Advances in ion transport membrane technology for Syngas production

• ITM Syngas membranes combine the unit operations of air separation (ASU) and autothermal reforming (ATR) into a single unit operation.
• The flux performance can be improved by adding thin porous layers to the surfaces of the membrane.
• The highest flux was obtained when porous layers were added to both sides of the membrane.

Ceramic, ion transport membranes for the production of Syngas (ITM Syngas) produce high pressure synthesis gas in a single unit operation from low pressure air and pre-reformed natural gas. Oxygen transport through ITM Syngas membranes occurs through a series of processes, including solid phase oxygen anion diffusion through the dense membrane and surface reactions on the air and reducing sides of the membrane. This paper focuses on the effect of adding porous layers to the syngas side or both sides of the membrane to increase the available surface area for the surface reactions. The highest fluxes are achieved by increasing the surface area on both sides of the membrane, indicating that both surface reactions are a significant resistance to oxygen transport.

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