1ITM SYNGAS AND ITM H2 ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT OF CERAMIC MEMBRANE REACTOR SYSTEMS FOR CONVERTING NATURAL GAS TO HYDROGEN AND SYNTHESIS GAS FOR LIQUID TRANSPORTATION FUELS: DE-FC26-97FT96052

Air Products, in collaboration with the United States Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) and other members of the ITM Syngas Team, is developing ceramic membrane technology for the generation of hydrogen and synthesis gas. These membranes are non-porous, multi-component metallic oxides that operate at high temperatures and have exceptionally high oxygen flux and selectivity. Such membranes are known as Ion Transport Membranes (ITMs). The ITM H2 process is a potential break-through technology that could have a major impact on the cost of distributed hydrogen, especially in the range of 0.1 to 1 MMSCFD. Initial estimates indicate the potential for a significant reduction in the cost of high pressure hydrogen produced by this new route, compared with the cost of trucked-in liquid hydrogen. A successful development of the ITM 2technology could be important to emerging hydrogen markets such as hydrogen-based fuel cells for transportation. Synthesis gas is an important intermediate product required for the production of liquid transportation fuels from natural gas. Preliminary cost estimates indicate that ceramic membrane reactors could decrease the capital cost for syngas by more than one third. This reduction would have a very significant impact on the costs of liquid transportation fuels derived from natural gas. The major goals of the ITM Syngas and ITM H2 development program are summarized in this paper, and the progress of the ITM Syngas Team in successfully meeting those goals and objectives is described