Bench-scale WGS membrane reactor for CO_2 capture with co-production of H_2

摘要

This study investigated the water-gas shift reaction in a bench-scale membrane reactor (M-WGS), where three supported Pd membranes of 44 cm in length and ca. 6 μrn in thickness were used, reaching a total membrane surface area of 580.6 cm~2. The WGS reaction was studied with the syngas mixture: 4.0% CO, 19.2% CO_2, 15.4% H_2O, 1.2% CH_4 and 60.1% H_2, under high temperature/pressure conditions: T = 673 K, P_(feed) = 20-35 bar(a), P_(perm) = 15 bar(a), mimicking CO_2 capture with co-production of H_2 in a natural gas fired power plant. High reaction pressure and high permeation of Pd membranes allowed for near complete CO conversion and H_2 recovery. Both the membranes and the membrane reactor demonstrated a long-term stability under the investigated conditions, indicating the potential of M-WGS to substitute conventional systems.