Application of the induction plasma to the synthesis of two dimensional steam methane reforming Ni/Al2O3 catalyst

The purpose of the study is to develop a new protocol for preparing supported two dimensional catalysts with high external and low internal surface by combining thermal plasma spraying and thermal plasma chemical vapour deposition (TPCVD) processes. The method was tested for the production of an Al2O3 supported Ni catalysts used for methane steam reforming. The deposition of catalytic materials is made in 2 successive steps. The first step deals with alumina powder sprayed by induction plasma spraying (IPS) on a molybdenum substrate. The experimental conditions have been turned towards γ-Al2O3. The second stage deals with the deposition of nickel at the nanometric scale on the alumina layer using the thermal plasma chemical vapour deposition method. This last step was focused on the study of the influence of the nozzle type employed for the nickel solution spraying, the reactor internal pressure, the concentration and the flow rate of nickel salts solution, Ni(NO3)2·6H2O, on the catalyst response. The formulations were tested as methane steam reforming catalysts.The results demonstrate that the catalyst morphology depends on plasma projection conditions and show the effectiveness of combining IPS and TPCVD processes for producing catalysts in methane steam reforming.