Carbon-dioxide and Oxygen Counter-permeable Membrane Reactor for Hydrogen/Syngas Production from Natural Gas

美国发现了大量天然气储量，主要由甲烷组成，这导致了美国能源和化工行业的一场革命。目前正在进行重大的研究活动，以开发将天然气有效地转化为氢气或合成气的技术。氢气是一种清洁燃料，而合成气是氢和一氧化碳的混合物，是合成大量化工产品的重要原料。本项目旨在开发一种新型膜反应器，用于天然气氧化蒸汽重整制氢或合成气。新的反应器是基于新型陶瓷膜，允许选择性反渗透氧气和二氧化碳。初步数据表明，这种方法可以提高产量，更节能，并且由于减少了碳沉积，可以延长反应堆的运行时间。新型陶瓷-碳酸盐双相膜用于天然气自热氧化蒸汽重整制氢或合成气具有重要的工业影响潜力。由于提高了能源和成本效率，双相膜与现有方法相比具有显著的优势。该项目将专注于改善膜的性能，以实现天然气氧化蒸汽重整过程中二氧化碳和氧气的有效反渗透。该项目将包括使用原型膜反应器进行实验和建模，以了解潜在的化学和运输机制。最终目标是优化反应器的操作条件，以生产氢气或合成气。在反应混合物中同时分离二氧化碳和控制氧气的添加是一种创新和潜在的变革想法，可能会导致能源和成本效率的显著提高。PI计划培养膜科学、化学反应工程、陶瓷加工、分离工艺、离子导电材料等专业的研究生和本科生。研究成果将通过期刊出版物和会议发言向科学界传播，并将列入课程材料和讲习班讲座。PI计划将该项目的成果纳入“科学是乐趣”计划，以提高K-12学生对能源生产、二氧化碳排放和膜科学的认识，同时激发他们追求STEM职业道路的兴趣。

The discovery of vast natural gas reserves in the U.S., consisting primarily of methane, has led to a revolution in the US energy and chemical sectors. Significant research activities are currently being devoted towards the development of techniques for efficient conversion of natural gas to hydrogen or syngas. Hydrogen is a clean fuel, while syngas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, is an important feedstock for the synthesis of a large number of chemical products. This project aims to develop a new membrane reactor for oxidative steam reforming of natural gas to hydrogen or syngas. The new reactor is based on novel ceramic membranes that allow selective counter-permeation of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Preliminary data suggest that this approach leads to improved yields, is more energy efficient, and allows for longer operation of the reactor, due to reduced carbon deposits. The use of novel ceramic-carbonate dual-phase membranes for autothermal oxidative steam reforming of natural gas to hydrogen or syngas has potential for significant industrial impact. The dual-phase membranes offer significant advantages over existing methods, due to improved energy and cost efficiency. The project will focus on improving membrane performance to enable efficient counter-permeation of carbon dioxide and oxygen during oxidative steam reforming of natural gas. The project will involve experiments using a prototype membrane reactor and modeling to understand the underlying chemical and transport mechanisms. The ultimate objective is to optimize the operating conditions of the reactor for production of either hydrogen or syngas. The simultaneous separation of carbon dioxide and controlled addition of oxygen into the reacting mixture is an innovative and potentially transformative idea that may lead to significant improvements in energy and cost efficiency. The PI plans to train graduate and undergraduate students in membrane science, chemical reaction engineering, ceramic processing, separation processes, and ionic conducting materials. Research results will be disseminated to the scientific community through journal publications and conference presentations and will be included in course materials and workshop lectures. The PI plans to incorporate results from this project into a Science is Fun program to improve the awareness of K-12 students on energy production, carbon dioxide emissions and membrane science, while motivating their interests in pursuing a STEM career path.