SBIR Phase II: An Engineered Diffusion Barrier for Preparation of Pd Membranes on Tubular Porous Stainless Steel Substrate

这个小企业创新研究第二阶段项目专注于开发一种创新的扩散阻挡层，用于在管状多孔不锈钢衬底上制备钯薄膜。支撑在管状多孔SS衬底上的薄层Pd膜为使用钯膜生产/回收氢气提供了一条商业可行的途径，特别是在大规模应用中。在第二阶段，扩散屏障将被开发成商业规模的膜装置，用于进行现场测试。Pd膜由于其良好的氢渗透性和选择性，可以极大地简化现有的氢分离和纯化过程，用于燃料电池和氢分离应用。预计完全成熟后的全球市场规模将在每年10亿美元左右。随着炼油厂使用更多氢气来满足清洁燃料法规，炼油厂对氢气的需求预计将实现超过10%的年增长率。一种适合大规模操作的Pd基氢选择膜将在满足这一需求方面发挥重要作用，特别是对于改造市场，如从炼油厂废气中回收氢气，作为现有蒸汽重整装置的附加阶段以增加产能等。总之，拟议的扩散屏障可以提供一种实用可行的Pd基氢分离装置，这将有利于燃料电池和工业氢气的应用，并减少温室气体排放。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project focuses on the development of an innovative diffusion barrier for the preparation of Pd thin film on tubular porous stainless steel substrate. A thin Pd film supported on tubular porous SS substrate provides a commercially viable avenue for the use of palladium membranes for hydrogen production/recovery, particularly for large-scale applications. During Phase II the diffusion barrier will be developed to a commercial scale membrane unit for performing field tests. Pd membranes due to their excellent hydrogen permeability and selectivity can streamline existing hydrogen separation and purification processes dramatically for fuel cell and hydrogen separation applications. The projected worldwide market size when fully matured is in the range of $1 billion/yr. Refineries' demand for hydrogen is expected to post annual growth in excess of 10% as refiners use more hydrogen to meet clean fuel regulations. A Pd-base hydrogen selective membrane suitable for large scale operations will play a major role in meeting this demand, particularly for the retrofit market, such as hydrogen recovery from waste refinery streams, as an add-on stage for existing steam reformer for incremental capacity, etc. In summary the proposed diffusion barrier could offer a practically viable Pd-based hydrogen separation device, which can benefit fuel cell and industrial hydrogen applications, and greenhouse gas reduction.