15
15
Potential for carbon formation
Process gas temperature
10
10
5
5
0
0
ATE Previous charge CH slip
CH slip
ATE
K atalco 57-6Q
Distance along reformer tube
However, with supply disruptions and growing demand from battery and alloy markets, Ni prices have become increasingly volatile. In 2022, the Ni price spiked above three times the historical norm. While the Ni price has come down since, it remains higher and shows more variability than pre-COVID levels. Conventional catalysts disperse Ni throughout the entire catalyst pellet. However, in diffusion- limited regimes, Ni located deep inside the pellet contributes little to overall activity. As a result, a significant portion of the metal is not available for catalysis and is therefore underutilised. Innovations in manufacturing techniques have enabled the commercialisation of catalysts that concentrate Ni toward the outer surface of the ceramic support, maximising the dispersion of Ni within the mass transfer-limited regions of the pellet (see Figure 3 ). Performance data from operating plants show that Katalco 57-6Q matches or outperforms other catalysts containing more than double the Ni content. This helps reduce catalyst costs for operators and highlights United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.2, which promotes more efficient use of raw materials. The catalyst also has a significantly lower carbon footprint, up to 29% lower than Katalco 57-4Q, thanks to its optimised design, which reduces both Scope 1 and 3 emissions from catalyst production. Loading, start-up, and operational procedures for Katalco 57-6Q align with those of conventional catalysts. As a result, switching to this catalyst requires no changes to existing plant operating procedures. Figure 4 Comparison of Katalco 57-6Q against the previously installed conventional catalyst
Initial field trials for the catalyst began in 2015, and since then, it has been successfully installed more than 200 times in ammonia, methanol, and hydrogen plants. Figure 4 presents averaged methane slip and approach to equilibrium (ATE) from several plants for Katalco 57-6Q versus the previously installed catalyst. The analysis uses similar operating conditions and comparable time online. The plant data confirms that Katalco 57-6Q achieves a methane slip and ATE performance on par with conventional catalysts. In some of the largest SMRs, it delivers equivalent performance to conventional products that contain more than twice the Ni content, potentially reducing catalyst fill costs by up to $560,000. Customising the catalyst mix to maximise SMR performance The temperature, gas composition, and heat flux vary along the length of the reformer tube. As a result, different zones of the catalyst bed have different requirements (see Figure 5 ). Effective catalyst strategies must address these zones individually: • Inlet section : The catalyst in this region is vulnerable to feed impurities and poisoning. High-Ni catalysts are typically used to adsorb contaminants, thereby maintaining activity over time. • Middle section : Typically, the region of maximum heat flux and highest risk of carbon formation. A promoted high-activity catalyst is Figure 5 Catalyst requirements as a function of distance from the top of the tube
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