Jose Luis Viviente

This paper reports the findings of a FP7/FCH JU project (ReforCELL) that developed materials (catalysts and membranes) and an advance autothermal membrane reformer for a micro Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system of 5 kWel based on a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). In this project, an active, stable and selective catalyst was developed for the reactions of interest and its production was scaled up to kg scale (TRL5 (TRL: Technology Readiness Level)). Simultaneously, new membranes for gas separation were developed. In particular, dense supported thin palladium-based membranes were developed for hydrogen separation from reactive mixtures. These membranes were successfully scaled up to TRL4 and used in lab-scale reactors for fluidized bed steam methane reforming (SMR) and autothermal reforming (ATR) and in a prototype reactor for ATR. Suitable sealing techniques able to integrate the different membranes in lab-scale and prototype reactors were also developed. The project also addressed the design and optimization of the subcomponents (BoP) for the integration of the membrane reformer to the fuel cell system.

This paper reports the findings of a FP7 project (DEMCAMER) that developed materials (catalysts and membranes) and new processes for four industrially relevant reaction processes. In this project, active, stable, and selective catalysts were developed for the reaction systems of interest and their production scaled up to kg scale (TRL5 (TRL: Technology Readiness Level)). Simultaneously, new membranes for gas separation were developed; in particular, dense supported thin palladium-based membranes for hydrogen separation from reactive mixtures. These membranes were successfully scaled up to TRL4 and used in various lab-scale reactors for water gas shift (WGS), using both packed bed and fluidized bed reactors, and Fischer-Tropsch (FTS) using packed bed reactors and in prototype reactors for WGS and FTS. Mixed ionic-electronic conducting membranes in capillary form were also developed for high temperature oxygen separation from air. These membranes can be used for both Autothermal Reforming (ATR) and Oxidative Coupling of Methane (OCM) reaction systems to increase the efficiency and the yield of the processes. The production of these membranes was scaled up to TRL3–4. The project also developed adequate sealing techniques to be able to integrate the different membranes in lab-scale and prototype reactors.

The influence of the temperature during the growth of Pd-Ag films by PVD magnetron sputtering onto polished silicon wafers was studied in order to avoid the effect of the support roughness on the layer growth. The surfaces of the Pd-Ag membrane films were analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), and the results indicate an increase of the grain size from 120 to 250–270 nm and film surface roughness from 4–5 to 10–12 nm when increasing the temperature from around 360–510 K. After selecting the conditions for obtaining the smallest grain size onto silicon wafer, thin Pd-Ag (0.5–2-µm thick) films were deposited onto different types of porous supports to study the influence of the porous support, layer thickness and target power on the selective layer microstructure and membrane properties. The Pd-Ag layers deposited onto ZrO₂ 3-nm top layer supports (smallest pore size among all tested) present high N₂ permeance in the order of 10⁻⁶ mol·m⁻²·s⁻¹·Pa⁻¹ at room temperature.