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

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目是一项可行性研究，旨在验证一种新的工艺，以形成适用于蒸汽甲烷重整的创新催化剂。决定多相催化活性的因素仍不完全清楚。通常认为，一种材料必须具有高比表面积才能具有催化活性；然而，并不是所有具有高比表面积的材料都具有催化活性。同样，孔隙率也被认为是开发高活性催化剂的理想属性，这并不令人惊讶。这些微结构特征也不能构成催化活性的高度可靠的预测指标。以前的学术研究发现了一种方法，可以在陶瓷氧化物中设计出显示出催化活性的结构缺陷，在此基础上，这家小企业将在新材料和成分中引入结构缺陷，以获得更高活性和稳定性的新催化剂。从合成、表征和测试研究中学到的见解有望加强对这一新现象在多相催化剂中的理解和应用。该项目的更广泛/商业影响是在氢气生产中创造显著的能源和成本节约的机会。氢气是许多工业过程的主要原料，包括合成氨生产和炼油。目前的氢气生产工艺是非常耗能的。小企业追求的新方法可能被用来形成蒸汽甲烷重整(SMR)过程的催化剂，SMR过程是将天然气转化为氢的主要方法之一。SMR的能源密集型方面之一是产生蒸汽，也称为“过程蒸汽”。如果成功，新催化剂预计将减少SMR所需的工艺蒸汽量，提高装置产能，并降低管壁温度，从而降低维护和运营成本。工艺蒸汽的减少预计将降低能源消耗，导致每个制氢厂平均每年节省100多万美元。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化肥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.