Developments of Catalysts and Materials for Compact Steam Reformer

There are many smaller-scale gas resources, including stranded gas and associated gas, which have currently not been used due to large environmental and economic cost. Recognizing that these could provide a tremendous resource for producing clean fuels, large efforts have been devoted to develop compact or microchannel reactor technology that allows gas-to-liquids (GTL) to work on a much smaller scale. The present project has developed a compact reformer technology to convert remote nature gas to synthesis gas and achieved a high volumetric productivity and energy efficiency by high integration between the exothermic combustion of catalytic total combustion and endothermic steam reforming reaction of nature gas with methane as the main component. The highly active catalysts, small particles of catalysts with high effectiveness factor and high heat flex of the microchannel reactor are the main features of the technology. A highly active, selective and stable Ni-Co bimetallic catalyst derived from hydrotalcite has been developed by combined DFT based microkinetic modeling and design, advanced catalyst preparation and design, as well as experimental kinetic study. The Bimetallic catalysts are highly active and stable for both steam reforming and total combustion of methane. The project has also addressed a second, important challenge for microchannel reactors, namely metal dusting. Here, fundamental investigations has provided better understanding and prediction of carbon formation phenomena leading to metal dusting. This will enable optimum alloy selection and development of procedures alloy pretreatment procedures that minimize metal dusting corrosion. The technology and expertise developed will make it more attractive to invest in industrial processing of natural gas and biogas in Norway.

There are many smaller-scale gas resources, including stranded gas and associated gas, which are currently wasted at great environmental and economic cost. Recognizing that these could provide a tremendous resource for producing clean fuels, large efforts have been devoted to develop compact or microchannel reactor technology that allows gas to liquids (GTL) to work on a much smaller scale. In the proposed project, we plan to combine our competencies in chemical reaction engineering, catalysis and kinetic s; metallurgy, carbon formation and metal dusting; modelling, surface science and advanced characterization to develop compact reformer technology. The ultimate goal of the project is to develop microchannel rector to achieve the maximum volumetric produc tivity and energy efficiency. The work aims to provide design and optimization of the catalysts and the reformer structure, and control of metal dusting issues that are particularly critical to compact reformers. This is potentially achieved through a com bination of experimental and modeling efforts that target maximizing the volumetric productivity of the microchannel reformer by optimum integration of combustion and steam reforming channels, developing highly active Ni based catalyst to achieve the maxi mum reaction rate, and, finally, controlling metal dusting corrosion phenomena by optimized materials selection and pre-treatment procedures. The expertise developed will make it more attractive to invest in industrial processing of natural gas in Norway.