Introduction
The ITM Syngas Team, led by Air Products and including Chevron, Ceramatec, and other partners, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, is developing Ion Transport Membrane (ITM) technology for the production of synthesis gas. ITM ceramic membranes are fabricated from non-porous, multi-component metallic oxides and operate at high temperatures (typically over 700°C) with exceptionally high oxygen flux and selectivity. A conceptualization of the ITM Syngas technology is shown in Figure 1. Oxygen from low-pressure air permeates, as oxygen ions, through the ceramic membrane and is consumed through chemical reactions, thus creating a chemical driving force that pulls oxygen ions across the membrane at high rates. The oxygen reacts with natural gas in a partial oxidation process to produce a hydrogen and carbon monoxide mixture (synthesis gas).
Figure 1. Conceptual ITM Syngas process showing multiple synthesis gas applications
Applications
The ITM Syngas process is a breakthrough technology that combines air separation and high-temperature synthesis gas generation processes into a single ceramic membrane reactor, with significant savings in the cost of synthesis gas production. Because synthesis gas is a feedstock for a range of different processes, ITM Syngas represents a technology platform that has numerous applications, such as Gas-to-Liquids; hydrogen; ultra-clean fuels, including liquid transportation fuels; and chemicals such as methanol (Figure 1).