Catalytic performance of structured packages coated with perovskite-based nanocomposite in the methane steam reforming reaction

•Structured catalysts with Ru + Ni/LaPrMnCr/YSZ active component on anode half cells and Ni–Al foam plates were prepared.•Catalysts were tested in methane and natural gas steam reforming. The results were interpreted using computational models.•CFD simulations revealed near isothermal operation of the heat-conducting structured catalysts.

A conventional Ni + YSZ/YSZ anode half-cell (the Research Center Jülich) and the Ni + YSZ/YSZ planar half cell washcoated by a layer of the Ru + Ni-doped perovskite-based nanocomposite (Ru + Ni/LaPrMnCr/YSZ) were compared in terms of their activities and selectivities in the steam reforming of methane. The kinetic measurements were carried out in a laboratory scale plate-type reactor, and results were interpreted using computational models. A power-law kinetic model was verified against the experimental data, and parameters were estimated. Both numerical prediction and experimental testing indicate that the nanocomposite coated Ni + YSZ/YSZ plate shows much better catalytic performance under the middle-temperature operating conditions. CFD simulations show that for the high activity of thermally conductive catalytic plates, superior heat transfer performance is observed in the lab-scale reactor. The lab-scale data were successfully up-scaled for the case of steam reforming of natural gas on a structured catalyst at realistic operation conditions. Up to 700 °C, the pilot test data obtained with the structured catalyst comprised of three stacked parallel Ni–Al plates (50 × 50 × 1 mm) coated with perovskite-based nanocomposite correlate quite good with the 1-D plug-flow reactor model predictions assuming the proposed kinetics.