Effect of temperature on the corrosion of Cu-Pd hydrogen separation membrane alloys in simulated syngas containing H2S

The resistance to sulfidation of hydrogen separation membranes was examined by exposing Pd, Cu, and four Cu-Pd alloys to simulated syngas containing H2S at four different temperatures. The mass change of the samples was determined and the exposed surfaces were characterized by SEM/EDS and XRD. The binary alloys showed much better corrosion resistance than the pure metals at all temperatures. The binary alloys showed a trend reversal, with the high Pd alloys gaining the most mass at the lower temperatures due to sulfidation, while the high Cu alloys gained the most mass at the higher temperatures due to oxidation. Published by Elsevier Ltd.