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Mixed-Conducting Membranes for Hydrogen Production and Separation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2011

U. Balachandran ,
Beihai Ma ,
Tae H Lee ,
Sun-Ju Song ,
Ling Chen  and
Stephen E Dorris
U. Balachandran
Affiliation:
balu@anl.gov, Argonne National Laboratory, Energy Systems Division, Building 212, 9700S. Cass avenue, Argonne, IL, 60439, United States
Beihai Ma
Affiliation:
bma@anl.gov, Argonne National Laboratory, Energy Systems Division, Argonne, IL, 60439, United States
Tae H Lee
Affiliation:
thlee@anl.gov, Argonne National Laboratory, Energy Systems Division, Argonne, IL, 60439, United States
Sun-Ju Song
Affiliation:
sjsong@anl.gov, Argonne National Laboratory, Energy Systems Division, Argonne, IL, 60439, United States
Ling Chen
Affiliation:
ling.chen@anl.gov, Argonne National Laboratory, Energy Systems Division, Argonne, IL, 60439, United States
Stephen E Dorris
Affiliation:
dorris@anl.gov, Argonne National Laboratory, Energy Systems Division, Argonne, IL, 60439, United States
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Abstract

Mixed-conducting oxides, possessing both ionic and electronic charge carriers, have found wide application in recent years in solid-state electrochemical devices that operate at high temperatures, e.g., solid-oxide fuel cells, batteries, and sensors. These materials also hold promise as dense ceramic membranes that separate gases such as oxygen and hydrogen from mixed-gas streams. We are developing Sr-Fe-Co oxide (SFC) as a membrane that selectively transports oxygen during partial oxidation of methane to syngas (mixture of CO and H2) because of SFC's high combined electronic and ionic conductivities. We have evaluated extruded tubes of SFC for conversion of methane to syngas in a reactor that was operated at ≈900°C. Methane conversion efficiencies were >90%, and some of the reactor tubes were operated for >1000 h. We are also developing dense proton-conducting oxides to separate pure hydrogen from product streams that are generated during methane reforming and coal gasification. Hydrogen selectivity in these membranes is nearly 100%, because they are free of interconnected porosity. Although most studies of hydrogen separation membranes have focused on proton-conducting oxides by themselves, we have developed cermet (i.e., ceramic-metal composite) membranes in which metal powder is mixed with these oxides in order to increase their hydrogen permeability. Using several feed gas mixtures, we measured the nongalvanic hydrogen permeation rate, or flux, for the cermet membranes in the temperature range of 500-900°C. This rate varied linearly with the inverse of membrane thickness. The highest rate, ≈32 cm3(STP)/min-cm2, was measured at 900°C for an ≈15-μm-thick membrane on a porous support structure when 100% H2 at ambient pressure was used as the feed gas.

Keywords

ceramicoxideionic conductor
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 972: Symposium AA – Solid-State Ionics—2006 , 2006 , 0972-AA02-01
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2007

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