1220a.    ---------------.  [GORDON, A. S.]  Reaction Between Methane and Steam in the Temperature Region 1,000°-1,100°.  Ind. Eng. Chem., vol. 44, 1952, pp. 1857-1859; Chem. Abs., vol. 46, 1952, p. 11,637.

         The present work is an outgrowth of a study of the uncatalyzed steam-natural gas reaction at temperatures 1,200°-1,500° and a total pressure of 1 atmosphere.  Between 1,000°-1,100° and 1 atmosphere the results of this work show that the reaction between CH₄ and steam is probably a combination of the decomposition of CH₄ followed by the steam-carbon reaction.  Until C is formed as a result of the decomposition, steam behaves as an inert gas.  Production of synthesis gas from CH₄ and steam for the Fischer-Tropsch process proceeds smoothly at about 900° on a Ni catalyst.  Without an efficient catalyst, at considerably higher temperatures, there is no problem of decomposing CH₄, but gasification of the resulting C is so slow that an efficient catalyst for this reaction would be required to make the reaction economically feasible.