2007 Spring Symposium
Wolfgang Ruettinger
BASF Catalysts LLC
101 Wood Avenue
Iselin, NJ 08830 USA
wolfgang.ruettinger@BASF.com
Abstract — In the development of monolithic catalysts for hydrogen production, one has to develop catalysts with sufficient activity and selectivity to be commercially viable. In addition, the catalyst has to endure the operating conditions encountered in fuel processors and have a sufficient useful lifetime.
Realistic test protocols and accelerated aging tests play an important role in determining the durability of catalysts. In automotive three-way catalyst, there is a vast database of millions of used catalysts and the prevalent failure modes were extensively studied. This is not the case in fuel processors for hydrogen production. With very limited field data, we have to design tests which mimic the most damaging conditions encountered using laboratory reactors and determine possible failure modes.
I will show examples of test protocols developed at BASF Catalysts (formerly Engelhard). Testing of water gas shift catalysts demonstrate how start-stop operations with various start-stop cycles can be among the most damaging operations to the catalysts. Results of the tests form the basis for troubleshooting of catalysts problems in the application. Fundamental knowledge gained during examination of catalysts operated in these tests can influence future catalyst design.