Membrane reactor methanol reforming

Lin, Y.M. and M.H. Rei, Study on the hydrogen production from methanol steam reforming in supported palladium membrane reactor, Catal. Today, 67, 77-84, 2001b. 

Researchers at Lehigh University are developing a methanol reforming silicon reactor with a palladium membrane for a hydrogen purification system built using semiconductor fabrication techniques. The device is designed to produce hydrogen for fuel cells for portable electronic devices, such as laptop computers and cell phones. 

Basile A, Gallucci E, Paturzo L (2005) A dense Pd/Ag membrane reactor for methanol steam reforming experimental study. Catal Today 104 244—250... 

Basile A, Tosti S, Capannelli G, VituUi G, lulianelli A, Gallucci F, Drioli E (2006) Co-current and counter-current modes for methanol steam reforming membrane reactor experimental study. Catal Today 118 237-245... 

Basile A, Parmaliana A, Tosti S, lulianelli A, Gallucci F, Espro C, Spooren J (2008) Hydrogen production by methanol steam reforming carried out in membrane reactor on Cu/ Zn/Mg-based catalyst. Catal Today 137 17-22... 

Zhang X et al (2006) Methanol steam reforming to hydrogen in a carbon membrane reactor system. Ind Eng Chem Res 45 7997-8001... 

L. Gallucci, A. Basile, S. Tosti, A. lulianelli and E. Drioli, Methanol and ethanol steam reforming in membrane reactors An experimental study, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 2007, 32, 1201-1210. 

A. lulianelli, T. Longo and A. Basile, Methanol steam reforming in a dense Pd-Ag membrane reactor The pressure and WHSV effects on CO-free H2 production, J. Membr. Sci., 2008, 323, 235-240. 

S. Sa, H. Silva, J. M. Sousa and A. Mendes, Hydrogen production by methanol steam reforming in a membrane reactor Palladium vs carbon molecular sieve membranes, J. Membr. Sci., 2009, 339, 160-170. 

A. Basile, G. F. Tereschenko, N. V. Orekhova, M. M. Ermilova, F. Gallucci and A. lulianelli. An experimental investigation on methanol steam reforming with oxygen addition in a flat Pd-Ag membrane reactor, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 2006, 31, 1615-1622. 

Kikiichi, E Kawabe, S. and Matsukata, M. (2008) Steam reforming of methanol on Ni/A1203 catalyst in a pd-membrane reactor. Journal of the Japan Petroleum Institute, 46 (3), 93-98. 

Figure 7,7 (a) a plot of minimum reactor volume versus Pd requirements compares methanol reforming on Cu/Zn0/Al20 and methanol decomposition on Pd/Si02- Thin Pd membranes and fibre supports lead to reduced volume and Pd needs, (b) a plot of minimum reactor volume versus Pd requirements compares methanol reforming on Cu/Zn0/Al202 with methanol partial oxidation on CU/AI2O, (Source After Ref [108])... 

More recent experimental studies comparing traditional packed-bed [105] and fluidized bed [106] reactors with Pd-based membrane reactors in methanol steam reforming show that the latter gives better performance. CO selectivity decreases with increasing pressure due to hydrogen removal [105], which also improves methanol conversion. This is exemplified by complete methanol conversion obtained at 300 C in the membrane reactor, while under similar conditions an FBR reaches only 55% [106]. 

Itoh N, Kaneko Y, Igarashi A (2002), Efficient hydrogen production via methanol steam reforming by preventing back-permeation of hydrogen in a palladium membrane reactor , 7nd. Eng. Chem. 7 es., 41,4702-4706. 

Gallucci F, Basile A.,Tosti S., lulianelli A., Drioli E. (2007), Methanol and Ethanol steam reforming in Membrane Reactors an exf>erimental study , Int. J. Hydrogen En., 32,1201-1210. 

Another interesting field involving membrane reactors is the partial oxidation of methane to methanol, which is a process for the catalytic conversion of methane from natural gas and air oxygen to methanol by the partial oxidation as well as the steam reforming of methane, ethanol or glycerol for hydrogen production (Basile et a/., 2011 lulianelli et al, 2010,2011). 

A prototype for a methanol reforming silicon reactor was designed at Lehigh University [11,12,31]. Their microreaction system, made of silicon wafers, consisted of four main components a mixer/vaporizer of methanol and water, a catalytic steam reformer with a copper catalyst, the combined water gas shift reactor-membrane (as mentioned before) and integrated resistive heaters, sensors and control electronics. The reformer was tested with a stainless-steel housing. The authors reported a conversion of 90% for methanol, which corresponds to a power output of 15 W. 

Membrane reactors for autothermal reforming of methane, methanol, and ethanol... 

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