Pressure effect in ethanol steam reforming via dense Pd-based membranes

The ethanol steam reforming reaction has been performed in a membrane reactor consisting of a Pd–Ag tube (wall thickness 150 μm) filled with a Ru-based catalyst. The experiments have permitted to characterize the Pd–Ag permeator in terms of both hydrogen permeability and yield of the steam reforming reaction at temperature of 400 and 450 °C in the pressure range 100–800 kPa. The permeation tests exhibited hydrogen permeability values in agreement with the literature and the complete hydrogen selectivity. In the reaction tests, water/ethanol mixtures of molar ratio 10/1 and flow rates of 5, 10 and 15 g h−1 have been fed in the lumen side of the membrane tube while the permeated hydrogen has been collected in the shell side by a nitrogen sweep stream. At 450 °C with a reaction pressure of about 400 kPa and a water/ethanol feed flow rate of 5 g h−1, maximum values of hydrogen yield (5.5) and hydrogen recovery factor (close to 100) have been measured. The hydrogen yield reduces at lower temperatures and pressures as well as when larger water/ethanol flow rates are fed (10 and 15 g h−1).Finally, a simulation code based on a simplified reaction kinetics has been developed: the comparison with the results of the tests permitted to determine the parameters of such a kinetics. A model analysis of the membrane reformer aimed at verifying the influence of the main operating parameters has been carried out, too.

► The ethanol steam reforming reaction has been tested in a Pd–Ag membrane reactor.
► The experiments have studied the effect of the pressure on the hydrogen production.
► Max. hydrogen yield of 5.5 and values of hydrogen recovery ≈100% have been measured.
► The kinetics of the ethanol steam reforming in a membrane reactor has been studied.
► The shift effect of the membrane has been verified.