Technologies that do more with less
Striking the right balance between profitability, energy efficiency and reuse carbon dioxide can be challenging. Linde has teamed up with BASF to resolve this dilemma in the steam reforming business.
Linde and BASF established the catalyst concept and process flow of the DRYREF™ plant within the framework of a government-funded project in collaboration with academic partners (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, the Technical University of Munich, the University of Leipzig and DECHEMA Forschungsinstitut). BASF subsidiary hte® was responsible for extensive catalyst screening in a highly efficient, high-volume test facility. The result was the SYNSPIRE™ G1-110 catalyst.
The BASF experts upscaled the production of the SYNSPIRE™ G1-110 catalyst from a few grams to a few hundred kilograms. Following extensive performance tests in the lab and at miniplants, Linde and BASF were able to confirm that the catalyst offers unique resistance to coking at a low steam-to-carbon ratio.
The Linde Pilot Reformer was installed at Linde’s Pullach site in Germany. It enabled the engineers to test the new process technologies under real-world conditions. With the help of complex measuring equipment, they were not only able to analyze the performance of the upscaled SYNSPIRE G1-110 catalyst pellets, but also test the optimized DRYREF process parameters in fine detail. This step helped to accelerate catalyst development from the lab to industry.
Linde demonstrated the commercial readiness of the DRYREF™ technology at an industrial-scale syngas plant with full product utilization.