The near-commercial scale ZF pilot plant was the site last year for a convincing demonstration of the superior features of ZF Reactors. Located at Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium, it boasts a 4” ID reactor tube, reforming at 875°C, operation at up to 28-bar pressure, typical natural gas feed, and extensive instrumentation for process measurements.

Salient Features of the ZFRT Pilot Plant

World-class pilot plant for conducting test campaigns at near-commercial steam reforming conditions.Up to 30 Nm³/h NG feed flow

  • Reformer tube outlet temp up to 870 C with up to 28 barg
  • S/C ratios 2.5 to 3.0
  • Average heat flux up to 70 kW/m²

Extensive instrumentation for process control, analytics, data collection, diagnostics, and safety.

  • > 300 Instruments, I/Os and >120 valves & SPMs
  • Temperature profiles along the tube length (18 TCs each for tube skin and process gas temp measurements; 2 out of 3 voting)
  • Online gas analytics based on online Mass Spectrometer and Gas Chromatograph for reformed gas
  • NG feed analysis by separate GC
  • On-line advanced organic Sulphur detection (>100 ppb)

In a joint development effort with Honeywell Corporation’s UOP subsidiary, we tested three catalyst coatings from major catalyst companies on ZF Reactors, comparing their performance against state-of-the-art pellet catalyst pellets. The outcome: for all coatings, compared to the pellets, an increase in output of at least 15% and in some cases over 30%, with the same or higher conversion of methane to hydrogen, the same or lower pressure drop across the reactor, and the same or lower tube skin temperature.