Performance of a RuCs/MgO catalyst coated on additive manufactured support structures via electrophoretic deposition for ammonia synthesis

This work investigates the electrophoretic deposition of a catalytic coating on so-called fluid guiding elements (FGE) with a ruthenium-based catalyst for use in ammonia synthesis reactors. FGE are additive manufactured metallic pipe inserts that have shown to enhance the heat transfer compared to empty pipes by dividing the fluid flow and alternately guiding the partial flows to the wall. Consequently, they could improve the performance of temperature sensitive structured catalytic systems. To be able to demonstrate the degree of process intensification, the required steps to enable the deposition of a reference catalyst for ammonia synthesis are developed. Further, the distribution of catalytically active compounds is characterized. The catalytic activity is assessed in a plug flow reactor under pressures up to 5 MPa and compared against a fixed bed from the same batch. The expected activity from the reference catalyst is calculated by a kinetic rate expression. The coating process does not affect catalytic activity, but a steady deactivation and high sensitivity to feed gas impurities are observed. Possible mechanisms for the deactivation are examined and discussed.