Hydrocarbon Reforming
From Open Source Ecology
Basics
- This is the chemical reacting via various methods of mainly Lighter Hydrocarbons (Most often Methane , but Butane and Propane (And thus potentially LPG ? have been shown to work as well etc) (add citations from other tabs) ) to produce Syngas
- If combined with the Water Gas Shift Reaction it can produce mostly Hydrogen as well
Methods
- One of the most common methods
- The reaction is typically conducted with a high pressure mixture of steam and methane are put into contact with a nickel catalyst
- Can also be called "steam methane reforming" and thus abbreviated as SMR (not to be confused with Small Modular Reactor)
- Also known as "Dry Reforming" (similar to "Dry Ice" meaning solid co2 )
- Is challenging as the hydrogen that is produced tends to react with the carbon dioxide
- Uses noble metal catalysts and/or nickel
- More sources needed on this; much less straigforeward than steam reforming
Partial Oxidation
- Abbreviated as POX
- Uses a lean air mix to produce syngas
- Can be thermal where it is essentially just a standard lean flame (TPOX), or catalytic (CPOX)where the temperature is lowered via catalysts
- Has issues with soot and water vapor buildup suppsoedly (dump sources here)
Autothermal reforming
- Autothermal reforming (ATR) uses both oxygen, and carbon dioxide or steam in a reaction with methane to form syngas
- Thus can be varied:
- The required H2/CO ratio is provided by manipulating the carbon dioxide or steam
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