ABSTRACT
The steam reforming reaction took place over catalyst in vertical tubes which were supported in parallel rows in a radiant furnace. The endothermic heat of reaction was supplied by burning fuel in the furnace. Feedstocks for a catalytic steam reforming process can vary widely in composition. Before being used as a feedstock for steam reforming, liquid condensates must be removed in order to ensure a constant gas composition, and any solid suspension must be removed by filtration. The objective of the catalytic steam reforming process is to extract the maximum quantity of hydrogen held in water and the hydrocarbon feedstock. The mechanism of steam reforming of higher hydrocarbons is more complex than that for methane, since fission of carbon–carbon bonds is necessary to produce single carbon surface species. The activity of a steam reforming catalyst in service is closely related to the available surface area of the nickel metal and the access the reactants have to it.
