Ignition and quenching behaviour of high pressure CH4 catalytic combustion over a LaMnO3 honeycomb

In the present work, we report experimental results for the behaviour of a LaMnO3-based honeycomb in the catalytic combustion of methane, in particular during the start-up and shut-down operations at different pressures. Methane ignition is mainly driven by heterogeneous reactions. The temperature increase due to the heat developed on the catalyst surface is responsible for ignition of homogeneous reactions, allowing the complete fuel consumption. On the other hand, during quenching, the homogeneous reaction front moves towards the exit of the catalytic reactor; a rapid drop in the mean reactor temperature and methane conversion is detected. According to our results, quenching appears to be related to the decrease in the heat generated by homogeneous reactions. Copyright �� 2013, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l.