Hydrogen Separation Via a Palladium Membrane: Modeling and Identification

Abstract Palladium membranes can be effectively employed inside reactors for Water-Gas Shift (WGS, namely CO + H 2 O r2; CO 2 + H 2 ), to separate hydrogen from the products, thus increasing the reaction conversion at the same time. Driven by its own partial pressure difference on the two sides of palladium, hydrogen permeates across the membrane up to the reactor lumen, from where it is pushed towards the outlet thanks to a sweep gas. A control-oriented dynamic model has been set up, accounting for the permeation characteristics of palladium and of the underlying porous support layer and for the presence of the sweep gas. The main uncertain parameters in the model have been identified from laboratory experiments, carried out on two membranes and on a WGS reactor equipped with one of them.