Gasification and Associated Degradation Mechanisms Applicable to Dense Metal Hydrogen Membranes

Dense metal membranes have been identified as a promising technology for post-gasifier forward water-gas shift (WGS) membrane reactors or post-shift membrane separation processes. It is known that both major and minor gasification effluent constituents can have adverse effects on the mechanical and chemical stability of potential metal membranes. With this in mind, the scope of this chapter is to provide introductions to the gasification process and dense metal membranes, and the possible degradation mechanisms that dense metal hydrogen membranes may encounter in gasification environments. Degradation mechanisms of interest include catalytic poisoning, oxidation, sulfidation and hydrogen embrittlement. Additionally, the influence of in-situ and post-WGS gas compositions and CO conversions on the aforementioned degradation mechanisms will be addressed.