A simulative comparison of dense and microporous membrane reactors for the steam reforming of methane

The steam reforming of methane using catalytic membrane reactors has been simulated for two types of membranes - a dense Pd/Ag composite membrane and a series of microporous membranes. Various values of hydrogen separation factors were investigated for the latter. In general the Pd/Ag membranes gave the better performance, for all parameters investigated including temperature, pressure, sweep ratio, and membrane thickness. However, the use of steam as a sweep gas produced an improved performance for the microporous membranes operating in the Knudsen region. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.