Highly active and stable Rh/MgOAl2O3 catalysts for methane steam reforming

• DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2004.09.011
• Publication Date: 2004-12-16T01:52:33Z
• Authors: Y. Wang; Y.H. Chin; R.T. Rozmiarek; B.R. Johnson; Y. Gao; J. Watson; A.Y.L. Tonkovich; D.P. Vander Wiel
• Keywords: Methane reformer; Microreactor; Microchannel; Carbon dioxide reforming

Abstract Highly active and coke-resistant Rh catalysts were developed for methane steam reforming in microchannel chemical reactors. Rh loading was optimized on a stable MgO Al2O3 support to improve the volumetric productivity for methane conversion. Catalyst activities were stable over a wide range of steam/carbon ratios. In particular, experimental results demonstrated that Rh/MgO Al2O3 catalysts are extremely active for methane steam reforming and are resistant to coke formation at stoichiometric steam/carbon ratio of 1 for over 14 h time-on-stream with no sign of deactivation. Methane steam reforming activities on this catalyst is compared in both a microchannel reactor and a conventional micro-tubular reactor. Significant performance enhancement was observed in microchannel reactors owing to improved heat and mass transfer.