(544fa) The Production of H2-Rich Gas over SiC Modified Calcium-Aluminate Support Nickel Catalyst for Steam Reforming of Methane

Steam reforming of methane(SRM) is an important process for the production of hydrogen and syngas (H₂, CO), and most of the hydrogen is produced by the SRM process through Ni-based catalysts.

For improve the thermal conductivity of the Ni based catalyst, the application of structured blocks, foamed metals or other highly thermally conductive materials (e.g., SiC, Al metal) is a practical method. However, a major disadvantage of these materials is their low durability of catalysts layer and the complexity of active component application. Another option to improve thermal conductivity is the combination of traditional support and thermally conductive components.

In this work, SiC modified calcium aluminate support was prepared by an extrusion method. The Ni based catalyst supported on calcium aluminate modified SiC was prepared by an impregnation method. The catalysts before and after the SRM were characterized by TEM, SEM, XPS, XRD, TPR and N₂-physisorption techniques. The catalytic performance in the steam reforming of methane was investigated at 800~850 °C, 1~8 bar and GHSV of 10,000~50,000 h^-1.

It was found that SiC modified catalyst showed higher methane conversion than none modified catalyst because of high heat transfer effect caused by the high thermal conductivity of SiC modified catalyst.