Comparison of Packed-Bed and Micro-Channel Reactors for Hydrogen Production via Thermochemical Cycles of Water Splitting in the Presence of Ceria-Based Catalysts

Abstract

Hydrogen production via two-step thermochemical cycles over fluorite-structure ceria (CeO2) and ceria-zirconia (Ce0.75Zr0.25O2) materials was studied in packed-bed and micro-channel reactors for comparison purposes. The H2-temperature program reduction (H2-TPR) results indicated that the addition of Zr4+ enhanced the material’s reducibility from 585 µmol/g to 1700 µmol/g, although the reduction temperature increased from 545 to 680 °C. Ce0.75Zr0.25O2 was found to offer higher hydrogen productivity than CeO2 regardless of the type of reactor. The micro-channel reactor showed better performance than the packed-bed reactor for this reaction.