People's Democratic Republic of Algeria

Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research

University August 20, 1955 SKIKDA
Faculty of Technologies
Department of Petrochemistry and Process Engineering
Sector: Petrochemicals
Speciality: 1st Year Master in Petrochemistry and Polymer
Processes

TP on:

Conversion reactor simulation in

Aspen Hysys

 Produced by:

 AHMED KHENNOUCHE

Academic year: 2021-202

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In this work we will simulate the reaction of hydrogen production by the

oxidation of methane in a conversion reactor.

• Introduction
Process simulation is extremely beneficial to engineers, allowing them to better understand
processes, identify process benefits and limitations, and provide quantitative process results
and properties. Modeling reactors and their corresponding reactions is inherently difficult but
can be rewarding if done correctly.

HYSYS is a powerful engineering simulation tool, uniquely created in program architecture,

interface design, engineering capabilities and interactive operation. Integrated steady-state and
dynamic modeling capabilities, where the same model can be evaluated from either
perspective with full sharing of process information, represent a significant advancement in
the software industry. engineering.

• Conversion reaction:
A conversion reaction is the simplest type in HYSYS. A conversion reaction operates on a
stoichiometric basis and will proceed until the limiting reagent is exhausted or until the
specified conversion has been reached. These reactions do not work well with other reactions
occurring simultaneously and should be used exclusively with other conversion reactions
(Reactions in HYSYS). When specifying the conversion fraction, it is important to use the
percentage form rather than the decimal form; which means input 50 rather than .5 for half the
conversion.

• Conversion reactor:
The Conversion Reactor is a CSTR that specializes in conversion reactions and therefore can
only work with reaction sets that include this type of reaction. Unique to this reactor, the X
conversion becomes a process variable defined as:

𝑋 = (𝑁𝐴,𝑖𝑛 − 𝑁𝐴,𝑜𝑢𝑡)/𝑁𝐴,𝑖𝑛

where A is the basic component of the reaction. Like other variables, this can be resolved by
HYSYS or specified by the user based on degrees of freedom analysis.

The conversion is defined by the base component specified when defining the reaction. The
HYSYS conversion equation provides the ability to define a temperature-based conversion to
the first and second powers, for the second and third terms, respectively, of the equation. If
these terms are set to zero, the conversion will continue as a constant value defined in the first
term of the equation. In the figure, the conversion is not temperature dependent and will
convert 50% of the base component to products.

Due to the simplicity of this type of reaction, this reactor can integrate several different
reactions in the same unit. The product of one reaction can serve as a reactant for another, and
so on. This can be extremely useful for complex reactor designs.

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• The production of hydrogen by partial oxidation:

Partial oxidation can be carried out on more or less heavy products ranging from natural gas
to heavy residues, coal or biomass. From an economic point of view, the use of these heavy
loads for hydrogen production is only justified when the additional investment compared to
steam reforming is offset by the lower cost of the raw material, heavy petroleum residues,
petroleum coke or coal for example. At high temperature (typically 900 to 1500°C) and high
pressure (typically 20 to 60 bar), in the presence of oxygen as an oxidant and a temperature
moderator (water vapour), the Partial oxidation of hydrocarbons leads, like steam reforming,
to the production of syngas. In contrast, the reaction is exothermic and proceeds (usually)
without a catalyst. Since the 1940s with the Lurgi process, many Gasification technologies
exist at the industrial stage. The two major technologies are the Shell and Texaco processes.

• Statement of the problem:

Interest in the production of hydrogen from hydrocarbons has grown considerably over the
past decade. Efficient hydrogen production is an enabling technology, directly related to the
fuel cell energy conversion device. The conversion of fuels into hydrogen can be achieved by
partial oxidation. The partial oxidation process relies on the reaction of fuel such as methane
with air to produce oxides of carbon and hydrogen.

𝐶𝐻4 + ½ 𝑂2 ⟶𝐶𝑂2 + 2𝐻240% conversion

𝐶𝐻4 + 𝑂2 ⟶ 𝐶𝑂2 + 2𝐻2 60% conversion

• Conditions :

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Diagram represents the simulation of a conversion reactor.