Objective Objectives The aim of this project is to demonstrate in a lab. scale reactor the catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) of methane. This would allow the exploitation of remote/marginal gas fields. CPO offers a compact process with lower capital costs and reduced environmental emissions that could be operated on a floating platform. The catalysts must be highly selective and stable, giving complete methane conversion over a long time at high temperature and pressure, resistant to coking, and must not require high steam injection. The plant must be simple in construction and operate safely and adiabatically without fired heaters. Technical Approach The industrial partners will first define perceived markets for syn-gas production and use those to define product specifications, and reactor and operational requirements. Both fixed and fluidised bed process routes will be examined. The project will draw upon the best materials already developed by the participants of project JOU2-CT92-0073. These will be ranked as to activity, selectivity, stability, etc. and the top ranked catalysts tested at microreactor scale. Existing homogeneous reaction models will be further developed and experimentally validated. Poisoning and deactivation tests, designed to model reactor operations will be carried out. Kinetic studies will be carried out on a representative set of catalysts to derive a set of rate equations, and these results fed into computer models developed for both fixed and fluidized bed operation. The best catalysts will then go forward for testing at lab scale, with a final demonstration of one or more formulations under commercial conditions. A techno-economic and environmental assessment of the process will be carried out. Expected Achievements and Exploitation The project is expected to demonstrate that the catalytic partial oxidation of natural gas can be carried out safely in both fixed and fluidised bed geometry. It will identify catalysts that are able to perform CPO for run time of at least 1000 hours, and will include both an environmental impact assessment and a techno-economic assessment. Three potential exploitable products are foreseen: 1. a prototype compact and transportable unit for hydrogen generation, using natural gas as the feedstock and air as the oxidant; 2. a similar prototype unit, also using natural gas and air, for hydrogen production for fuel cells, probably as part of a solid polymer fuel cell stack system; 3. a low cost, clean and compact system for conversion of natural gas to liquid fuels such as methanol or syn-crude. As far as transport is concerned, the process could be relevant to both fixed and on-board reforming, and to vehicles that use both I.C.E.s and fuel cells for motive power. Fields of science engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsfossil energynatural gasnatural scienceschemical sciencescatalysisnatural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryaliphatic compoundsengineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsfuel cellsengineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energyhydrogen energy Programme(s) FP4-NNE-JOULE C - Specific programme for research and technological development, including demonstration in the field of non-nuclear energy, 1994-1998 Topic(s) 0403 - New fuels in transport Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator BG PLC Address Ashby road LE11 3GR Loughborough - leicestershire United Kingdom See on map EU contribution € 0,00 Participants (8) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all Cirmac BV Netherlands EU contribution € 0,00 Address 501,laan van westenenk 7334 DT Apeldoorn See on map FOUNDATION FOR TECHNICAL AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH AT THE NORWEGIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Norway EU contribution € 0,00 Address Forskningsveien 1 0314 Oslo See on map FOUNDATION OF RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY - HELLAS Greece EU contribution € 0,00 Address 6th km, charilaou - thermi road 57001 Thessaloniki See on map GASTEC NV Netherlands EU contribution € 0,00 Address 50,wilmersdorf 50 7300 AC Apeldoorn See on map ICI Chemicals & Polymers Ltd United Kingdom EU contribution € 0,00 Address TS23 1LB Billingham See on map Linde AG Germany EU contribution € 0,00 Address Carl von linde straße 6-14 82049 Höllriegelskreuth See on map Technische Universiteit Eindhoven Netherlands EU contribution € 0,00 Address 2,den dolech 5600 MB Eindhoven See on map University of Patras Greece EU contribution € 0,00 Address 26500 Patras See on map
