Development of Pt–Co/Al2O3 bimetallic catalyst and its evaluation in catalytic hydrogen combustion reaction

A Pt–Co/Al2O3 bimetallic catalyst for catalytic hydrogen combustion (CHC) is prepared and its performance is evaluated. A colloidal dispersion of a Pt-sulphite complex is used as the Pt precursor instead of the conventional H2PtCl6 solution. The prepared catalyst maintains its catalytic activity at a temperature of up to 337 °C for 500 h of continuous CHC. To assess the catalytic activity and thermal conductivity of the catalyst, a catalytic cartridge for a recombiner section is designed. The thermal distribution over the catalytic surface during CHC is measured, using an infrared camera, as a function of inlet hydrogen concentration (0–10 vol%) and gas flow velocity (4–12 m/s). Hydrogen conversion is also determined, to evaluate the catalytic activity of the prepared catalysts. Results of this study indicate that the Pt reactive metal can be partially replaced with Co—thus reducing the cost of the catalyst, without diminishing the catalyst performance towards CHC.