Autothermal reforming of methane over an integrated solid oxide fuel cell reactor for power and syngas co-generation

Autothermal reforming of methane couples exothermal partial oxidation of methane and endothermal steam or dry reforming of methane to achieve high energy efficiency, which can be operated through solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) so that expensive oxygen is not required and safety issue caused by CH₄/O₂ mixture is avoided. In addition, electric power is simultaneously generated. This study has demonstrated the efficient electrochemical autothermal reforming of methane over a SOFC reactor integrated with catalyst beds within anode channel structure. The catalyst bed reformer increases syngas yield by a factor of about 6 owing to the increased methane conversion and syngas selectivity. By numerical assessment, enhanced mass transportation is well validated by high fuel accessibility at the electrode-electrolyte interface benefiting from the integrated catalyst beds. Compared with conventional catalyst layer on anode surface, the catalyst beds are more efficient for conducting methane reforming. After the initial stabilization of cell microstructure, the SOFC reactor has demonstrated stable cell performance and syngas yield during the test for 120 h. The integrated SOFC reactor has demonstrated a promising application in performing catalytic reforming reactions.