Liquid metal reactor for methane pyrolysis – here setup 2.2. Methane is blown into a liquid metal melt through a lance from top to bottom to split it up into hydrogen and carbon. On the left the reactor with a maximum melt volume of 3.50 dm3 is shown, whereas on the right the collector and separator of gas/liquid is shown. Separation is achieved through a ceramic hot gas filter on top as well as by gravity. The gas, mainly H2, goes to the top and the solids, mainly carbon, drop down into a glass bottle. Furthermore, a type of riser pipe has been installed to facilitate the removal of carbon from the reactor chamber. Also, several thermocouples are installed through the lid to monitor temperatures in the melt and reactor chamber. The main objective of this system is to optimize process parameters such as temperature, residence time, gas flow rates, gas composition, melt depths, etc.
