ZoneFlow Reactor Technologies, LLC (ZFRT) has been granted a U.S. patent for its ZoneFlow Bayonet Reactor. The reactor's innovative design promises to drive down the cost of hydrogen production significantly, further strengthening the resource's viability as an alternative for fossil fuel use.

The ZoneFlow Bayonet Reactor addresses the challenges posed by traditional reactors containing single-pass tubes by using some of the excess heat in syngas (a mixture of heated hydrogen and other byproducts) in order to create more hydrogen. Recirculating syngas through the Bayonet Reactor transfers the heat in the syngas to the cooler reactant gases entering the reactor, contributing 15% - 20% of the heat required for hydrogen production. This results in a corresponding reduction in the demand on, and the expense of, the furnace and its fuel.

"Securing this U.S. patent is a milestone achievement as we work toward commercializing new technologies that make cleaner, more efficient hydrogen production a reality," said Bruce Boisture, President of ZoneFlow. "We are pleased about the Bayonet Reactor’s potential to enable energy producers to increase hydrogen production with an unprecedented level of efficiency."

ZoneFlow expects to test the commercial version of the Bayonet Reactor in 2022 in connection with its recently announced joint development project with Honeywell UOP.