Nexceris has developed a family of steam reforming catalysts (SupircatTM), geared towards internal reforming in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) applications. SupircatTM catalysts immediately achieve equilibrium conversion when heated to reaction temperature and do not require a pre-reaction activation step to activate the catalyst. This allows SOFC developers to integrate a high performing internal reforming catalyst into their systems without the operational costs and manufacturing complexity associated with pre-reducing the stack. Careful catalyst optimization has ensured equilibrium level activity is achieved with the minimum precious metal loading to provide a low-cost high-performance catalyst. SupircatTM’s activity has been examined with particular attention to factors such as coke formation (encountered in low S/C feedstocks), sulfur tolerance (encountered in typical natural gas feedstocks), and thermal cycling. SupircatTM’s performance under these conditions has shown that if operated in typical SOFC regimes, the performance will not be affected. SupircatTM’s performance has been probed both in pellet form as well as a coating on pre-aluminized stainless-steel plates and the performance has been exemplary in both cases.
