Process intensified syngas production with selective field-enhanced heating

Magnetic induction heating offers a promising path to high-efficiency, volumetric, wireless heat production in a target susceptor (i.e., structure in the reactor that is getting heated). When properly configured in a chemical reactor, this technology can reduce capital expenditure and miniaturize the reactor through process intensification. Further, when utilized with a renewable electricity source like solar or wind, it can displace greenhouse gas emissions otherwise associated with producing heat from burning fossil fuels. However, it remains a challenge to adapt magnetic induction to the heating of susceptors within reactors, as the well-understood metal-walled vessels utilized in chemical reactor construction screen the magnetic fields from an external coil, preventing inductive coupling.

In this project, we propose to utilize electromagnetic resonators within a reactor to enable efficient and volumetric induction heating within metal body reactor systems. The resonator will serve to reshape magnetic fields, reducing parasitic power dissipation and improving coupling efficiency in the metal vessel. We will additionally compare these methods with other more conventional induction heating schemes, including: 1) directly heating the pressure vessel itself as a susceptor; 2) coupling magnetic fields directly through a conductive body to an internal susceptor via structuring a metal pressure vessel to allow the magnetic field to penetrate; and 3) placing the coil directly inside of the metal body. We anticipate that our proposed approach is scalable and will enable chemical conversion in commercially relevant temperature and pressurization regimes.