Heat and Mass Transfer Analysis for the Catalytic Lean Methane Combustion Reaction in Ceramic and Metallic Foams

Methane combustion under lean conditions was investigated on structured catalysts. Among them, open cell foams (OCFs) are an attractive alternative for process intensification. A series of 3 wt% PdO on Co3O4 catalysts coated on metallic (FeCrAl) and ceramic (Al) OCFs were tested to evaluate the effect of the support material in terms of mass and heat limitations. The OFCs were characterized by FESEM analysis, and the catalysts through XRD, BET physisorption, and chemisorption analysis. The reactor was fed at different weight hourly space velocities (WHSV, 30, 60, and 90 NL h-1 gcat-1) and inlet methane concentrations (0.5 and 1 vol%) to examine the catalytic performance. Mass transfer effects were evaluated using the characteristic resistances (kinetic, internal, and external mass transfer). Heat transfer effects were analyzed using the Mears and Anderson criteria.