High Gas Hourly Space Velocity Research Articles

Thin-felt NiO-Al2O3/FeCrAl-fiber catalyst for high-throughput catalytic oxy-methane reforming to syngas

Thin-felt NiO-Al2O3/FeCrAl-fiber catalysts engineered from micro- to macro-scales are developed for the high-throughput catalytic oxy-methane reforming to syngas. Crystallization-driven self-assembly process is used to prepare an Al(OH)3/FeCrAl-fiber support (15wt% Al(OH)3). NiO of ~3wt% is then highly dispersed onto above support via incipient wetness impregnation method followed by a calcination treatment. Such catalyst achieves a high CH4 conversion of 88.6% with 90.7%/93.2% selectivity to H2/CO at 700°C and a high gas hourly space velocity of 80Lg−1h−1, and is stable for at least 30h without carbon deposit but a slight sintering. In contrast, a reference catalyst of NiO/FeCrAl-fiber shows a fast deactivation within only 6h.

Ni-foam-structured NiO-MOx-Al2O3 (M = Ce or Mg) nanocomposite catalyst for high throughput catalytic partial oxidation of methane to syngas

Self-supported NiO-MOx-Al2O3 (M = Ce or Mg) nanocomposites mounted on a Ni-foam (110 PPI) as the monolithic structured catalyst have been developed for the high throughput catalytic partial oxidation of methane to syngas. The catalysts are obtainable by direct growth of NiAl layered double hydroxides nanosheets and subsequent impregnation with boehmite sol containing Al-Ce or Al-Mg nitrates. Such catalysts are highly active and selective with promising stability in the title reaction, for example, the NiO-CeO2-Al2O3/Ni-foam achieves a high methane conversion of 86.4% with 91.2%/89.0% selectivities to H2/CO and is stable for at least 100 h at 700 °C and a high gas hourly space velocity of 100 L g−1 h−1. Thanks to a feasible CeO2↔CeAlO3 chemical cycling that is able to promote the O2 activation to create an oxidative environment around Ni particles, carbon formation rate is dramatically suppressed by a factor of at least 5 compared to the base catalyst.

Oxygen Vacancies in Reduced Rh/ and Pt/Ceria for Highly Selective and Reactive Reduction of NO into N2 in excess of O2

AbstractCurrently commercial NOx removal (DeNOx) abatement systems for lean‐burn engines exceed regulation limits on the road for NOx emissions. Commercial DeNOx catalysts exhibit poor performance in the selective conversion of NO to N2, especially at high temperature and high gas hourly space velocities (GHSV). In this study, oxygen vacancies of reduced ceria and Pt/ or Rh/ceria are found to be the efficient and selective catalytic sites for NO reduction to N2. Even at low concentrations, NO can compete with an excess of O2 at 600 °C and a high GHSV of 170 000 L L−1 h−1, conditions in which SCR and NSR DeNOx system are not able to function well. N2O is not detected over the whole range of conditions, whereas NO2 is only formed upon oxidation of the catalyst, after both NO and O2 start to appear. For consideration of the fuel economy, the working temperature should be between 250 and 600 °C. Above 600 °C, most of the injected fuel was combusted with O2. Below 250 °C, ceria support will not be reduced by fuel and the oxidation rate of the deposited carbon through oxygen from ceria lattice will be too low.

Porous MnOx for low-temperature NH3-SCR of NOx: the intrinsic relationship between surface physicochemical property and catalytic activity

Three kinds of porous MnOx catalysts consisted of nanoparticles (about 6.5, 8.5, and 21 nm, respectively) were successfully prepared by three different methods, co-precipitation method (CP), citric acid method (CA), and hydrothermal method (HT), respectively. Their physicochemical properties were characterized by TEM, XRD, BET, XPS, H2-TPR, and NH3-TPD in detail, and their catalytic activities were evaluated by the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx with NH3 in the temperature range of 60~300 °C. The results showed that their catalytic activities decreased in the order of MnOx/HT > MnOx/CA > MnOx/CP in the region of 60–120 °C due to the dominant factor resulted from the reducibility of MnOx. In contrast, their catalytic activities declined in the order of MnOx/CA > MnOx/HT > MnOx/CP in the region of 180–300 °C, which can be attributed to the amount of acid sites on the surface of these catalysts. In the region of 120–180 °C, the as-prepared three catalysts exhibited high catalytic activity with 100% NOx conversion under a high gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 36,000 h−1.

Nano-sized Ni/(CaO)x-(Al2O3)y catalysts for steam pre-reforming of ethane and propane in natural gas: The role of CaO/Al2O3 ratio to enhance conversion efficiency and resistance to coke formation

Steam pre-reforming of natural gas was studied over of 31 wt% Ni/(CaO)x-(Al2O3)y catalysts at 400–550 °C, low steam to carbon molar ratio (1.5) and atmospheric pressure. Binary Calcium aluminate compounds with different molar ratio of CaO/Al2O3 = 3/1, 1/1, 1/2 and 1/6 were synthesized by a decomposition method. The obtained powders were employed as a support to prepare a series of mesoporous 31 wt% Ni/(CaO)x-(Al2O3)y catalysts by the deposition-precipitation method. The N2 adsorption/desorption, SEM, XRD, TPR, TPO and TPD techniques were used to characterize the obtained (CaO)x-(Al2O3)y supports and catalysts. Although the catalytic test was performed at a high gas hourly space velocity (GHSV = 1 × 105 1/h), all prepared catalysts provided around 100% of ethane and propane conversions at 500–550 °C. Variation in the catalytic activity was revealed at a much higher GHSV (2 × 105 1/h). The ethane and propane conversions were increased with increasing in the CaO/Al2O3 molar ratio up to 1/1 and the 31 wt% Ni/(CaO)x-(Al2O3)y catalyst showed the highest conversions. The CO2-TPD results indicated that the basicity of supports was strongly influenced by the CaO/Al2O3 molar ratio. Increasing the CaO/Al2O3 ratio resulted in a higher surface basicity and showed a positive effect on the coke suppression. The TPO and SEM of spent catalysts, after 60 h stability test, showed a plenty amount of coke formation on the 31 wt% Ni/CA6 catalyst, while a high resistance to carbon deposition was observed in the case of 31 wt% Ni/C3A catalyst.

Preparation of egg-shell-type Ni/Ru bimetal alumina pellet catalysts: Steam methane reforming for hydrogen production

Egg-shell-type pellet catalysts were prepared by selectively placing nickel and/or ruthenium on the outer region (shell) of alumina pellets so that the active components can be utilized effectively in steam methane reforming (SMR) reaction with high gas-hourly space velocity conditions. To ensure the reproducibility of catalyst preparation, we evaluated two types of commercial alumina pellets. And, we finally selected one commercial alumina pellet, which had uniform pores distribution. The thickness of the ruthenium-shell can be controlled by optimizing the evaporation temperature and rotating speed while preparing an ‘egg-shell-type’ 1 wt. % Ru/alumina catalyst. When applied to a SMR reaction, as the space velocity of the reactant increased in SMR reaction, ‘egg-shell-type’ 1 wt. % Ru/alumina catalyst showed a higher methane conversion than a ‘homo-type’ 1 wt. % Ru/alumina pellet catalyst, in which the active metal was uniformly dispersed in the whole region of pellet. Since ruthenium is a costly noble metal, we prepared a Ni/Ru bimetal catalyst [‘egg-shell-type’ 5 wt. % Ni/0.7 wt. % Ru bimetal catalyst] substituting nickel for some portion of the ruthenium in order to increase the economic feasibility. The bimetal Ni/Ru catalyst showed even better CH4 conversion than the egg-shell-type catalyst containing ruthenium only. We also confirmed that the egg-shell-type catalyst effectively utilized its active components in the SMR reaction.

MnM2O4 microspheres (M = Co, Cu, Ni) for selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3: Comparative study on catalytic activity and reaction mechanism via in-situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy

MnM2O4 microspheres (M=Co, Cu, Ni) were successfully prepared by a hydrothermal method. The catalytic activities of the as-prepared MnM2O4 microspheres were comparatively investigated by the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with NH3, and their reaction mechanisms were studied by in-situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFT). The results showed that MnCo2O4 presented the best low-temperature catalytic activity (nearly 100% NOx conversion in a wide temperature window from 120 to 330°C under a high gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 36,000h−1), the best N2 selectivity (100% N2 selectivity in the temperature range from 60 to 360°C), and excellent water resistance. The high catalytic activity of MnCo2O4 was mainly attributed to the large quantity of surface acid sites with dominant Brønsted acid sites rather than Lewis acid sites. In addition, larger SBET and higher surface Mn4+ concentration also had positive effect on its catalytic activity. Contrastively, the least number of surface acid sites with dominant Lewis acid sites rather than Brønsted acid sites over MnCu2O4 resulted in its worst low-temperature catalytic activity. The catalytic activity of MnNi2O4 was in the middle. In-situ DRIFT revealed that the NH3-SCR of NO over MnCo2O4 and MnNi2O4 followed both Eley-Rideal (E-R) and Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) mechanisms. For MnCu2O4, the reaction was dominated by E-R mechanism.

Optimization of Cobalt Loading in Co–CeO2 Catalyst for the High Temperature Water–Gas Shift Reaction

We varied the cobalt loading (10, 15, 25, 35 wt%) to determine the optimum loading in a Co–CeO2 catalytic system used for the high temperature water–gas shift (WGS) reaction. Severe reaction conditions were used to compare the catalytic performances including a very high gas hourly space velocity (142,663 h−1) and a high CO concentration (~38%). Among the prepared catalysts, 15% Co–CeO2 exhibited excellent catalytic activity in the temperature range of 350–550 °C without promoting the methanation reaction. In addition, this catalyst showed relatively stable activity for 50 h at 400 °C. The outstanding performance of 15% Co–CeO2 catalyst is mainly due to the highest amount of dispersed cobalt atoms on the catalyst surface. Additionally, the WGS activity was affected by the oxygen vacancy concentration.

Synergistic effect between copper and cerium on the performance of Cux-Ce0.5-x-Zr0.5 (x = 0.1–0.5) oxides catalysts for selective catalytic reduction of NO with ammonia

A series of Cux-Ce0.5-x-Zr0.5 oxides catalysts with different Cu/Ce ratio were synthesized by citric acid method. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, BET surface area, H2-TPR, NH3-TPD, NO-TPD, XPS and in-situ DRIFTS. The synergistic effect between copper and cerium on the catalytic performance of Cux-Ce0.5-x-Zr0.5 for selective catalytic reduction of NO with ammonia was investigated. It was found that the Cu0.2-Ce0.3-Zr0.5 catalyst show the excellent SCR activity, N2 selectivity and H2O/SO2 durability in a low temperature range of 150–270°C even at high gas hourly space velocity of 84,000h−1. The strong interaction leads to the improvement of the acidity and the increase in the amount of active oxygen species (oxygen vacancy), which are responsible for the higher activity at low temperatures. The SCR reaction process over Cu0.2-Ce0.3-Zr0.5 was also examined using in-situ DRIFTS. The DRIFTS results indicate that abundant ionic NH4+ (Brønsted acid sites), coordinated NH3 on the Lewis acid sites, as well as highly active monodentate nitrate and bridging nitrate species were the key intermediates in the SCR reaction.

Spherical Boron Nitride Supported Gold–Copper Catalysts for the Low‐Temperature Selective Oxidation of Ethanol

AbstractThe oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde in the fine‐chemical industry is a burgeoning process that requires leading‐edge technology. A major challenge is to find a catalyst with high ethanol conversion and high acetaldehyde selectivity at a high gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) and a low operation temperature. Boron nitride nanosphere supported Au–Cu nanoparticles offer much opportunity for low‐temperature ethanol oxidation. A catalytic ethanol conversion of 77 % and a selectivity of 94 % towards acetaldehyde were achieved at a temperature of 180 °C and a high GHSV of 100 000 mL gcat−1 h−1, values that far exceed those obtained with Au–Cu/SiO2. The immobilized Au–Cu nanoparticles have an average size of approximately 3 nm, and the majority of Au species are assigned Auδ−. The weak interaction of acetaldehyde with both Au–Cu active phases and the boron nitride support facilitates the adsorption–desorption behavior of acetaldehyde. As a result, the progression of secondary reactions is slowed and the degree of coverage of the active sites is minimized.

Selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3 over iron-cerium-tungsten mixed oxide catalyst prepared by different methods

A series of magnetic Fe0.85Ce0.10W0.05Oz catalysts were synthesized by three different methods(Co-precipitation(Fe0.85Ce0.10W0.05Oz-CP), Hydrothermal treatment assistant critic acid sol-gel method(Fe0.85Ce0.10W0.05Oz-HT) and Microwave irradiation assistant critic acid sol-gel method(Fe0.85Ce0.10W0.05Oz-MW)), and the catalytic activity was evaluated for selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3. The catalyst was characterized by XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption, XPS, H2-TPR and NH3-TPD. Among the tested catalysts, Fe0.85Ce0.10W0.05Oz-MW shows the highest NOx conversion over per gram in unit time with NOx conversion of 60.8% at 350°C under a high gas hourly space velocity of 1,200,000ml/(gh). Different from Fe0.85Ce0.10W0.05Oz-CP catalyst, there exists a large of iron oxide crystallite(γ-Fe2O3 and α-Fe2O3) scattered in Fe0.85Ce0.10W0.05Oz catalysts prepared through hydrothermal treatment or microwave irradiation assistant critic acid sol-gel method, and higher iron atomic concentration on their surface. And Fe0.85Ce0.10W0.05Oz-MW shows higher surface absorbed oxygen concentration and better dispersion compared with Fe0.85Ce0.10W0.05Oz-HT catalyst. These features were favorable for the high catalytic performance of NO reduction with NH3 over Fe0.85Ce0.10W0.05Oz-MW catalyst.

MnO2 Framework for Instantaneous Mineralization of Carcinogenic Airborne Formaldehyde at Room Temperature

Formaldehyde (HCHO) causes increasing concerns, because of its ubiquitous presence in the indoor environment and its irritating and carcinogenic nature, with regard to humans. The fast abatement of HCHO is of significant practical interest at room temperature. In this paper, we fabricate a three-dimensional manganese dioxide framework (3D-MnO2), which has interconnected network structures, low mass density (∼7.3 mg cm–3), and high absorption capacity for organic liquids. In particular, the 3D-MnO2 showed excellent activity and stability for HCHO oxidation at room temperature, achieving 45% of 100 ppm of HCHO mineralized into CO2 under high gas hourly space velocity (GHSV = 180 L gcat–1 h–1). The excellent performance of 3D-MnO2 catalysts in decomposing HCHO can be ascribed to their quick reversibility and high water content for replenishing the consumed surface hydroxyl groups during HCHO decomposition, and fully exposed active reaction sites. It is valuable to know that inexpensive metal oxides such as M...

Enhanced catalytic performance of Pt/TiO2 catalyst in water gas shift reaction by incorporation of PRGO

TiO2 over partially reduced graphite oxide (PRGO) was prepared using the hydrothermal synthesis method with varying amounts of the TiO2 precursor for WGS catalyst support. Pt catalysts for the low-temperature water gas shift (WGS) reaction were then prepared by the incipient wetness impregnation method with the TiO2/PRGO (TirGO) supports. The WGS reaction was carried out with the Pt/TiO2/PRGO (Pt/TirGO) catalysts to investigate the effect of the incorporation of PRGO on the catalytic activity.Characterization of the supports and catalysts was performed with XRD, SEM, XPS, Raman spectroscopy, BET surface analysis, and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR). It was found that functional groups containing oxygen on the PRGO provide anchoring sites for the TiO2 precursors during the hydrothermal process, resulting in enhanced catalytic activity. In addition, the introduction of PRGO also improved the reducibility of the catalysts. It was also confirmed that there exists an optimal ratio of TiO2 to PRGO that facilitates a uniform dispersion of nanosized TiO2 on the PRGO by balancing the number of functional groups on PRGO with the amount of TiO2 precursor used. Among the Pt/TirGO catalysts synthesized, Pt/TirGO-5 possessed the optimum ratio of TiO2 to PRGO and showed excellent catalytic activity in the WGS reaction, achieving over 80% conversion of CO at the low temperature of 280°C and a very high gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 47,700h−1.

Facile preparation of egg-shell-type pellet catalysts using immiscibility between hydrophobic solvent and hydrophilic solution: Enhancement of catalytic activity due to position control of metallic nickel inside alumina pellet

Egg-shell-type catalysts, in which active components were selectively located outer region of pellet, have been prepared to effectively utilize catalytically active components in the reactions with high gas-hourly space velocity conditions. We developed a new and facile preparation method for egg-shell catalysts using immiscibility between hydrophobic solvent preoccupied inside pellet and aqueous hydrophilic precursor solution. A series of alcohols, propanol, butanol, pentanol and so on, were used as hydrophobic solvents to retard the penetration of aqueous metal precursor solutions. After drying solvents and proper calcination and reduction, catalytically active components, metallic nickel particles, were selectively located in the outer region of pellet. Owing to the selective deposition of metallic particles, the egg-shell catalysts showed higher conversion of methane in steam methane reforming than homo-type catalysts, which has homogeneous distribution of metal particles on the entire range of pellet, as the space velocity increased from 6000 to 30,000h−1.

Steam Prereforming of Natural Gas over Nanostructured Nickel/Magnesium Aluminate Spinel Catalysts: Effect of Support and Nickel Loading

AbstractMesoporous MgAl2O4 powder with a high surface area (226 m2 g−1) is synthesized by a co‐precipitation method in the presence of a capping agent. The obtained powder was employed to prepare catalysts (y Ni/MA) with different nickel contents (y=3.5, 7, 10.5, and 14 wt %). The catalysts were characterized by BET, XRD, H2‐TPR, TPD, TPO, and SEM techniques to study the effect of support and nickel content on the surface properties, Ni–MgAl2O4 interactions, Ni2+ species, nickel particle size, and reducibility. The catalytic performance of the y Ni/MgAl2O4 catalysts was tested in the steam prereforming of natural gas in the range of 400–550 °C, atmospheric pressure, low steam to carbon molar ratio (S/C=1.5) and a high gas hourly space velocity (GHSV=1×105 mL g−1catalyst h−1). The 10.5 % Ni/MA catalyst showed the highest nickel metal area (2.91 m2 g−1catalyst) which resulted in around 100 % of ethane and propane conversions at temperatures higher than 500 °C. This catalyst exhibited a high stability during 50 h time on‐stream, implying a high resistance to coke formation. While the 10.5 % Ni/MAC catalyst, the support (MAC) of which was synthesized by the solid‐state reaction method, demonstrated the lowest nickel area (0.04 m2 g−1catalyst) and a poor catalytic performance with a plenty of carbon deposition during steam prereforming reaction.

Design and operation of a pilot plant for biomass to liquid fuels by integrating gasification, DME synthesis and DME to gasoline

Based on a promising process of biomass to liquid (BTL) fuels, a pilot-scale plant including gasification, direct synthesis of dimethyl ether (DME) and DME to gasoline was developed. The evaluations of the designed facilities and the optimization of the operation parameters for the whole system were carried out. The several running tests demonstrated the feasibility of converting biomass to high octane gasoline in the developed pilot plant. The adopted critical components of the facilities were verified and the anticipated design goal was achieved. The operating results showed that both the pressure and gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) not only influenced the CO conversion and the DME yield, but also had a significant effect on the manipulation of the reaction heat in the adiabatic reactor. High pressure and low GHSV favored the high CO conversion and the DME yield. Considering CO conversion and temperature controlling of the adiabatic reactor, the optimized pressure and GHSV of the synthesis process were 2.2–2.5MPa and 1200h−1, respectively. The per-pass conversion of CO and the production capacity of gasoline were about 45% and 4.4kg/h, respectively under this condition.

Effect of surfactant type on the synthesis of nanocrystalline MgAl 2 O 4 and its application as a support for Ni catalyst in the steam pre‐reforming of natural gas

Mesoporous nanocrystalline magnesium aluminate (MgAl2O4) particles with different surface area (70–230 m2 g−1) were synthesised via the homogeneous co-precipitation method using different surfactants (cationic, anionic and non-ionic). The obtained powders were used as the support to prepare 10.5 nickel (Ni)/MgAl2O4 catalysts, and the resulting samples were tested in the steam pre-reforming of natural gas. The obtained samples were characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis, transmission electron microscopy and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) techniques. Experimental results showed that the shape, surface area and porosity of MgAl2O4 particles were strongly dependent on the type of surfactants used. In addition, the Ni catalyst supported on the MgAl2O4 with the highest surface area exhibited the smallest size of Ni particles (14.1 nm). This catalyst has over 97% of ethane and propane conversions in steam pre-reforming of natural gas under atmospheric pressure, 550°C, low steam to carbon molar ratio (S/C = 1.5) and high gas hourly space velocity (GHSV = 100,000 ml g−1 catalysth−1).

Au/CuSiO3 nanotubes: High-performance robust catalysts for selective oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde

Novel gold-supporting silicate nanotubes are synthesized via a hydrothermal method followed by colloid deposition. Their catalytic performance for the selective oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde is assessed. The results show that Au/CuSiO3 nanotubes exhibit both high activity and selectivity at high gas hourly space velocity (GHSV). Ethanol conversion can reach up to ~98%, and the selectivity for acetaldehyde is ~93% at 250 °C and ~100,000 mL·gcat–1·h–1. In comparison, the catalytic activity of Au/MgSiO3 nanotubes is relatively low, and ethanol conversion reaches only ~25% at 250 °C. However, when Cu species are added to Au/MgSiO3, the catalytic activity improves significantly, indicating that the interactions between Au nanoparticles and Cu species are responsible for the high performance for selective oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde.

New Syngas Reforming Solutions for Enhanced Gas-to-Diesel Conversion

This article, written by Special Publications Editor Adam Wilson, contains highlights of paper SPE 177660, “New Syngas Reforming Solutions for Enhanced Gas-to-Diesel Conversion,” by Conrad Ayasse and Rob Ayasse, Verdis Synthetic Fuels, prepared for the 2015 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, Abu Dhabi, 9-12 November. The paper has not been peer reviewed. This paper presents an overview of the challenges of using traditional synthesis gas reforming methods for efficient gas-to-liquids (GTL) conversion. A second objective is to show how newly emerging reformer technologies, such as those based on plasma or catalytic partial oxidation, will provide significant improvements. A case also will be made for how these new technologies, when paired with a high-efficiency Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process, provide a profitable alternative to the environmentally damaging, and wasteful, practice of flaring or venting associated gas. Introduction Given the limitations of footprint, weight, safety, cost, and other factors for platform operations, the use of the FT process for flared-gas conversion to liquids is challenging. This study shows that the best process uses a catalytic partial-oxidation reformer, a unique wax-free FT catalyst, and an advanced FT reactor to meet all platform criteria while cutting traditional capital expenditures (Capex) and operational expenditures (Opex) in half. Criteria for Platform Operations The following criteria were considered for the selection of equipment on a platform: Small footprint (space limitations) Low weight (weight limitations) Low pressure (safety considerations) High gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) (to enable small reactors) Low pressure drop at high GHSV (reactor shape) High gas conversion (process efficiency) High gas selectivity to carbon monoxide (process efficiency) No water needed (simplicity) No pure oxygen needed (platform requirement for safety) No feed-gas preheat needed (simplicity) No reformer tail-gas heat exchanger needed (simplicity) At the heart of the list are footprint, weight, and safety. From the safety perspective, temperature, pressure, and oxygen concentration are important. Equipment footprint and weight affect the platform cost and the ability to add equipment to existing platforms. This means that the number of process-unit operations must be kept at a minimum.

Development of a stand-alone steam methane reformer for on-site hydrogen production

A small, stationary reformer designed as a stand-alone and self-sustaining type was developed for on-site hydrogen (H2) production. We created a compact reformer to produce H2 at a rate of 1 Nm3/h using the previously reported reaction kinetics of steam methane reforming (SMR). Both catalysts for the compact reformer - i.e., 15 wt% and 20 wt% Ni/γ-Al2O3 - showed good activity, with CH4 conversion exceeding 90% at 655 °C and a contact time of 3.0 gcath/mol, which were considered critical thresholds in the development of a small, compact stationary reformer. At an H2 production rate of 1 Nm3/h, the catalyst amount was calculated to be 167.8 g and the reformer length required to charge the catalyst was 613 mm, with a diameter of 1 inch. The CH4 conversion and H2 production rates achieved with the compact reformer using the 20 wt% Ni/γ-Al2O3 catalyst at 738 °C were 97.9% and 1.22 Nm3/h, respectively. Furthermore, a heat-exchanger type reformer was developed to efficiently carry out the highly endothermic SMR reaction for on-site H2 production. This reformer comprised a tube side (in which the catalysts were charged and the SMR reaction took place by feeding the reactants) and a shell side (in which the heat for the endothermic reaction was supplied by CH4 combustion). Reforming activities were evaluated using the active 20 wt% Ni/γ-Al2O3 catalyst, depending on the reactants' gas hourly space velocity (GHSV). The H2 production rate increased as the GHSV increased. Finally, the reformer produced a CH4 conversion of 98.0% and an H2 production rate of 1.97 Nm3/h at 745 °C, as well as a high reactants' GHSV of 10,000 h−1. Therefore, the heat-exchanger type reformer proved to be an effective system for conducting the highly endothermic SMR reaction with a high reactants' GHSV to yield a high rate of H2 production.