Fundamentals of fluidized bed membrane reactors

With the integration of membranes in fluidized bed reactors a large extent of process intensification can be achieved, especially for the production of ultra-pure hydrogen. However, the integration of membranes and their configuration, as well as the effect of permeation of gas through the membranes influence  the fluidization behaviour significantly. This is particularly important in view of the extremely high permeation fluxes that can be reached nowadays with the latest ultra-thin film supported Pd-based hydrogen membranes and the resulting concentration polarization. In this presentation our experimental and modelling studies to better understand and quantify these phenomena will be highlighted in order to exploit these effects and optimize the reactor performance.