney nickel alloy catalyst was attached to the surface of the inner wall and fin. The reaction and heat transfer performance of this type of reactor were compared with those of the packed-bed reactor. The reaction performance of the reactors was found to be controlled. by the heat transfer rate. The overall heat transfer coefficient for the inner fin-type reactor was about 20 times larger than that for the packed-bed reactor. It was suggested that the former reactor is effective for on-board reforming, which requires excellent dynamic characteristics and compact reactor size. © by THE SOCIETY OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERS, JAPAN.