Hydrocarbon reforming for pure H2 production in catalytic membrane reactors

FUEL 4

Jerry H. Meldon, jerry.meldon@tufts.edu, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Tufts University, Science and Technology Center, 4 Colby Street, Medford, MA 02155
Catalytic membrane reactors (CMR's) couple reaction and separation in a single operation. When the membrane selectively removes product(s), conversion may exceed the value determined by closed system equilibrium. In the case of steam reforming of hydrocarbons for hydrogen production, numerous investigators have employed palladium and Pd-alloy membranes to promote conversion and recover essentially CO-free - i.e., PEM fuel cell quality - hydrogen. Design of cost- and space-efficient devices requires judicious matching of catalytic activity with membrane permeance. Which of the two - catalyst or membrane development – should be prioritized, is a non-trivial question. This paper presents a theoretical analysis and supporting experimental data, that make it possible to answer that question in the case of hydrogen production via hydrocarbon reforming in Pd-alloy-based CMR's.