Development of Membrane Reformer System for Hydrogen Production from Natural Gas

An advanced membrane reformer system for hydrogen production from natural gas has been developed and demonstrated its long-term durability. A pilot-scale membrane reformer system, of which capacity is 40 Nm3/h, has been developed with membrane reactors consist of Pd-based thin hydrogen separation membranes and reforming catalyst beds. The system, which has already achieved a significant hydrogen production efficiency of 81.4% (HHV), has been operated for 8000 h and demonstrated its durability. A scale up analysis was also carried out for the purpose of estimating the efficiency of a commercial-scale system with a capacity of 300 Nm3/h using a process simulator and actual operation data obtained from the pilot system. The hydrogen production efficiency of the 300 Nm3/h system was estimated to be 82.9% (HHV).