Membrane process for hydrogen production

摘要

The invention concerns a two-stage process enabling the production of ultrapure hydrogen starting from hydrocarbons or other suitable products and steam, wherein the steam reforming process is carried out in a conventional catalytic reactor and the mixture thereby obtained then undergoes a water gas shift reaction in a membrane reactor which also provides, at the same time, to the separation by selective permeation of the hydrogen produced in both stages. The procedure enables to optimise reaction yields and costs with respect to a process in which a single membrane reformer is used both for the reforming reaction and for separating the hydrogen produced.