Characterization of catalytic combustion of DME in the fixed bed reactor

This paper presents an experimental study on the catalytic combustion of dimethyl ether under different oxidation conditions via a catalytic reactor filled with lab-made catalyst. The catalytic reactor is mounted in a tubular furnace for the purpose of heating and maintaining an isothermal boundary. The reaction profiles and light-off process are characterized by measuring the temperature time profiles, the axial temperature distribution in the reactor, and the average reaction temperature for various fuel quantities with different isothermal boundaries of reactor. The results show that the self-ignition of dimethyl ether without preheating cannot be initiated at room temperature. To ignite the catalytic reaction, the reactor needs to be preheated to 400K or higher. During the light-off process, the main exothermal reaction zone shift is found. The results also demonstrate that a higher equivalence ratio of reactants produces a higher temperature, resulting in more heat transferring upstream, which causes a higher conversion ratio. For the same equivalence ratio, a higher isothermal boundary temperature will result in a higher conversion ratio. A longer residence time is required for cases with a lower equivalence ratio of reactants or a lower isothermal boundary of reactor.