Design of novel Pd-alloy membranes with controlled composition, homogeneity and nanostructure for hydrogen production under harsh conditions

The primary large-scale industrial hydrogen production route is from natural gas through a process that involves two equilibrium-limited reactions: the steam reforming and the subsequent WGS step, to arrive at a gas which is rich in H2 and low in CO. Hydr ogen selective membranes have frequently been studied in membrane reactors for water-gas shift (WGS-MR) and steam reforming (SR-MR) reactions to simultaneously achieve a high methane conversion, and production of pure H2. A key feature of this process int ensification, achieving pre-combustion decarbonisation, is that such a membrane reactor would produce both a high pressure CO2 stream, and high-purity H2 for power generation or propulsion. This can greatly facilitate the economics of carbon sequestration as recently been demonstrated by the 6th FP EU-CACHET Project. The development of efficient hydrogen selective membranes for the above-mentioned process must be tailored with respect to the hydrogen permeation performance, and the membrane stability und er process conditions. Thermal stability, sulphur resistance, and flux inhibition by CO are of particularly high importance, since previous studies by us and others show them to be the most important hindrance for wide-spread use of the technology. The st ate-of-the-art SINTEF Pd-alloy membrane technology, developed through previous FUNMAT/EU projects, and the running 6th FP EU-CCP CACHET project provides a basis for breakthrough development in this respect. This protected two stage membrane manufacturing technology, based on magnetron sputtering, offers an unique opportunity to tailor-make radically improved multi-component Pd-alloy membranes with controlled structure and composition. The partners' basic knowledge in this field has been built to a high level through funding by NFR and the EU. The present project proposes extensive efforts to pursue these fundamental topics further by bridging the gap between theory and application of these membranes.