# US 11,078,131 B2 · Fuel cell reactor and a process for direct conversion of a hydrocarbon-containing gas to a higher hydrocarbons product

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- Number: US 11,078,131 B2
- Document ID: US11078131B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/547,173
- Filed: 2019-08-21
- Published: 2019-12-12
- Granted: 2021-08-03
- Earliest claimed: 2013-11-20
- Assignees: Haldor Topsoe A/S
- Applicants: Haldor Topsøe A/S
- Inventors: Hassan Modarresi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11078131B2

## CPC

- C07C 2/80: Processes with the aid of electrical means
- C01B 3/38: using catalysts
- H01M 8/04097: {with recycling of the reactants (H01M8/04119, H01M8/04104 take precedence)}
- H01M 8/0606: with means for production of gaseous reactants
- H01M 8/0612: from carbon-containing material
- H01M 8/0637: Direct internal reforming at the anode of the fuel cell
- H01M 8/0662: Treatment of gaseous reactants or gaseous residues, e.g. cleaning
- H01M 8/0675: {Removal of sulfur}
- H01M 8/12: operating at high temperature, e.g. with stabilised ZrO2 electrolyte
- C01B 2203/0233: the reforming step being a steam reforming step
- C01B 2203/0405: Purification by membrane separation
- C01B 2203/0475: the impurity being carbon dioxide
- C01B 2203/048: the impurity being an organic compound
- C01B 2203/0495: the impurity being water
- C01B 2203/066: with fuel cells
- C01B 2203/1241: Natural gas or methane
- C01B 2203/127: Catalytic desulfurisation
- C01B 2203/146: At least two purification steps in series
- C01B 2203/148: involving a recycle stream to the feed of the process for making hydrogen or synthesis gas
- H01M 2008/1293: {Fuel cells with solid oxide electrolytes}
- Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells
- C07C: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
- C01B: NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; {METALLOIDS OR COMPOUNDS THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASS C01C}
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

A fuel cell reactor, preferably a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) reactor, for performing direct conversion of a hydrocarbon-containing gas to a higher hydrocarbons product is confined by walls, where reactants are flown in the anode compartments and air is introduced to the cathode compartments, and where oxygen is transferred from one side of the walls to the other side to promote or inhibit a chemical reaction. The process for direct conversion of a hydrocarbon-containing gas to a higher hydrocarbons product takes place in the anode compartment of the reactor, in which produced hydrogen, limiting the conversion to the equilibrium, is reacted in situ with oxygen ions transferred from the cathode compartment to produce steam, thereby removing the equilibrium-limiting hydrogen from the reaction.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A process for direct conversion of a hydrocarbon-containing gas to a higher hydrocarbons product in an anode compartment of a fuel cell reactor, in which produced hydrogen, limiting the conversion to the equilibrium, is reacted in situ with oxygen ions transferred from a cathode compartment to produce steam, thereby removing the equilibrium-limiting hydrogen from the reaction.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1, wherein the hydrocarbon-containing gas is any methane-containing gas, such as natural gas, biogas, synthetic natural gas or shale gas.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1, wherein the higher hydrocarbons product is a gaseous or a liquid product.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1, wherein methane is converted to aromatic products according to the equilibrium reaction
nCH4↔nCnH2n−6+(n+3)H2 with n=6,7,8 or 9
where hydrogen is reacted in situ with oxygen ions transferred from the cathode department to produce steam in the fuel cell reactor.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The process according to claim 4, wherein the fuel cell reactor is a solid oxide fuel cell reactor.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1, wherein a conversion catalyst is coated on an anode surface, loaded in the anode compartment or a combination of both.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The process according to claim 2, wherein the methane-containing gas is cleaned of impurities.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The process according to claim 7, wherein the cleaned gas is further treated in a hydrocarbon treating unit to remove or convert any hydrocarbon species except methane in order to produce a methane-rich feed gas for the fuel cell reactor.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The process according to claim 8, wherein the hydrocarbon treating unit is a pre-reformer operating in an optimized condition to convert higher hydrocarbons with steam to hydrogen and carbon oxides.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The process according to claim 9, wherein unconverted feed gas in the fuel cell reactor is separated and recycled back to the reactor.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The process according to claim 10, wherein a fraction of gas from the fuel cell reactor effluent, which contains hydrogen, is used to clean and treat raw hydrocarbon feed gas.