Hydrogen generation systems
A water gas shift (WGS) reactor system includes a housing; a reaction tube disposed in the housing, wherein a reaction channel is defined within the reaction tube and a cooling fluid channel is defined between the housing and the reaction tube; a catalyst disposed in the reaction channel, the catalyst configured to catalyze a hydrogen generation reaction; and a heat transfer material disposed in the reaction channel.
1. A water gas shift (WGS) reactor system comprising:
a housing;
a reaction tube disposed in the housing, wherein a reaction channel is defined within the reaction tube and a cooling fluid channel is defined between the housing and the reaction tube, wherein an outlet of the cooling fluid channel is configured to be in fluid communication with an inlet of a steam methane reformer (SMR);
a catalyst disposed in the reaction channel, the catalyst configured to catalyze a hydrogen generation reaction; and
a heat transfer material disposed in the reaction channel, in which the heat transfer material comprises a foam.
2. The WGS reactor system of claim 1 , wherein the catalyst comprises:
a first catalyst disposed in the reaction channel and configured to catalyze the hydrogen generation reaction in a first temperature range; and
a second catalyst disposed in the reaction channel and configured to catalyze the hydrogen generation reaction in a second temperature range lower than the first temperature range.
3. The WGS reactor system of claim 2 , wherein the heat transfer material is disposed in the reaction channel between the first catalyst and the second catalyst.
4. The WGS reactor system of claim 2 , wherein the first catalyst is configured to catalyze the hydrogen generation reaction at a temperature of between 200° C. and 450° C.
5. The WGS reactor system of claim 2 , wherein the second catalyst is configured to catalyze the hydrogen generation reaction at a temperature of between 180° C. and 350° C.
6. The WGS reactor system of claim 1 , wherein a distance between the heat transfer material and an inlet of the reaction channel is less than a distance between the catalyst structure and the inlet of the reaction channel.
7. The WGS reactor system of claim 6 , wherein the catalyst comprises a catalyst configured to catalyze the hydrogen generation reaction at a temperature of between 200° C. and 450° C.
8. The WGS reactor system of claim 1 , wherein the catalyst comprises a foam comprising a catalyst material.
9. The WGS reactor system of claim 8 , wherein the catalytic foam comprises a foam substrate, wherein the catalyst material is disposed on the foam substrate.
10. The WGS reactor system of claim 8 , wherein the foam has a porosity of between 5 pores per inch (ppi) and 30 ppi.
11. The WGS reactor system of claim 1 , wherein the catalyst comprises catalyst pellets.
12. The WGS reactor system of claim 1 , wherein the foam has a porosity of between 5 ppi and 30 ppi.
13. The WGS reactor system of claim 1 , wherein the heat transfer material comprises a fin.
14. The WGS reactor system of claim 1 , comprising a cooling channel heat transfer material disposed in the cooling fluid channel.
15. The WGS reactor system of claim 14 , wherein the cooling channel heat transfer material comprises a foam.
16. The WGS reactor system of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a cylindrical housing, and wherein the reaction tube is coaxial with the cylindrical housing.
17. The WGS reactor system of claim 1 , comprising an inner tube disposed in the reaction tube, wherein the reaction channel is defined by an annular space between the reaction tube and the inner tube, and wherein an inner cooling fluid channel is defined within the inner tube.
18. The WGS reactor system of claim 1 , comprising multiple reaction tubes disposed in the housing.
19. The WGS reactor system of claim 1 , wherein an inlet of the reaction channel and an outlet of the cooling fluid channel are disposed at a first end of the WGS reactor.
20. The WGS reactor system of claim 1 , wherein an inlet of the reaction channel is in fluid communication with an outlet of the cooling fluid channel.
21. The WGS reactor system of claim 1 , comprising a flow controller configured to control a flow rate of cooling fluid through the cooling fluid channel.
22. A method for producing hydrogen in a water gas shift (WGS) reactor, the method comprising:
flowing a cooling fluid through a cooling fluid channel defined between a housing of a WGS reactor and each of multiple reaction tubes disposed in the housing; and
flowing a gas comprising carbon monoxide and steam through each of multiple reaction channels, each reaction channel defined within a corresponding one of the reaction tubes, in which an inlet of each reaction channel and an outlet of the cooling fluid channel are disposed at a first end of the WGS reactor;
in which flowing the gas through each of the reaction channels comprises:
flowing the gas across a heat transfer material disposed in each reaction channel to transfer heat from the flowing gas to the cooling fluid in the cooling fluid channel, comprising reducing the temperature of the flowing gas to a temperature at which the catalyst structure catalyzes the hydrogen generation reaction, in which the temperature is between 200° C. and 450° C.; and
flowing the gas across a catalyst disposed in each reaction channel, the catalyst configured to catalyze a hydrogen generation reaction.
23. The method of claim 22 , wherein flowing the gas across the catalyst comprises:
flowing the gas across a first catalyst disposed in the reaction channel, wherein the first catalyst is configured to catalyze the hydrogen generation reaction in a first temperature range; and
flowing the gas across a second catalyst disposed in the reaction channel, wherein the second catalyst is configured to catalyze the hydrogen generation reaction in a second temperature range lower than the first temperature range.
24. The method of claim 23 , comprising receiving the gas into the reaction channel at a temperature within the first temperature range.
25. The method of claim 24 , comprising receiving the gas into the reaction channel at a temperature of between 200° C. and 450° C.
26. The method of claim 23 , comprising flowing the gas across the heat transfer material after flowing the gas across the first catalyst.
27. The method of claim 26 , wherein flowing the gas across the heat transfer material comprises reducing the temperature of the flowing gas to within the second temperature range.
28. The method of claim 27 , comprising reducing the temperature of the flowing gas to between 180° C. and 350° C.
29. The method of claim 22 , comprising flowing cooling fluid through an inner cooling fluid channel defined within an inner tube disposed in the reaction tube.
30. The method of claim 22 , wherein flowing the gas through the reaction channel comprises flowing the gas from a first end of the WGS reactor to a second end of the WGS reactor; and wherein flowing the cooling fluid through the cooling fluid channel comprises flowing the cooling fluid from the second end of the WGS reactor to the first end of the WGS reactor.
31. The method of claim 22 , comprising adjusting a flow rate of the cooling fluid through the cooling fluid channel based on a flow rate of the gas through the reaction channel.
32. The method of claim 22 , comprising outputting the cooling fluid from the cooling fluid channel at a temperature of between 100° C. and 300° C.
33. The method of claim 22 , comprising providing steam from the cooling fluid channel to an input of the reaction channel.
34. The method of claim 22 , comprising providing steam from the cooling fluid channel to an input of a steam methane reformer.
35. A water gas shift (WGS) reactor system comprising:
a housing;
a reaction tube disposed in the housing, wherein a reaction channel is defined within the reaction tube and a cooling fluid channel is defined between the housing and the reaction tube;
a catalyst disposed in the reaction channel, the catalyst configured to catalyze a hydrogen generation reaction;
a heat transfer material disposed in the reaction channel; and
a cooling channel heat transfer material disposed in the cooling fluid channel, in which the cooling channel heat transfer material comprises a foam,
wherein an inlet of the reaction channel and an outlet of the cooling fluid channel are disposed at a first end of the WGS reactor.
36. The WGS reactor system of claim 35 , wherein the catalyst comprises a foam comprising a catalyst material.
37. The WGS reactor system of claim 35 , wherein the catalyst comprises:
a first catalyst disposed in the reaction channel and configured to catalyze the hydrogen generation reaction in a first temperature range; and
a second catalyst disposed in the reaction channel and configured to catalyze the hydrogen generation reaction in a second temperature range lower than the first temperature range.
38. The WGS reactor system of claim 35 , comprising an inner tube disposed in the reaction tube, wherein the reaction channel is defined by an annular space between the reaction tube and the inner tube, and wherein an inner cooling fluid channel is defined within the inner tube.
39. A water gas shift (WGS) reactor system comprising:
a housing;
multiple reaction tubes disposed in the housing, wherein a reaction channel is defined within each reaction tube and a cooling fluid channel is defined between the housing and the reaction tubes;
a catalyst disposed in the reaction channel of each reaction tube, the catalyst configured to catalyze a hydrogen generation reaction; and
a heat transfer material disposed in each reaction channel,
wherein an inlet of each reaction channel and an outlet of each cooling fluid channel are disposed at a first end of the WGS reactor.
40. The WGS reactor system of claim 39 , wherein the catalyst comprises a foam comprising a catalyst material.
41. The WGS reactor system of claim 39 , wherein the catalyst comprises:
a first catalyst disposed in the reaction channel and configured to catalyze the hydrogen generation reaction in a first temperature range; and
a second catalyst disposed in the reaction channel and configured to catalyze the hydrogen generation reaction in a second temperature range lower than the first temperature range.
42. The WGS reactor system of claim 39 , comprising an inner tube disposed in each reaction tube, wherein each reaction channel is defined by an annular space between the reaction tube and the corresponding inner tube, and wherein an inner cooling fluid channel is defined within each inner tube.
43. A method for producing hydrogen in a water gas shift (WGS) reactor, the method comprising:
flowing a first cooling fluid through a cooling fluid channel defined between a housing of a WGS reactor and a reaction tube disposed in the housing;
flowing a gas comprising carbon monoxide and steam through a reaction channel defined within the reaction tube, in which flowing the gas through the reaction channel comprises:
flowing the gas across a heat transfer material disposed in the reaction channel to transfer heat from the flowing gas to the cooling fluid in the cooling fluid channel; and
flowing the gas across a catalyst disposed in the reaction channel, the catalyst configured to catalyze a hydrogen generation reaction; and
flowing a second cooling fluid through an inner cooling fluid channel defined within an inner tube disposed in the reaction tube.
44. The method of claim 43 , wherein flowing the gas across the catalyst comprises:
flowing the gas across a first catalyst disposed in the reaction channel, wherein the first catalyst is configured to catalyze the hydrogen generation reaction in a first temperature range; and
flowing the gas across a second catalyst disposed in the reaction channel, wherein the second catalyst is configured to catalyze the hydrogen generation reaction in a second temperature range lower than the first temperature range.
45. The method of claim 43 , wherein flowing the gas through the reaction channel comprises flowing the gas from a first end of the WGS reactor to a second end of the WGS reactor; and wherein flowing the cooling fluid through the cooling fluid channel comprises flowing the cooling fluid from the second end of the WGS reactor to the first end of the WGS reactor.
46. The method of claim 43 , comprising providing steam from the cooling fluid channel to an input of the reaction channel.
47. The method of claim 43 , comprising providing steam from the cooling fluid channel to an input of a steam methane reformer.