Performance of an oxygen-permeable membrane reactor for partial oxidation of methane in coke oven gas to syngas

• Published in: Fuel (Guildford) 2011, Vol.90 (1), p.324-330
• Main Authors: Zhang, Yuwen, Liu, Jiao, Ding, Weizhong, Lu, Xionggang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alternative fuels. Production and utilization; Applied sciences; Catalysts; Cog; Coke oven gas; Energy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Exact sciences and technology; Flux; Fuels; Hydrogen; Hydrogen production; Membranes; Methane; Mixed-conducting oxygen-permeable membrane reactor; Oxidation; Permeation; Reaction pathways; Reactors
• ISSN: 0016-2361; 1873-7153
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fuel.2010.08.027

Perovskite-type oxygen-permeable membrane reactors of BaCo 0.7Fe 0.2Nb 0.1O 3− δ packed with Ni-based catalyst had high oxygen permeability and could be used for syngas production by partial oxidation of methane in coke oven gas (COG). The BCFNO membrane itself had a poor catalytic activity to partial oxidation of CH 4 in COG. After the catalyst was packed on the membrane surface, 92% of methane conversion, 90% of H 2 selectivity, 104% of CO selectivity and as high as 15 ml/cm 2/min of oxygen permeation flux were obtained at 1148 K. During continuously operating for 550 h at 1148 K, no degradation of performance of the BCFNO membrane reactor was observed under the condition of hydrogen-rich COG. The possible reaction pathways were proposed to be an oxidation-reforming process. The oxidation of H 2 in COG with the surface oxygen on the permeation side improves the oxygen flux through the membrane, and H 2O reacts with CH 4 by reforming reactions to form H 2 and CO.