Autothermal reforming of JP8 on a Pt/Rh catalyst: Catalyst durability studies and effects of sulfur

Autothermal reforming (ATR) of commercial grade JP8 was performed on a Pt/Rh catalyst deposited on a monolith. This study investigated catalyst performance under three test conditions: (i) 120 startup and shutdown cycles, (ii) 80 h of continuous operation with sulfur-free fuel, and (iii) 370 h of testing with JP8 containing 125 ppm of sulfur. Axial reactor temperature profiles and gas composition data showed that startup and shutdown cycling had no impact on catalyst performance. When durability testing was done with fuel containing 125 ppm of sulfur, the catalyst deactivated initially, which was reflected by a decrease in H₂ concentration and decrease in fuel conversion. However, after 250 h of operation the activity stabilized at 66% fuel conversion and product concentrations were constant for the remaining 120 h of testing. The presence of sulfur resulted in higher CO selectivity, lower H₂ concentrations, and lower fuel conversions compared to data with sulfur-free fuel. The data suggests that the presence of sulfur primarily affects steam reforming reactions, and CO oxidation. Regeneration was attempted with air and with fuel-lean combustion but initial H₂ yields and carbon selectivity were not achieved.