Title: Computational fluid dynamics based model development and exergy analysis of naphtha reforming reactors

Authors: Jawad Mustafa; Iftikhar Ahmad; Muhammad Ahsan; Manabu Kano

Addresses: Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical and Materials Engineering (SCME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad 44000, H-12, Pakistan ' Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical and Materials Engineering (SCME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad 44000, H-12, Pakistan ' Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical and Materials Engineering (SCME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad 44000, H-12, Pakistan ' Department of Systems Science, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan

Abstract: Energy analysis methods are either based on the first law or a combination of the first and second law of thermodynamics. The conventional method of energy analysis based on the first law of thermodynamics is inadequate because it cannot grasp the effect of system irreversibilities. Exergy analysis which embeds the second law of thermodynamics in the conventional method overcomes this deficiency and represents the true thermodynamic efficiency of the process. In this work, a novel technique based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is proposed to perform exergy analysis of naphtha reforming reactors. Three reactors, connected in series, are used and all the three types of exergy, i.e., physical exergy, chemical exergy and mixing exergy, are examined. The results show that the physical and mixing exergy in the reactors is decreasing along the length of the reactors whereas the chemical energy increases due to the high chemical potential of products.

Keywords: exergy analysis; naphtha reforming reactors; second law of thermodynamics; chemical potential; CFD; computational fluid dynamics; thermodynamic efficiency.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEX.2017.087696

International Journal of Exergy, 2017 Vol.24 No.2/3/4, pp.344 - 363

Received: 27 Mar 2017
Accepted: 17 Jul 2017

Published online: 30 Oct 2017 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article