Methane Internal Reforming over Ni_1-x-yCu_xMg_yO-SDC Anode Material at Intermediate Temperatures

Abstract

The overall goal of this work is to develop a coking resistant Ni 1-x-y Cu x Mg y O-SDC anode for IT-SOFCs. The Ni 1-x-y Cu x Mg y O samples were prepared using 1) a one-step co-precipitation method and 2) a two-step co-precipitation/impregnation method. For the first method, Ni 1-x-y Cu x Mg y O is synthesized via co-precipitation of Ni, Mg and Cu. In the two-step method, Ni 0.9 Mg 0.1 O is first prepared by co-precipitation of Ni and Mg, followed by addition of copper by impregnation. The materials were characterized using XRD, BET, TPO, and TPR. The activities toward methane steam reforming (MSR) were tested in a fixed-bed reactor. For the materials prepared from the one-step method, the MSR activity decreased when increasing Cu content even with only 5% Cu. With the two-step method, the MSR activity was not affected by the presence of Cu for concentration up to 5%. However, above 5% Cu the activity started to decrease. It was concluded that the two-step method is more effective.