Effect of the Porosity Distribution on the Industrial-Scale DRI Reforming Process

In the direct reduced iron (DRI) reforming process, the catalyst shape and packing in the reformer tube influence the local porosity distribution that in turn influences the local flow field, pressure drop, reforming reaction rates, and ultimately reduced gas quality and temperature. In the present work, a computational fluid dynamics model was developed to simulate the industrial-scale reforming process. The influence of different porosity mapping approaches on the reformer performance are compared for different catalyst shapes: (i) uniform porosity obtained from bulk voidage measurements and (ii) variable radial porosity generated from the discrete element method simulations of randomly packed beds.

Dr Sirisha Parvathaneni | ArcelorMittal
 

Mr Marcelo Andrade | ArcelorMittal