Reactor Development

Integration of reactions producing hydrogen with a hydrogen selective membrane can overcome the equilibrium in a reaction. Typical hydrogen-producing equilibrium-limited reactions in the chemical industry include steam reforming, water-gas shift reactions (WGS) and dehydrogenation. Many companies and academic groups are working on hydrogen membrane reactors. The expertise of ECN in both reactor and membrane development gives us a unique position in this field.

In industrial applications our main effort is devoted to developing more efficient hydrogen production. Hydrogen membrane reactors integrate different function: heat transfer, reaction and separation. To achieve this in an efficient and economic reactor, requires a novel approach to reactor design. Aspects we have successfully addressed include sealing, catalyst development, multi-tube reactor testing. Our next step is testing a new concept for a 5 Nm³ hydrogen/h reactor.