Development of mixed-conducting ceramic membranes for converting methane to syngas
The abundantly available natural gas (mostly methane) discovered in remote areas has stimulated considerable research on upgrading this gas to high-value-added clean-burning fuels such as dimethyl ether and alcohols and to pollution-fighting additives. Of the two routes to convert methane to valuable products direct and indirect, the direct route involving partial oxidation of methane to syngas (CO + H{sub 2}) by air is preferred. Syngas is the key intermediate product used to form a variety of petrochemicals and transportation fuels. This paper is concerned with the selective transport of oxygen from air for converting methane to syngas by means of a mixed-conducting ceramic oxide membrane prepared from Sr-Fe-Co-O oxide. While both perovskite and nonperovskite type Sr-Fe-Co-O oxides permeate large amounts of oxygen when the membrane tube is subjected to oxygen pressure gradients, the work shows that the nonperovskite SrFeCo{sub 0.5}O{sub x} exhibits remarkable stability during oxygen permeation. More particularly, extruded and sintered tubes from SrFeCo{sub 0.5}O{sub x} have been evaluated in a reactor operating at {approx} 850 C for conversion of methane into syngas in the presence of a reforming catalyst. Methane conversion efficiencies of {approx} 99% were observed. In addition, oxygen permeability of SrFeCo{sub 0.5}O{sub x} was measured as a function of oxygen partial pressure gradient and temperature in a gas-tight electrochemical cell. Oxygen permeability has also been calculated from conductivity data and the results are compared and discussed.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., Energy Technology Div., IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 671894
- Report Number(s):
- ANL/ET/CP-93360; CONF-9705250-; ON: DE97053362; TRN: AHC2DT07%%52
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: ESF network on catalytic membrane reactors, Oslo (Norway), 30 May - 1 Jun 1997; Other Information: PBD: Apr 1997
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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