Modeling of microreactor for syngas production by catalytic partial oxidation of methane

Fixed-bed reactors for the catalytic partial oxidation of methane (CPOM) to produce synthesis gas still pose hot spots problems. Microreactor is a good alternative reactor proposed to resolve these problems. In this paper, synthesis gas (hydrogen and carbon monoxide) production was investigated by a two-dimensional numerical model of single microchannel. CFD modeling with detailed chemistry was conducted to understand the CPOM on platinum (Pt) catalyst. Gas inlet velocity, microchannel pressure, and fuel to air ratio (F/A) are selected as the effective parameters on microchannel performance. Study results show that Reynolds number has considerable effect on methane conversion, hydrogen to carbon monoxide ratio (H2/CO), and product distribution. Increasing gas inlet velocity causes all the above parameters to decrease. It is noted that increasing microchannel pressure and decreasing the ratio of fuel to air cause the decrease of the H2/CO ratio.     

助剂对甲烷部分氧化制合成气镍基催化剂性能的影响

考察了添加助剂铈、镧和钙对镍基催化剂反应性能的影响，发现助剂对以α-Al2O3为载体的镍基催化剂的调变作用比以γ-Al2O3为载体的镍基催化剂好，且助剂铈对催化剂的性能改善最好。在此基础上，研究了不同载量的铈对催化剂性能的影响。结果表明，铈的质量分数为1%时对催化剂的性能改善最好。同时采用XRD、XPS、TG等技术，研究了助剂铈对10％Ni/γ-Al2O3催化剂的改性作用。XRD分析表明，铈负载量较低时，催化剂中的CeO2高度分散在催化剂表面，铈负载量较高时，CeO2形成微晶颗粒，降低了催化活性。     

Effect of preparation conditions on the formation of the active phase of carbon fiber catalytic systems for the low-temperature oxidation of carbon monoxide

We studied the effects of the composition of impregnating solution and heat treatment conditions on the activity of catalytic systems for the low-temperature oxidation of CO obtained by the impregnation of Busofit carbon-fiber cloth with aqueous solutions of palladium, copper, and iron salts. The formation of an active phase in the synthesized catalysts at different stages of their preparation was examined with the use of differential thermal and thermogravimetric analyses, X-ray diffraction analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and elemental spectral analysis. The catalytic system prepared by the impregnation of electrochemically treated Busofit with the solutions of PdCl₂, FeCl₃, CuBr₂, and Cu(NO₃)₂ and activated under optimum conditions ensured 100% CO conversion under a respiratory regime at both low (0.03%) and high (0.5%) carbon monoxide contents of air. It was found that the activation of a catalytic system at elevated temperatures (170–180°C) leads to the conversion of Pd(II) into Pd(I), which was predominantly localized in a near-surface layer. The promoting action of copper nitrate consists in the formation of a crystalline phase of the rhombic atacamite Cu₂Cl(OH)₃. The catalyst surface is finally formed under the conditions of a catalytic reaction, when a joint Pd(I)-Cu(I) active site is formed.     

Effect of SO2 on the catalytic activity of SnO2 and CeO2 in methane oxidation

The variation of the catalytic activity of tin and cerium dioxides in the combustion of SO₂-containing methane has been investigated at SO₂ concentrations of 50 to 1000 ppm in the gas stream. The catalytic activity of SnO₂ decreases dramatically upon the introduction of SO₂, but it returns rapidly to its initial level and then remains invariable (95% conversion, operating temperature of 600°C). Cerium dioxide is much less resistant to poisoning with sulfur dioxide: the higher the SO₂ concentration in the gas stream, the larger the decrease in its activity. After sulfur dioxide is cut off, CeO₂ regains its initial activity at 750°C. The behaviors of SnO₂ and CeO₂ are in agreement with the thermal stabilities of the corresponding sulfates and oxosulfates.     

Effect of promoters on the catalytic performance of Ni/Al2O3 catalyst for partial oxidation of methane to syngas

The effect of promoters such as Ce, La and Ca on catalytic performance of Ni catalyst was measured in a continuous fixed bed reactor. The effect of promoters on Ni/a-Al₂O₃ catalyst is more significant than on Ni/g-Al₂O₃ catalyst. Ce was proved to be the best promoter among the three promoters tested and the optimum loading of Ce was 1%. The catalyst was characterized by TG, XPS, TPR and XRD techniques. TPR results showed that Ce can improve the reducibility of the Ni/Al₂O₃ catalyst. XRD results indicated that Ce was highly dispersed when its loading was low, but at higher loading it was crystallized into bulk CeO₂, thus, decreased the catalytic activity. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The influence of the active component and support nature, gas mixture composition on physicochemical and catalytic properties of catalysts for soot oxidation

Physicochemical and catalytic properties of compositions Fe(Ce)–Mn–O/support (gamma-, theta-, alpha-Al₂O₃, SiO₂ as the support) and Pt/CeO₂/theta-Al₂O₃ for oxidation of soot were characterized. It was established that the phase composition of the initial catalysts depended mainly on the nature of the active component and preparation conditions. Non-isothermal treatment of the soot–catalyst compositions at the temperature up to 1000 °C resulted in a change in the phase composition depending mainly on the final treatment temperature. The catalyst surface area was determined by the support nature. It was established that catalyst activities for oxidation of soot are determined by both catalyst nature and composition of gas mixture. The process of the soot oxidation is thought to involve oxygen from the catalyst surface. The higher proportion of weakly bound surface oxygen, the higher was the catalyst activity. An increase in the oxygen concentration from 5% O₂/N₂ to 15% O₂/N₂ is shown to lead to a decrease of the temperature of the soot oxidation. The influence of the oxygen concentration on the process of soot oxidation becomes weaker in the presence of water vapor. Results showed that the presence of NO in the gas mixture favors a decrease in the oxidation temperature of the soot, the higher being the nitrogen oxide concentration, the more pronounced effect. Introduction of SO₂ in amount of 50 ppm in the gas mixture has no noticeable effect on the process of the soot oxidation. Among the catalysts under study, Fe–Mn–K–O/gamma-Al₂O₃ is most effective to oxidation of the soot at otherwise identical conditions.     

Effect of Cu promoter on Ni-based SBA-15 catalysts for partial oxidation of methane to syngas

A series of Ni/SBA-15 catalysts with 5wt% to 15wt% Ni content as well as a series of 12.5%Ni/Cu/SBA-15 catalysts with 1% to 10% copper content were prepared by the impregnation method. The catalytic performance for partial oxidation of methane was investigated in a continuous flow microreactor under atmospheric pressure. The textural and chemical properties of the catalysts were characterized by XRD, TEM, BET and H2-TPR techniques. The results indicated that the catalysts modified with Cu promoter showed better performance than those without modification. For the 12.5%Ni/2.5%/Cu/SBA-15 catalyst, at 850 ◦C the conversion of CH4 reached 97.9% and the selectivity of CO and H2 reached 98.0% and 96.0%, respectively. In XRD patterns of the Ni/Cu/SBA-15 catalyst with 7.5 to 10% Cu contents there were CuO characteristic peaks beside NiO characteristic peaks. The mesoporous structure of SBA-15 was retained in all of the catalysts. TPR analysis of the catalysts revealed that a strong interaction between Ni, Cu promoter and SBA-15 support may be existed. This interaction enhanced significantly the redox properties of the catalysts resulting in the higher catalytic activity.     

Nature of Cu active sites in zeolite-based catalysts for selective catalytic oxidation of methane

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Though copper-containing zeolites (Cu–zeolites) have shown great potential in the direct conversion of methane to methanol under low temperature, the...     

Influence of the phase composition of titania on catalytic behavior of Co/TiO2 for the dry reforming of methane

The phase transfer of TiO2 from anatase to rutile for a 10 wt% Co/TiO2 catalyst during the reduction causes serious disappearance of activity at 0.1 MPa during CH4/CO2 reforming, whereas the transfer for 0.5 wt% Co/TiO2 brings about relatively stable activity at 2 MPa.     

Planar and tubular perovskite-type membrane reactors for the partial oxidation of methane to syngas

Dense planar and tubular oxygen separation membranes of La_0.6Ca_0.4Fe_0.75Co_0.25O_3– were investigated as reactors for the partial oxidation (POX) of methane to syngas. Their permeation properties were measured in an air/argon pO₂ gradient as a function of temperature. At 900 °C, the oxygen flux through a 1.26-mm-thick membrane was 0.075 mol/cm²·s and through a 0.25-mm-thick tube, 0.24 mol/cm²·s.For the POX measurements, a catalyst was added to the membrane and methane was introduced on the argon side. This resulted in a gradual increase of the oxygen flux with increasing concentration of methane, reaching 2 mol/cm²·s at 900 °C with pure methane. For the planar reactor, the CO selectivity reached 99% and the CH₄ conversion 75% at 918 °C with pure methane. For the tubular reactor, the CO selectivity and CH₄ conversion were 83 and 99%, respectively, under the same conditions. After 1,400 h of operation in a tubular POX reactor, the membrane was examined revealing phase demixing and local decomposition.Presented at the OSSEP Workshop Ionic and Mixed Conductors: Methods and Processes, Aveiro, Portugal, 10–12 April 2003     

Lattice statistical model for phase transition of active component of catalyst for SO2 oxidation

The statistical lattice model suggested considers phase transitions in a vanadium catalyst for SO₂ oxidation regarding the real structure of the melt of the active component. The model is proved to reflect properly the experimentally observed regularities, e.g., how V⁴⁺ compounds crystallize from the melt depending on their concentration and reaction temperature.     

Effect of size and morphology of chromium(III) oxide nanoparticles on their catalytic properties in deep oxidation of methane

We have shown that the activity of catalysts based on Cr₂O₃ in deep oxidation of methane is determined by both the sizes of the crystallites and their morphology. In the temperature range up to 450 °C, we observe the appearance of a size effect: an increase in the specific catalytic activity of the chromium oxide as its particle size decreases. Formation of chromium oxide on the surface of Al₂O₃ increases the dispersity of the active component and increases the thermal stability of the catalyst.     

Effects of vacuum annealing on the particle size and phase composition of nanocrystalline tungsten carbide powders

The effects of the vacuum annealing temperature (400–1400°C) on the phase and chemical composition, particle size, and microstresses of the nanocrystalline powders of tungsten carbide WC with 20–60 nm particles were studied by X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. Vacuum annealing of WC nano-powders at T _ann ≤ 1400°C was accompanied by decarbonization, resulting from the interaction of carbon with the oxygen impurity. Changes in the chemical composition of the nanocrystalline powder of tungsten carbide led to changes in its phase composition. The annealing was accompanied by growth of powder particles due to the aggregation of nanoparticles and by a decrease of microstresses.     

Relationship between Pt particle size and catalyst activity for catalytic oxidation of ultrahigh‐concentration formaldehyde

The effects of particle size and kinetics of Pt/activated carbon (AC) catalysts on catalytic oxidation of formaldehyde (HCHO) were investigated. AC, f‐SiO₂ and MCM‐41 were used as supports to prepare low‐Pt‐content catalysts using H₂ reduction. Pt/AC catalyst shows the highest activity with the largest Pt particle size. By contrast, 0.1 wt% Pt/AC reduced using KBH₄ has much higher activity than that reduced using H₂, which can oxidize HCHO completely over 6000 ppm at 60°C in a fixed bed reactor. Transmission electron microscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy results indicate that Pt/AC‐KBH₄ has larger Pt particles and lower valence state than Pt/AC‐H₂, which may be attributed to the ligand effect between Pt⁴⁺ and the AC support. The result of O₂ temperature‐programmed oxidation suggests that highly dispersed Pt⁴⁺ ions have stronger interaction with AC support and thus are harder to be reduced by H₂. Furthermore, Pt/AC is structure‐sensitive and larger‐sized Pt particles result in a high conversion of HCHO. Investigation of kinetics indicated that it is a zero‐order reaction for such a high HCHO concentration condition for Pt/AC‐KBH₄.     

Ni/CeO2-SiO2催化剂的制备、表征及其甲烷部分氧化制合成气性能

以硝酸亚铈（Ce（NO₃）₃·6H₂O）和正硅酸四乙酯（C₈H₂₀O₄Si）为前驱体,采用溶胶-凝胶法合成了系列具有大比表面积的xCeO₂-（1-x）SiO₂（x = 0,0.25,0.50,0.75,1）复合氧化物载体,然后浸渍活性组分Ni制得用于甲烷部分氧化制合成气的Ni催化剂。运用N₂物理吸附-脱附、X射线粉末衍射、扫描电镜、紫外-可见漫反射光谱、氢程序升温还原、氨程序升温脱附和热重等手段对所得催化剂的组织结构、还原性、表面酸性和积炭行为等进行了表征;同时考察了催化剂的组成、焙烧温度和反应时间等对催化剂在甲烷部分氧化制合成气中催化性能的影响。表征结果表明,该系列Ni/CeO₂-SiO₂催化剂具有大比表面积,CeO₂晶粒较小,NiO的分散性好且易被还原,表面酸性弱,不容易积炭。当Ce/Si摩尔比为1：1,活性组分Ni的质量分数为10%,焙烧温度为700℃时,所制备的Ni/CeO₂-SiO₂催化剂表现出较好的稳定性、最高的CH₄转化率（~84%）和对产物CO及H₂的选择性（>87%）。     

Ce-Fe-Zr-O/MgO整体型氧载体用于化学链部分氧化甲烷制合成气

以MgO为载体,采用球磨法制备了Ce-Fe-Zr-O/MgO粉末状氧载体,进而采用挤压成型法制备了整体型氧载体。研究了两种氧载体化学链部分氧化甲烷制合成气的性能,并通过XRD、H₂-TPR对氧载体进行表征。结果表明,粉末状氧载体中的储氧组分以Ce-Fe-Zr-O固溶体形式存在,而整体型氧载体的制备过程会导致Zr、Fe游离氧化物的形成。粉末状氧载体和整体型氧载体上均存在表面晶格氧和体相晶格氧,其中,体相晶格氧具有高选择性氧化甲烷的性能,可以将甲烷转化成CO和H₂。粉末状氧载体与甲烷反应活性较高,但其存在高含量的表面氧,易导致甲烷的完全氧化。整体型氧载体上体相晶格氧占据优势,可将甲烷选择性氧化为CO和H₂。氧化还原循环实验表明,粉末状氧载体在还原反应发生短时间内容易引起甲烷裂解导致产物气中的H₂/CO物质的量比显著大于2.0,同时产生大量积炭,制约了其循环性能。而整体型氧载体经10次循环实验后,全程反应过程中合成气H₂/CO物质的量比一直维持在2.0附近,显示了较高的循环稳定性能。     

CeO2、CaO助剂对甲烷部分氧化制合成气Ni/MgOAl2O3催化剂结构和性能的影响

采用BET、H2 TPR、XRD、TEM和活性评价等表征手段，考察了CeO2、CaO助剂对Ni/MgOAl2O3催化剂物化性质和甲烷部分氧化制合成气反应性能的影响。实验结果表明，单独加入CeO2或CaO助剂可以改善Ni/ MgOAl2O3催化剂中镍物种的还原性能，以CaO尤为明显；CaO作为结构助剂可以降低还原态催化剂中的镍晶粒尺寸，使改性的催化剂具有较好的活性，而CeO2对催化剂的活性未产生显著影响。当CeO2与CaO两种助剂同时对Ni/MgOAl2O3进行改性时，虽然催化剂中镍物种的还原性能没有发生明显变化，但仍具有很好的反应性能，这与CeO2与CaO能够形成CaO-CeO2固溶体有关。CaO-CeO2固溶体不仅与镍物种间存在相互作用，提高了镍物种的分散度、减小了镍晶粒尺寸，还可以提高催化剂的储氧能力和晶格氧的流动性，从而有利于改善其甲烷部分氧化反应性能。     

Effect of the composition and structural and size characteristics of composites based on stabilized zirconia and transition metal (Cu,Co, Ni) oxides on their catalytic properties in methane oxidation reactions

The effects of transition metal (Cu, Co, Ni) oxides and platinum-group metals (Pt, Pd, Rh) in composites based on Y(Sc)-stabilized zirconia on their catalytic properties (activity, selectivity, sulfur resistance) and service life characteristics (thermal stability, performance stability) in methane oxidation reactions have been investigated. The high activity of the composites (75–99% methane conversion at 600–800°C) correlates with the amount and mobility of surface oxygen in these materials. The promoting effect of the platinum-group metals depends on the composition of the reaction medium (on whether it corresponds to the partial or total methane oxidation and on whether it contains sulfur dioxide).     

An unexpected pathway for the catalytic oxidation of methylidyne on Rh{111} as a route to syngas

This study investigates the adsorption properties of methylidyne (CH) on Rh{111}, its partial and full oxidation as well as its surface mobility, by means of plane-wave density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Besides investigating known oxidation pathways on rhodium, such as decomposition of CH and subsequent oxidation of the decomposition products, new pathways such as direct reaction of methylidyne and oxygen toward a surface aldyhyde-type species and the decomposition of this species are considered. The unexpected and novel pathway determined here by DFT is utilized for a microkinetic model of the formation of CO and CO2 from methylidyne. A comparison of this microkinetic study with experimental data shows that our novel mechanism can indeed describe the observations. This comparison strongly suggests that this new alternative route is the main reaction pathway for the conversion of methylidyne.     

Novel Ni−Fe-oxide systems for catalytic oxidation of cyanide in an aqueous phase

Catalytic activity of mixed Ni?Fe oxide systems with respect to air oxidation of aqueous cyanide solution at 308 K was investigated. The catalysts employed were prepared by an oxidation-precipitation method at room temperature and were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Mössbauer spectroscopy, and chemical analysis. The cyanide oxidation rate was found to be dependent on the catalyst's calcination temperature, pH of the medium, and catalyst loading. Results revealed that the catalyst calcined at 120°C is the most active where up to 90% of free cyanide (4 mM) was removed after oxidation for 30 minutes in the presence of 2.5 g/L catalyst at pH 9.5. The cyanide conversion becomes less favorable as the pH of the solution increases (with other constant parameters). The selectivity data showed that carbon dioxide is the main oxidation product, regardless of pH of the solution.