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Title: Chemical microreactor and method thereof

Abstract

A chemical microreactor suitable for generation of hydrogen fuel from liquid sources such as ammonia, methanol, and butane through steam reforming processes when mixed with an appropriate amount of water contains capillary microchannels with integrated resistive heaters to facilitate the occurrence of catalytic steam reforming reactions. One such microreactor employs a packed catalyst capillary microchannel and at least one porous membrane. Another employs a porous membrane with a large surface area or a porous membrane support structure containing a plurality of porous membranes having a large surface area in the aggregate, i.e., greater than about 1 m.sup.2 /cm.sup.3. The packed catalyst capillary microchannels, porous membranes and porous membrane support structures may be formed by a variety of methods.

Inventors:
;
Issue Date:
Research Org.:
Univ. of California, Oakland, CA (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1175537
Patent Number(s):
6960235
Application Number:
10/007,412
Assignee:
The Regents of the University of California (Oakland, CA)
Patent Classifications (CPCs):
B - PERFORMING OPERATIONS B01 - PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL B01J - CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY
Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
DOE Contract Number:  
W-7405-ENG-48
Resource Type:
Patent
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
08 HYDROGEN

Citation Formats

Morse, Jeffrey D., and Jankowski, Alan. Chemical microreactor and method thereof. United States: N. p., 2005. Web.
Morse, Jeffrey D., & Jankowski, Alan. Chemical microreactor and method thereof. United States.
Morse, Jeffrey D., and Jankowski, Alan. Tue . "Chemical microreactor and method thereof". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1175537.
@article{osti_1175537,
title = {Chemical microreactor and method thereof},
author = {Morse, Jeffrey D. and Jankowski, Alan},
abstractNote = {A chemical microreactor suitable for generation of hydrogen fuel from liquid sources such as ammonia, methanol, and butane through steam reforming processes when mixed with an appropriate amount of water contains capillary microchannels with integrated resistive heaters to facilitate the occurrence of catalytic steam reforming reactions. One such microreactor employs a packed catalyst capillary microchannel and at least one porous membrane. Another employs a porous membrane with a large surface area or a porous membrane support structure containing a plurality of porous membranes having a large surface area in the aggregate, i.e., greater than about 1 m.sup.2 /cm.sup.3. The packed catalyst capillary microchannels, porous membranes and porous membrane support structures may be formed by a variety of methods.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {2005},
month = {11}
}

Works referenced in this record:

Micromachined reactors for catalytic partial oxidation reactions
journal, November 1997


Forced convection heat transfer of single-phase binary mixtures through microchannels
journal, January 1996


Micro membrane reactor: a flow-through membrane for gas pre-combustion
journal, March 2002


Experimental system for the study of gas-solid heterogeneous catalysis in microreactors
conference, August 2000