Research Highlights Details

Development of High-Temperature Membranes for Hydrogen Separation from a Reactive Environment

The main aim of this project was to establish in-house competency for the fabrication of a range of palladium (Pd) and Pd-alloy membranes as per the requirements and future needs of Saudi Aramco. During the project, which commenced in April 2018, technology was successfully transferred from a laboratory in the Netherlands to KFUPM, satisfying the needs of Saudi Aramco. In addition to establishing in-house competency for the fabrication of the required membranes, the IRC-HES team developed a facility of H2 separation, starting from scratch. The Team also developed a sophisticated gas permeation system in-house to test the fabricated Pd-based membranes at elevated temperatures. Pd-membranes were successfully fabricated using an electroless process and they were evaluated for H2 and N2 permeation at temperatures in the range of 350 - 600 °C and pressures from 1 to 5 bar. The effects of these conditions on the flux, selectivity, and thermal and mechanical stability of the membranes were systematically investigated. This study allowed the Team to understand the development of defects and their impact on the H2 permeation and separation performance of the membranes.