Hydrogen production for fuel cells through methane reforming at low temperatures

Abstract

Hydrogen production for fuel cells through methane (CH 4) reforming at low temperatures has been investigated both thermodynamically and experimentally. From the thermodynamic equilibrium analysis, it is concluded that steam reforming of CH 4 (SRM) at low pressure and a high steam-to-CH 4 ratio can be achieved without significant loss of hydrogen yield at a low temperature such as 550 °C. A scheme for the production of hydrogen for fuel cells at low temperatures by burning the unconverted CH 4 to supply the heat for SRM is proposed and the calculated value of the heat-balanced temperature is 548 °C. SRM with and/or without the presence of oxygen at low temperatures is experimentally investigated over a Ni/Ce–ZrO 2/θ-Al 2O 3 catalyst. The catalyst shows high activity and stability towards SRM at temperatures from 400 to 650 °C. The effects of O 2:CH 4 and H 2O:CH 4 ratios on the conversion of CH 4, the hydrogen yield, the selectivity for carbon monoxide, and the H 2:CO ratio are investigated at 650 °C with a constant CH 4 space velocity. Results indicate that CH 4 conversion increases significantly with increasing O 2:CH 4 or H 2O:CH 4 ratio, and the hydrogen content in dry tail gas increases with the H 2O:CH 4 ratio.