SBIR Phase I: Electrified Thermochemical Biogas Reforming for Hydrocarbon Fuel Production

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to build the next generation chemical reactor using induction heating through a process called mixed reforming of methane. Mixed reforming of methane makes synthesis gas, which is a fundamental building block for other chemicals for fertilizers, plastics, rubber, and fuels. Today, the dominant process that makes synthesis gas is steam methane reforming, but it emits carbon dioxide through heating of natural gas and as a byproduct of the reaction. This project focuses on combining highly efficient induction heating to drive the synthesis gas generation, with significantly cheaper capital and operating costs compared to other clean technologies. If successful, the technology could enable widespread use of low-emission fuels and chemicals such as methanol, which are essential for transportation, materials, and energy storage. Broader impacts may extend to fields such as sustainable aviation fuels, fertilizer production, and hydrogen-based applications. This project aligns with the National Science Foundation's mission and supports cheap, domestic chemicals manufacturing, job creation, economic growth, and educational advancement in the chemicals and energy sectors. The project's technical objectives focus on building inductively heated thermochemical reactors with silicon carbide susceptors that have coupling efficiencies above 95%. The reactor also utilizes a catalyst-like material that uses a reduction-oxidation cycle to generate synthesis gas. The primary technical goal of this project is to experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of a reactor concept that integrates the silicon carbide susceptor with the catalyst material, with attention to power converter performance, materials stability, total reaction efficiency, system scalability, technoeconomic analysis, and life cycle assessment. The project will use methods including high-frequency power electronics design, redox material synthesis and testing, finite element simulation of electromagnetic heating, and chemical, electrical, and thermal performance characterization. The intellectual merit of this project hinges on the successful integration of innovative power electronics, reactor design, materials, and chemical engineering. The expected outcomes will lead to scale up of a commercial scale reactor for synthesis gas generation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.