A Response Surface Methodology Approach to Enhancing the Performance of CO2 Methanation Pilot Plant System

Abstract

Considerable attention has been devoted to the technological advancement of non-fossil fuel energy sources to mitigate carbon emissions and establish a sustainable energy infrastructure for future generations. One of the primary obstacles encountered in the generation of power from renewable energy sources pertains to the storage of the variable energy output. The integrated process has been developed to evaluate the feasibility of the carbon dioxide (CO₂) methanation reaction with the integration of renewable energy sources to power up hydrogen production. The Sabatier reaction principle was used to carry out CO₂ methanation in a pilot system of a two-stage catalytic packed bed methanation reactor. Hydrogen was added to get a conversion rate of up to 99%. The focus of this paper was to conduct a comprehensive examination of the response surface methodology (RSM) applied to a pilot system. The goal was to determine the optimal operating parameters for the carbon dioxide methanation process using a commercial catalyst known as nickel or alumina. The study looked at the reactions of CO₂ conversion and CH₄ selectivity, with two important factors being the temperature of the reactor column, which could be anywhere from 150 to 350 °C, and the flow rate of hydrogen, which could be anywhere from 7.9 to 9.9 L/min. The central composite design was selected as the methodology for constructing the optimal condition. Consequently, the numerical analysis conducted in this study was corroborated by experimental data, with an observed percentage error of around 0.5% under similar operating conditions.