State-of-the-art in methane-reforming reactor modeling: challenges and new insights

Abstract The reforming of methane is an important industrial process, and reactor modeling and simulation is frequently employed as a design and analysis tool in understanding this process. While much research work is devoted to catalyst formulations, reaction mechanisms, and reactor designs, this review aims to summarize the literature concerning the simulation of methane reforming. Applications in industrial practice are highlighted, and the three main approaches to representing the reactions are briefly discussed. An overview of simulation studies focusing on methane reforming is presented. The three central methods for fixed-bed reactor modeling are discussed. Various approaches and modern examples are discussed, presenting their modeling methods and key findings. The overall objective of this paper is to provide a dedicated review of simulation work done for methane reforming and provide a reference for understanding this field and identifying possible new paths.