Reactor assembly and method of use

Abstract

A reactor assembly includes a multiplicity of electrochemical reactors, wherein each of the electrochemical reactors comprises an anode, a cathode, and a membrane between and in contact with the anode and the cathode, wherein the anode or the cathode forms a fluid passage having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the surface area of the fluid passage in contact with the anode or cathode is at least 25 times of the combined cross-sectional area of the inlet and the outlet; wherein the minimum distance between the reactors is no greater than 2 cm; and wherein the reactors have no interconnects and no direct contact with one another.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A reactor assembly comprising:
 a multiplicity of electrochemical reactors, wherein each of the electrochemical reactors comprises:
 an anode; 
 a cathode; and 
 a membrane between and in contact with the anode and the cathode; 
 wherein:
 the anode or the cathode forms a fluid passage having an inlet and an outlet; 
 a surface area of the fluid passage in contact with the anode or the cathode is at least 25 times of a combined cross-sectional area of the inlet and the outlet; 
 a minimum distance between the electrochemical reactors is no greater than 2 cm; and 
 the electrochemical reactors have no interconnects and no direct contact with one another. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The reactor assembly of  claim 1 , wherein a tortuosity of the fluid passage is no less than 10, wherein the tortuosity is a ratio of fluid flow path length to a straight distance between the inlet and the outlet. 
     
     
         3 . The reactor assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the tortuosity of the fluid passage is no less than 20, or no less than 30, or no less than 40, or no less than 50. 
     
     
         4 . The reactor assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the surface area of the fluid passage in contact with the anode or the cathode is at least 50 times or at least 100 times or at least 200 times or at least 300 times or at least 400 times or at least 500 times of the combined cross-sectional area of the inlet and the outlet. 
     
     
         5 . The reactor assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the cathode comprises Ni or NiO and a material selected from the group consisting of YSZ, CGO, SDC, SSZ, SCZ, LSGM, CoCGO, LST, and a combination of any two or more thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The reactor assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the anode and the cathode have the same elements. 
     
     
         7 . The reactor assembly of  claim 6 , wherein the anode and the cathode comprise Ni-YSZ LaSrFeCr-SSZ LaSrFeCr-SCZ or LST(lanthanum-doped strontium titanate)-SCZ. 
     
     
         8 . The reactor assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the anode comprises Ni or NiO and a material selected from the group consisting of YSZ, CGO, SDC, SSZ, SCZ, LSGM, CoCGO, LST, and a combination of any two or more thereof. 
     
     
         9 . The reactor assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the anode comprises doped or undoped ceria and a material selected from the group consisting of Cu, CuO, Cu 2 O, Ag, Ag 2 O, Au, Au 2 O, Au 2 O 3 , Pt, Pd, Ru, Rh, Ir, LaCaCr, LaSrCrFe, YSZ, CGO, SDC, SSZ, LSGM, LST, SCZ, stainless steel, and a combination of any two or more thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The reactor assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the membrane is mixed conducting. 
     
     
         11 . The reactor assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the membrane comprises an electronically conducting phase and an ionically conducting phase; wherein the electronically conducting phase comprises doped lanthanum chromite or LST or an electronically conductive metal or combination thereof; and wherein the ionically conducting phase comprises a material selected from the group consisting of gadolinium or samarium doped ceria, yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), lanthanum strontium gallate magnesite (LSGM), scandia-stabilized zirconia (SSZ), Sc and Ce doped zirconia (SCZ), and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The reactor assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the membrane comprises CoCGO or LST-stabilized zirconia. 
     
     
         13 . The reactor assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the stabilized zirconia comprises YSZ or SSZ or SCZ (scandia-ceria-stabilized zirconia), and wherein the LST comprises LaSrCaTiO 3 . 
     
     
         14 . The reactor assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the membrane comprises nickel, copper, cobalt, lanthanum, strontium, titanium, or niobium-doped zirconia. 
     
     
         15 . The reactor assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the membrane, the anode, and the cathode have the same elements. 
     
     
         16 . The reactor assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the membrane, the anode, and the cathode comprise Ni-YSZ or LaSrFeCr-SSZ or LaSrFeCr-SCZ or LST-SCZ. 
     
     
         17 . The reactor assembly of  claim 1 , wherein electrical resistance between the anode and the cathode is no greater than ionic resistance between the anode and the cathode for oxide ions. 
     
     
         18 . The reactor assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the minimum distance between the electrochemical reactors is no greater than 1 cm. 
     
     
         19 . The reactor assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the electrical resistance between the anode and the cathode in the same reactor is less than the electrical resistance between said anode and another cathode in an adjacent reactor. 
     
     
         20 . A reactor assembly comprising a multiplicity of electrochemical reactors;
 wherein:
 each of the electrochemical reactors comprises an anode, a cathode, and a membrane between and in contact with the anode and the cathode; 
 the anode or the cathode forms a fluid passage having an inlet and an outlet; 
 a tortuosity of the fluid passage is no less than 10, wherein the tortuosity is a ratio of fluid flow path length to a straight distance between the inlet and the outlet; 
 a minimum distance between the electrochemical reactors is no greater than 2 cm; and 
 the electrochemical reactors have no interconnects and no direct contact with one another.