Performance study of heptane reforming in the dense ceramic membrane reactors

Heptane reforming was investigated in three dense ceramic membrane reactors, where the membranes were modified differently with reforming catalyst. Each reactor displayed distinctive catalytic behavior. The reactor with a bare membrane showed low catalytic activity and low oxygen permeation flux (J(O2)), but gave stable performance. The left two membranes reactors modified with catalyst both displayed shift processes at the preliminary stage of membrane reaction, not only in J(O2) but also in the selectivity of all products. Moreover, the membrane reactor with more catalyst gave higher performance in the case of J(O2) and CO selectivity. The observed shift phenomena are due to the activation of catalyst on the membrane surface, and the different amounts of catalyst produce different impaction on the membrane reactions. On the basis of the results in three membrane reactors, a reaction pathway of hydrocarbon reforming in dense ceramic membrane reactor is proposed. Being some different from combustion and reforming mechanism (CRR), hydrocarbon reforming in dense ceramic membrane reactor has its own characteristics. (C) 2007 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.