Preparation and performance of a perovskite-type tubular membrane for the partial oxidation of methane

Thin-walled (∼200 μm) tubular membranes intended for the catalytic partial oxidation of natural gas have been manufactured from La_0.6Sr_0.4Co_0.2Fe_0.8O_3−δ (LSCF) powders using viscous plastic processing technology. The perovskite-type powders were synthesised using various conventional and novel techniques. The tubes have been characterised using a custom-built gas analysis rig with on-line mass spectrometry. Porosity levels of the membranes were found to be very low (<0.5%) as calculated using a mass spectrometry leakage test. This was confirmed by microstructural analysis of polished cross-sections using SEM. The spontaneous oxygen flux across the tubular membranes was determined as a function of temperature. Oxygen permeation rates were found to range from 0.1 to 0.3 μmol cm⁻²s⁻¹ at 1273 K. Paper presented at the 9th EuroConference on Ionics, Ixia, Rhodes, Greece, Sept. 15 – 21, 2002.