Real-time sensing of methane steam reforming by YSZ oxygen sensor

In this study, a new and convenient technique for the in-situ analyisis of methane steam reforming in the chamber was proposed. The YSZ oxygen sensor was used as the sensing device, which provided the partial pressure of oxygen in the reactor. The oxygen sensors were set in the catalytic bed of 1 wt.% Ni/Al2O3 along the gas flow direction and the progress of catalytic reforming was monitored at each position. The methane conversion derived from the oxygen sensor agreed well with that from the gas chromatograph set at the outlet part of the catalyst layer. Along the gas flow direction in the reactor, the change in the gas composition was clearly observed; the methane conversion changed significantly depending on the reaction temperature and space velocity of reactant gas. Furthermore, the deterioration behavior of catalytic activity was successfully monitiored when a highly humidified methane with a steam to carbon ratio of 4.0 was supplied with a high space velocity of 6250 l kg−1 h−1.