Combination of preferential CO oxidation and methanation in hybrid MCR (micro-channel reactor) for CO clean-up

Abstract

CO in the hydrogen stream must be reduced to extremely low levels, under 10 ppm, because the Pt electrode is detrimentally affected by residual CO in the H-2 stream. Therefore removal of carbon monoxide from the H-2-rich stream during fuel generation from hydrocarbons is a critical challenge, especially for PEMFC (proton exchange membrane fuel cell) applications. Herein, CO an initial concentration of 1.0 vol.% was successfully removed from a H-2-rich stream to a residual level below 10 ppm, within the wide operating temperature range from 92 to 235 degrees C by utilizing a hybrid channel reactor comprising a micro-channel heat exchanger and mini-packed bed reactor. The mini-packed bed reactor contained two kinds of catalysts that promote preferential oxidation and methanation of CO in series. The HMCR (hybrid micro- and mini- channel reactor) offers not only ultimately safe operation but also easy scale-up and is adaptable to mass production of CO clean-up units. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.