ON THE REPORTED ATTEMPTS TO RADICALLY IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE STEAM METHANE REFORMING REACTOR

Steam reforming of light hydrocarbons is a key step for producing hydr ogen and syngas for important processes in the petroleum and petrochem ical industries. Since the establishment of the SMR process in 1930, r esearch and development have led to improved catalyst performance and improved reactor tube materials. Since about 1970, new reactor configu rations have been considered. The authors critically review recent att empts to radically improve the SMR reactor performance, analyze the ar eas of improvement and the suitability of proposed configurations for different reforming applications.