Ammonia synthesis at moderate conditions using hydrogen permeable membrane reactors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10159969-B2
Application number	US-201615087169-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2016
Priority date	Mar 31, 2015
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method to synthesize ammonia at moderate conditions. The present invention also relates to a new chemical reactor configuration to achieve ammonia synthesis at moderate pressures and temperatures, and methods to make membranes for use in ammonia synthesis.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ammonia forming membrane, comprising
at least one first catalyst layer;
a BCC metal diffusion layer comprising a first side and a second side, wherein the first catalyst layer is connected to the first side of the BCC metal diffusion layer, wherein the BCC metal diffusion layer comprises a doping material selected from the group consisting of iron, nickel, chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, tungsten, alloys thereof, and combinations thereof;
at least one second catalyst layer comprising a first side and a second side, wherein the first side of the second catalyst layer is connected to the second side of the BCC metal diffusion layer; and
an ammonia synthesis catalyst layer, wherein the ammonia synthesis catalyst layer is connected to a second side of the second catalyst layer, and wherein the ammonia synthesis catalyst layer is porous.

2. The membrane of claim 1 , wherein a material of the first layer and the second layer are the same.

3. The membrane of claim 1 , wherein a material of the first layer is selected from the group consisting of platinum group metal, a platinum group alloy, a metal carbide, a metal sulfide, a metal nitride, Group V metals, Group V metal alloys, and combinations thereof.

4. The membrane of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the at least one first layer is between about 2 to about 50 nm thick.

5. The membrane of claim 1 , wherein a total thickness of the at least first layer is between about 2 and about 50 nm thick.

6. The membrane of claim 1 , wherein the second catalyst layer covers between about 10% to about 100% of the BCC metal diffusion layer.

7. The membrane of claim 1 , wherein a material of the BCC metal diffusion layer comprises a Group III metal, a Group IV metal, a Group V metal or a Group VI metal.

8. The membrane of claim 1 , wherein the BCC metal diffusion layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of vanadium, niobium, tantalum, and alloys thereof.

9. The membrane of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the ammonia synthesis catalyst layer is between 10 nm and 500 microns.

10. The membrane of claim 1 , wherein the doping material comprises between about 1 wt. % and about 20 wt. % of the BCC metal diffusion layer.

11. An ammonia forming membrane, comprising
at least one first catalyst layer;
a BCC metal diffusion layer comprising a first side and a second side, wherein the first catalyst layer is connected to the first side of the BCC metal diffusion layer;
at least one second catalyst layer comprising a first side and a second side, wherein the first side of the second catalyst layer is connected to the second side of the BCC metal diffusion layer; and
an ammonia synthesis catalyst layer, wherein the ammonia synthesis catalyst layer is connected to a second side of the second catalyst layer, and wherein the ammonia synthesis catalyst layer comprises a member selected from the group consisting of porous ruthenium, iron, vanadium-iron alloy, palladium coated niobium, ruthenium coated palladium silver, titanium, zirconium, vanadium, niobium, hafnium, tantalum, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, manganese, rhenium, technetium, alloys thereof and combinations thereof.

12. The membrane of claim 11 , wherein a material of the first layer is selected from the group consisting of platinum group metal, a platinum group alloy, a metal carbide, a metal sulfide, a metal nitride, Group V metals, Group V metal alloys, and combinations thereof.

13. The membrane of claim 11 , wherein a thickness of the at least one first layer is between about 2 to about 50 nm thick, and wherein a thickness of the ammonia synthesis catalyst layer is between 10 nm and 500 microns.

14. The membrane of claim 11 , wherein the second catalyst layer covers between about 10% to about 100% of the BCC metal diffusion layer.

15. The membrane of claim 11 , wherein a material of the BCC metal diffusion layer comprises a Group III metal, a Group IV metal, a Group V metal or a Group VI metal.

16. The membrane of claim 11 , wherein the BCC metal diffusion layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of vanadium, niobium, tantalum, alloys thereof and combinations thereof.

17. The membrane of claim 11 , wherein the BCC metal diffusion layer comprises a doping material selected from the group consisting of iron, nickel, chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, tungsten, alloys thereof, and combinations thereof.

18. The membrane of claim 17 , wherein the doping material comprises between about 1 wt. % and about 20 wt. % of the BCC metal diffusion layer.

Assignees

• Way James Douglas
• Lundin Sean Thomas Bourne
• Wolden Colin A
• Colorado School Of Mines

Inventors

• Way James Douglas
• Lundin Sean-Thomas Bourne
• Wolden Colin A

Classifications

• Y02P20/52

  using catalysts, e.g. selective catalysts · CPC title

• B01J35/065 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01D69/145

  containing embedded catalysts · CPC title

• C01C1/0411

  characterised by the catalyst · CPC title

• B01J23/50

  Silver · CPC title