Steam reforming catalysts

Steam reforming catalysts for primary reforming require high mechanical strength and a catalyst shape that minimises pressure drop over the tubular reformer.

Key catalyst qualities
Good thermal and hydrothermal stability of the carrier is essential for obtaining good activity and long catalyst lifetime at the high operation temperatures of the reformer. Resistance towards carbon formation, catalytic as well as pyrolytic, is also important when operating in feedstocks ranging from heavy natural gas to naphtha.

Research in new catalysts for primary steam reforming undertakes these challenges to improve the performance of the primary steam reformer.
 

Steam reforming technology

Steam reforming is a highly endothermic reaction. The challenge is to incorporate high heat transfer and high catalytic activity in a single reactor without excessive pressure drop. On the heating side of the reactor the challenge is to transfer as much as possible of the latent heat into the reactor tube while maintaining an optimum heat flux profile from radiation and convection. Topsoe has a unique position in this field as provider of both the reactor technology and the catalyst.

Increasing heat integration
Topsoe's R&D is continuously pursuing the development of even more compact reactor concepts to further integrate heat transfer and catalytic activity. Another major challenge is to further increase the heat integration of a syngas plant for higher energy efficiency. For higher heat integration the phenomena of metal dusting has to be considered along with heat transfer and reaction rate.

From fundamental studies to pilot plants
Technology development is pursued through fundamental studies of transport and reaction mechanisms as well as through laboratory and pilot scale experiments performed in-house and in larger scale together with our collaboration partners.