Review of steam methane reforming as a method of hydrogen production

Abstract

The article presents a comparison of the performance of the steam methane reforming process in various conditions and scales. First, a bibliometric analysis of articles related to steam reforming of methane was performed. On the basis of this analysis, a literature review was created in terms of the most popular issues (those with the highest number of reads and the highest number of citations). An important aspect of the selection of topics discussed in the review was that their interest must be new and not historical. Based on the criteria formulated in this way, the review is divided into non-catalytic and catalytic reforming. As part of the discussion of catalytic reforming, there was also a review of catalysts and their range of applicability (in terms of temperature, fuel composition, pressure, etc.) A further division is made by the scale of the reforming process: laboratory, technical and industrial scale. The article describes methods of meeting the energy needs of the steam reforming process and methods of purifying the hydrogen obtained. The installations for the reforming process presented in the article are summarized in terms of the conditions under which the reaction takes place, type of catalyst used (or none), steam-to-carbon ratio (s/c), installation size, percentage of methane conversion and installation location. As the steam methane reforming is a very broad topic, the article summarizes all the most important issues and shows the forthcoming opportunities of new technologies. • The review of steam methane reforming (SMR) was presented. • Conditions of SMR, catalysts, S/C ratios, installation size, methane conversions and installation locations are summarized. • Methods of meeting the energy needs of SMR and methods of purifying the hydrogen are described. • Prospective technologies such as membrane reforming reactors, for simultaneous hydrogen purification have been pointed out. • The absence of a catalyst results in the reforming taking place at much higher temperatures.