PhD position M/F : Design and CFD study of an intensified Pillow reactor for methanol synthesis

The Reactions and Process Engineering Laboratory (LRGP) is a joint research laboratory of the CNRS and the University of Lorraine. It is located in Nancy, France's second largest student city. It is mainly located in the city centre, on the premises of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Industries Chimiques de Nancy (ENSIC). The research laboratory is a leading chemical and process engineering laboratory in France and worldwide (18 CNRS researchers, 82 teacher-researchers, 43 technical and administrative staff and 180 non-permanent staff: contract researchers, doctoral students, post-doctoral students and master's students).
The thesis is part of the European M2ARE project: (Maritime Methanol: Adaptable, Renewable, and Environmentally-friendly)

In strong collaboration with the PhD student working on the preliminary design of the reactor based on Process synthesis approach , an approximate (1D) model taking into account heat and mass transfer correlations, we will study how a pillow plate type geometry can meet the process specifications. A 3D geometry of the reactor integrating reactant and product flows, as well as heat exchange fluids, will be proposed. A detailed 3D mathematical model of the reactor, or part of the reactor, will be developed using CFD (Fluent) to determine the actual performance of the equipment. The hydrodynamic study without reaction will firstly enable us to understand the nature of the internal flows in the pillow plate geometry and to determine the local heat and massl transfer characteristics, which are not available by measurement. Secondly, the reactive case with the catalytic bed will be studied, in order to predict the overall performance of the real reactor. A mock-up of the reactor-exchanger, or part of it, will be produced using 3D polymer manufacturing to carry out preliminary cold tests (without reaction) in order to acquire additional data that will be used to validate the model and also to provide useful correlations for the design. This data could include the measurement of pressure drop, but also more general information useful for the design of functional equipment, such as the assessment of catalyst filling and emptying in the reactor modules, and the assessment of the fluidic parts of the feed and discharge tubes to ensure uniform distribution of currents between modules. The results of the model will be compared with the experimental results obtained by the industrial partner. The objectives are multiple:
to show that the new reactor geometry provides a performance gain compared with a conventional reactor,
to validate the steady-state reactor model, and
to demonstrate the robustness of the system by studying different static and even dynamic operating regimes, in order to take account of changes in operating regime in the scenarios on the variation in H2 production.

Based on the results and conclusions of an initial measurement campaign, improvements to the reactor can be made. The 3D model will be a useful aid in designing these improvements. A new generation of reactor will be built and tested in a second measurement campaign. Eventually, a simplified model of the reactor, based on the conclusions of the 1D and 3D models, will be produced, to be integrated into a process simulation tool (Aspen, Prosim) in order to simulate a complete methanol synthesis process using the new pillow-plate type technologies.