A Novel Chemically Stable Ceramic-Metal Composite Membrane For Hydrogen Separation

Reference #: 01092

The University of South Carolina is offering licensing opportunities for chemically stable, high performance permeation membranes to capture pure hydrogen.

Invention Description:

The subject invention provides a series of ceramic-metal composite membranes with high hydrogen permeation flux, mechanical strength, and chemical stability in H₂O, CO₂, and H₂S-containing atmospheres. These membranes address the problems of state-of-art technology and are particularly useful for extracting hydrogen from any input streams with pressures between 1 and 1000 psi and temperatures between 600 and 1000 °C.

Potential Applications:

Hydrogen production from natural gas reforming and coal gasification

Advantages and Benefits:

1.    Cost-effective

2.    Useful under practical operating conditions

Background:

Hydrogen production requires high temperatures (700~900 °C) and high pressures (20~40 bar) to convert methane into H₂, CO, and CO₂ though a process called steam methane reforming. The hydrogen is then separated and captured using permeable membranes.

Present hydrogen separation membranes are either expensive and cannot be used at high temperatures or are instable due to chemical reactions of the membrane materials with steam and CO₂ under practical operating conditions.