SBIR Phase I: Novel Microstrain Enhanced Catalyst Supports for Hydrogen Production

小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目是一项可行性研究，旨在验证形成适用于蒸汽甲烷重整的创新催化剂的新工艺。决定多相催化活性的因素仍未完全了解。人们普遍认为，材料必须具有较高的表面积才能具有催化活性；然而，并非所有具有高表面积的材料都具有催化活性。同样，多孔性也被认为是开发高活性催化剂的理想特性也就不足为奇了。这些微观结构特征也不构成一个高度可靠的预测催化活性。在先前的学术研究的基础上，确定了一种方法来设计具有催化活性的陶瓷氧化物的结构缺陷，小型企业将在新材料和组合物中诱导结构缺陷，以获得更高活性和稳定性的新催化剂。从合成、表征和测试研究中获得的见解有望增强对这一新现象在多相催化中的理解和应用。该项目的更广泛/商业影响是有机会在氢气生产中创造显著的能源和成本节约。氢气是许多工业过程的主要原料，包括氨生产和炼油。目前的氢气生产过程是非常耗能的。小型企业所追求的新方法可能用于形成蒸汽甲烷重整（SMR）过程的催化剂，这是将天然气转化为氢气的主要方法之一。SMR的能源密集型方面之一是蒸汽的产生，也称为“过程蒸汽”。如果成功，新的催化剂预计将减少SMR所需的工艺蒸汽量，增加工厂产能，降低管壁温度，从而降低维护和运营成本。过程蒸汽的减少预计将降低能源消耗，导致每个氢气生产工厂平均每年节省超过100万美元。这些能源节约将对氢气生产商产生直接影响，并对农民使用的农业肥料等衍生产品的消费者产生间接影响。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is a feasibility study to validate a novel process for forming innovative catalysts applicable to steam methane reforming. The factors that dictate heterogeneous catalytic activity are still not thoroughly understood. It is commonly believed that a material must have a high surface area to be catalytically active; yet, not all materials with high surface areas are catalytically active. Similarly, it is not surprising that porosity is also considered to be a desirable property for developing highly active catalysts. These microstructural features also do not constitute a highly reliable predictor of catalytic activity. Building on previous academic studies that identified a method to engineer structural defects in ceramic oxides that have demonstrated catalytic activity, the small business will induce structural defects in new materials and compositions to achieve new catalysts of higher activity and stability. The insights to be learned from synthesis, characterization and testing studies are expected to enhance the understanding and application of this new phenomenon in heterogeneous catalysis.The broader/commercial impact of this project is the opportunity to create significant energy and cost savings in hydrogen production. Hydrogen gas is a major feedstock for a number of industrial processes, including ammonia production and oil refining. The current production processes of hydrogen gas are very energy intensive. The novel approach pursued by the small business may be used to form catalysts for the steam methane reforming (SMR) process, one of the principal methods for converting natural gas into hydrogen. One of the energy intensive aspects of SMR is the generation of steam, also called "process steam". If successful, the new catalyst is projected to reduce the quantity of process steam needed for SMR, increase the plant capacity and reduce tube wall temperatures which will result in lower maintenance and operating costs. The reduction in process steam is expected to lower energy consumption, leading to an average annual savings of more than $1,000,000 per hydrogen production plant. These energy savings will have a direct impact on hydrogen producers and an indirect effect on consumers of derivative products such as agricultural fertilizers used by farmers.