2.2.1. Concept 1 – partial combustion
In Concept 1, a part of the input methane is combusted to produce the heat demand of TDM reaction of the remaining methane.The overall reaction equation combines the methane combustion
and TDM as is shown in Eq. (2).
CH4 þ 2yðO2 þ 3:77N2Þ ! aðC þ 2H2Þþð1 a yÞCH4
The degree of methane conversion, i.e., the molar fraction of decomposed methane, is denoted by a. The degree of methane conversion depends on the reaction conditions, such as temperature
and reaction time. Thus, the achieved degree of methane conversion is dependent on the selection of reactor parameters such as dimensions, volumetric gas flow, and temperature. Eq. (2) repre-
sents the overall reaction equation that occurs in combustion and quench chamber shown in Fig. 1.Heat of conversion (Q) is the total energy requirement of the conversion process in the concepts. In Concept 1 the heat of conversion is the sum of the required reaction enthalpy ðDHrÞ and the sensible heat of air and methane:
þ yðCO2 þ 2H2O þ 7:52N2Þ ð2Þ