A CATALYTIC MEMBRANE REACTOR FOR FACILITATING THE WATER-GAS SHIFT REACTION AT HIGH TEMPERATURE

TO IMPROVE THE ECONOMICS OF PRODUCING SYNFUELS FROM COAL, NOVEL METHODS ARE SOUGHT OF INTEGRATING COAL GASIFICATION WITH WATER-GAS SHIFT REACTIONS. BECAUSE OF EQUILIBRIUM LIMITATIONS THE WATER-GAS SHIFT REACTION (CO + H2O CO2 + H2) CURRENTLY REQUIRES TWO REACTORS FOR OBTAINING HIGHHYDROGEN (H2) YIELD. THIS PROJECT IS DEVELOPING A MEMBRANE REACTOR THAT CAN REPLACE BOTH CURRENT WATER-GAS SHIFT REACTORS WITH A SINGLE UNIT. THIS REACTOR WILL DIRECTLY COUPLE TO THE COAL GASIFIER WITHOUT ANY INTERSTAGE COOLERS, YET STILL OBTAIN HIGH HYDROGEN YIELDS. THE REACTOR WILL MAKE USE OF A NOVEL H2-PERMEABLE, COMPOSITE METAL MEMBRANE THAT NOT ONLY CATALYZES THE WATER-GAS SHIFT REACTION, BUT REMOVES PURE HYDROGEN FROM THE REACTION AS THE REACTION PROCEEDS, THUS DRIVING THE REACTION TO COMPLETION. IN ADDITION, THE H2 THUS REMOVED IS ULTRA-PURE REGARDLESS OF THE COMPOSITION OF THE FEED GAS, SO NOT ONLY COULD THE GASIFIER BE AIR-BLOWN RATHER THAN OXYGEN-BLOWN-LEADING TO CONSIDERABLE COST SAVINGS-BUT NO DOWNSTREAM SCRUBBERS WOULD BE NECESSARY. THE PHASE I EFFORT ADDRESSES THE FEASIBILITY OF THIS CONCEPT BY (1) TESTING THE STABILITY OF THESE NOVEL MEMBRANES AT HIGH TEMPERATURES (2) DETERMING THE EXTENT OF CONVERSION OF CO AND H2O TO H2 AND CO2, AND (3) VERIFYING THE EXPECTATION THAT COOKING AT THOSE TEMPERATURES IS NOT A PROBLEM. IF PHASE I IS COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY, PHASE II WOULD FURTHER IMPROVE THE COMPOSITION AND FABRICATION OF THECOMPOSITE METAL MEMBRANE, DETERMINE THE OPTIMUM OPERATING CONDITIONS, AND COMPLETE A SYSTEM DESIGN AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS FOR A SPECIFIC COAL-GASIFICATION PROCESS.