(198g) Protected SiC Catalyst Support for Steam Methane Reforming Reaction

There is an ever-growing need for hydrogen for use in petroleum refining, and in the production of methanol and ammonia production. Steam methane reforming (SMR) is an important reaction due to its importance in hydrogen production. SMR is a highly endothermic reaction (ΔH_R = 206 kJ/mol). This implies that heat must be delivered to surfaces onto which SMR occurs efficiently. Thus, high thermal conductivity catalysts and catalyst supports will enable reactors to operate with lower energy input which will lead to lowering the operating costs. The spillover effect is that hydrogen can be produced at lower cost and this leads to cost savings and higher profitability for hydrogen manufacturers. Current catalyst designs don’t offer the advantage of efficient heat conductivities.

Nexceris has designed an innovative catalyst, trademarked HeatPath^TM. This technology was developed after a series of modeling studies suggested that the impact of increasing the efficiency of heat delivery on hydrogen production was significantly larger than the impact of increasing catalyst activity. Being an equilibrium-controlled reaction, conventional catalysts deliver the needed activity in SMR and so there is less value in designing a higher activity catalyst. However, in terms of lowering the cost of hydrogen production, energy input is a major variable that ought to be controlled. HeatPath^TM has enhanced heat transfer, which leads to increased methane reforming at relatively lower temperatures. Here, we will review the development pathway, as well as characterization results of HeatPath^TM, and will discuss why this technology offers the best opportunity for lowering the cost of hydrogen production.