Water-gas shift reaction in ceramic-carbonate dual-phase membrane reactor at high temperatures and pressures

Water-gas-shift (WGS) reaction is a critical step in integrated gasification combined cycles (IGCC) power plants with CO2 capture. Membrane reactors made with a CO2-permselective ceramic-carbonate dual-phase (CCDP) membrane offers the potential to enhance hydrogen yield with simultaneous CO2 capture for WGS reaction. The present work studies operation of WGS reaction in a tubular membrane reactor made of samarium-doped ceria infiltrated with lithium/sodium molten carbonate mixture. The WGS reaction was performed in the membrane reactor with and without a high-temperature WGS catalyst at 800–850 °C, feed pressure of 7 bar, the space velocity of 150–3000 h−1, and a feed gas mixture of 45.7/13.1/41.3 mol% CO/CO2/N2 with steam to carbon ratio of 4. The results show that the catalyst-free membrane reactor can convert 92% of carbon monoxide into CO2 and H2 and recover 29% CO2 at 850 °C and a space velocity of 150 h−1. However, in the catalyst-free membrane reactor, a significant amount of unwanted carbon deposition is observed. The side reactions can be minimized by reducing the operating pressure and increasing the operating temperature and space velocity, and completely avoided using a high-temperature catalyst at space velocity>500 h−1. The membrane reactor with a WGS catalyst achieves CO conversion of about 85%, above the equilibrium conversion, and 40% CO2 recovery without carbon deposition at high temperature and pressure. The membrane remains in the same structure and gas-tightness after the WGS reaction tests.