Performance of a tubular oxygen-permeable membrane reactor for partial oxidation of CH4 in coke oven gas to syngas

A gas-tight BaCo0.7Fe0.2Nb0.1O3-δ (BCFNO) tubular membrane was fabricated by hot pressure casting. And a membrane reactor with BCFNO tubular membrane and Ag-based sealant was readily constructed and applied to partial oxidation of CH4 in coke oven gas. At 875 °C, 95% of methane conversion, 91% of H2 and as high as 10 ml·cm−2 ·min−1 of oxygen permeation flux were obtained. There was a good match in the coefficient of thermal expansion between Ag-based alloy and BCFNO membrane materials. The tubular BCFNO membrane reactor packed with Ni-based catalysts exhibited not only high activity but also good stability in hydrogen-enriched coke oven gas (COG) atmosphere.