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AssigneeThe University of British Columbia
InventorsAlaa-Eldin M. Adris, John R. Grace, Choon J. Lim, Said S. Elnashaie
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Hydrogen gas is generated in a fluidized bed reactor by reacting gases namely steam and a hydrocarbon gas such as methane or natural gas in a fluidized bed of particulate catalytic material. The catalytic material is fluidized by injecting the mixture of the reacting gases at the bottom of the bed. Hydrogen generated within the bed is removed via a selectively permeable membrane that extends through the bed and through a freeboard area above the bed. The reaction is endothermic and therefore heat to maintain the bed at the desired temperature is added as required. Preferably a separator separates particulate catalytic material entrained in the gases in the freeboard area and delivers the particulate material separated from the gas back into the bed.
A method for producing hydrogen gas comprising forming a fluidized bed of a suitable particulate catalyst by introducing reacting gases comprising a mixture of steam and hydrocarbon gas into the bottom of said fluidized bed to fluidize said particulate catalyst and form said fluidized bed, said fluidized bed occupying a portion of a vessel and forming a reaction zone, forming a freeboard zone in said vessel above said fluidized bed reaction zone, reacting said reacting gases within said fluidized bed reaction zone to produce hydrogen gas, separating said hydrogen gas from other gases in said fluidized bed reaction zone as molecular or atomic hydrogen through a perm selective membrane means that permits transfer of hydrogen therethrough while preventing the transmission of said other gases present in said reaction zone therethrough, separating further hydrogen gas from said other gases through said perm selective membrane means in said freeboard zone, said hydrogen gas after permeation through said perm selective membrane means providing a source of relatively pure hydrogen gas and withdrawing said relatively pure hydrogen gas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.