Natural gas hydrogen generation

Heinzel A, Vogel B, Hiibner P (2002) Reforming of natural gas-hydrogen generation for small scale stationary fuel cell systems. J Power Sources 105 202-207... 

Honda has built a solar-powered hydrogen station to refuel its FCX fuel cell fleet. Honda has also been testing a Home Energy Station that extracts hydrogen from natural gas, while generating electricity and hot water for home use. But, natural gas jumped from about 5/thousand cubic feet in 1999 to almost 12 in 2006. 

Estimated amounts of natural gas to generate hydrogen (current and possible future hydrogen production technologies) compared with projections by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of natural gas supply, demand, and imports, 2010-2050, 74... 

We can run vehicles on natural gas or generate electricity using natural gas now. Converting natural gas into hydrogen and then hydrogen into electricity increases the amount of greenhouse gases emitted. 

Chemists make compounds and strive to understand their reactions. My own interest lies in the chemistry of the compounds of the elements carbon and hydrogen, called hydrocarbons. These make up petroleum oil and natural gas and thus are in many ways essential for everyday life. They generate energy and heat our houses, fuel our cars and airplanes and are raw materials for most manmade materials ranging from plastics to pharmaceuticals. Many of the chemical reactions essential to hydrocarbons are catalyzed by acids and proceed through positive ion intermediates, called carbocations. 

Synthesis Gas Chemicals. Hydrocarbons are used to generate synthesis gas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, for conversion to other chemicals. The primary chemical made from synthesis gas is methanol, though acetic acid and acetic anhydride are also made by this route. Carbon monoxide (qv) is produced by partial oxidation of hydrocarbons or by the catalytic steam reforming of natural gas. About 96% of synthesis gas is made by steam reforming, followed by the water gas shift reaction to give the desired H2 /CO ratio. 

In the seeondary reformer, air is introdueed to supply the nitrogen required for the 3 1 hydrogen and nitrogen Nj synthesis gas. The heat of eombustion of the partially reformed gas supplies the energy to reform the remaining hydroearbon feed. The reformed produet steam is employed to generate steam and to preheat the natural gas feed. 

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