SBIR Phase I: Catalytic Nanochannel Reactor Arrays for Fuel Reforming

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段的研究项目提出了先进的纳米通道阵列反应器的能源效率和成本效益的分布式制氢的发展。尽管催化重整解决了这一需求，但现有重整器的性能和可制造性远非最佳。通过实现对空间催化剂分布的数量级更好的控制以增加试剂分子与催化剂表面相互作用的可能性以及通过消除未反应分子通过重整器的机会，可以实现显著的性能增益。Synkera通过提出一种具有独特结构的新型催化平台来瞄准这一机会，在这种平台中，反应物被引导通过密集的圆柱形纳米反应器阵列，这些反应器共形地涂覆有高表面积催化剂。这样的结构消除了扩散限制并极大地促进了试剂/催化剂相互作用，显著提高了转化效率并减少了反应时间，同时保持了高流速。此外，纳米通道内的催化剂限制提供了通过纳米级的催化剂结构的工程化来实现额外的性能改进的机会。第一阶段工作的目标是证明所提出的反应器可以使紧凑的一体化重整器与传统的催化床反应器相比具有更好的性能。所提出的工作的预期结果是商业上可行的先进性能重整器的制造技术，用于可靠和低成本的制氢。建立以氢为能源载体的能源基础设施的愿景被认为是实现氢能技术全面商业应用的最有可能的途径。该项目的主要重点是分布式，使用点制氢。虽然最初的工作是针对小批量生产（如便携式燃料电池），但该技术也可扩展到较大的发电机，如汽车燃料电池，备用发电机，加氢站等，并为实施“氢经济”概念做出了重大贡献。此外，良好定义和均匀的纳米通道阵列也可以作为一个模型平台的催化反应动力学的研究。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I research project proposes the development of advanced nanochannel array reactors for energy-efficient and cost-effective distributed hydrogen generation. Although catalytic reforming addresses this need, the performance and manufacturability of existing reformers are far from optimal. Significant performance gains could be realized by achieving an order of magnitude better control of spatial catalyst distribution to increase the probability of interaction of reagent molecules with the catalyst surface and by eliminating opportunities for unreacted molecules to pass through the reformer. Synkera targets this opportunity by proposing a novel catalytic platform with a unique architecture, where reactants are channeled through the dense array of cylindrical nanoreactors conformally coated with high surface area catalyst. Such an architecture removes diffusion limitations and greatly facilitates reagent/catalyst interaction, significantly increasing conversion efficiency and reducing reaction time, while maintaining high flow rates. In addition, catalyst confinement inside the nanochannels provides an opportunity for additional performance improvements via engineering of the catalyst structure at the nanoscale. The goal of the Phase I work is to demonstrate that the proposed reactors can enable compact integrated reformers with better performance in comparison with conventional catalytic bed reactors.The expected result of the proposed work is a manufacturing technology for commercially viable advanced performance reformers for reliable and low cost hydrogen generation. The vision of building an energy infrastructure that uses hydrogen as the energy carrier is considered the most likely path toward a full commercial application of hydrogen energy technologies. The primary focus of this project is on distributed, point-of-use hydrogen generation. Though initial work is targeted on low-volume production (such as in portable fuel cells), the technology is also scalable to larger power generators, such as automotive fuel cells, backup power generators, hydrogen refueling stations and others, and makes a significant contribution towards the implementation of a "hydrogen economy" concept. In addition, well-defined and uniform nanochannel arrays can also serve as a model platform for the studies of the kinetics of catalytic reactions.