Abstract:
A process for adiabatically prereforming a feedstock, includes: providing an adiabatic reactor; providing a catalyst containing 1-20 wt. % nickel and 0.4-5 wt. % potassium, wherein the catalyst has an overall catalyst porosity of 25-50% with 20-80% of the overall catalyst porosity contributed by pores having pore diameters of at least 500 Å; providing the feedstock containing natural gas and steam, wherein the natural gas contains an initial concentration of higher hydrocarbons, and a ratio of steam to natural gas in the feedstock is from 1.5:1 to 5:1; preheating the feedstock to a temperature of 300-700° C. to provide a heated feedstock; providing the heated feedstock to the reactor; and producing a product containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, unreacted methane, and steam, wherein said product contains a reduced concentration of higher hydrocarbons less than the initial concentration of higher hydrocarbons, to prereform the feedstock.
Abstract:
An ion transport membrane system comprising (a) a pressure vessel having an interior, an exterior, an inlet, and an outlet; (b) a plurality of planar ion transport membrane modules disposed in the interior of the pressure vessel and arranged in series, each membrane module comprising mixed metal oxide ceramic material and having an interior region and an exterior region, wherein any inlet and any outlet of the pressure vessel are in flow communication with exterior regions of the membrane modules; and (c) one or more gas manifolds in flow communication with interior regions of the membrane modules and with the exterior of the pressure vessel. The ion transport membrane system may be utilized in a gas separation device to recover oxygen from an oxygen-containing gas or as an oxidation reactor to oxidize compounds in a feed gas stream by oxygen permeated through the mixed metal oxide ceramic material of the membrane modules.
Abstract:
Hydrocarbon feedstocks are converted into synthesis gas in a two-stage process comprising an initial steam reforming step followed by final conversion to synthesis gas in a mixed conducting membrane reactor. The steam reforming step converts a portion of the methane into synthesis gas and converts essentially all of the hydrocarbons heavier than methane into methane, hydrogen, and carbon oxides. The steam reforming step produces an intermediate feed stream containing methane, hydrogen, carbon oxides, and steam which can be processed without operating problems in a mixed conducting membrane reactor. The steam reforming and mixed conducting membrane reactors can be heat-integrated for maximum operating efficiency and produce synthesis gas with compositions suitable for a variety of final products. Synthesis gas produced by the methods of the invention is further reacted to yield liquid hydrocarbon or oxygenated organic liquid products.
Abstract:
An ion transport membrane system comprising (a) a pressure vessel having an interior, an exterior, an inlet, and an outlet; (b) a plurality of planar ion transport membrane modules disposed in the interior of the pressure vessel and arranged in series, each membrane module comprising mixed metal oxide ceramic material and having an interior region and an exterior region, wherein any inlet and any outlet of the pressure vessel are in flow communication with exterior regions of the membrane modules; and (c) one or more gas manifolds in flow communication with interior regions of the membrane modules and with the exterior of the pressure vessel. The ion transport membrane system may be utilized in a gas separation device to recover oxygen from an oxygen-containing gas or as an oxidation reactor to oxidize compounds in a feed gas stream by oxygen permeated through the mixed metal oxide ceramic material of the membrane modules.
Abstract:
A tubular reactor for producing a product mixture in a tubular reactor where the tubular reactor comprises an internal catalytic insert with cup-shaped structures having orifices for forming fluid jets for impinging the fluid on the tube wall. Jet impingement is used to improve heat transfer between the fluid in the tube and the tube wall in a non-adiabatic reactor. The tubular reactor and method may be used for endothermic reactions such as steam methane reforming and for exothermic reactions such as methanation.
Abstract:
A catalyst for adiabatically prereforming a feedstock wherein the catalyst comprises 1 to 20 wt. % nickel and 0.4 to 5 wt. % potassium on a calcium aluminate support. The overall catalyst porosity is greater than 40% with greater than 70% of the overall catalyst porosity contributed by pores having pore diameters of at least 500 Å, and having a median pore diameter greater than 2600 Å, and having a nitrogen BET area less than 6.5 m2/g.
Abstract:
A process for generating synthesis gas wherein a reactant gas mixture comprising steam and a light hydrocarbon is introduced into a tubular reactor comprising a catalyzed structured packing at higher inlet mass rates than conventional tubular reactors containing random packing catalyst pellets or catalyzed structure packing.
Abstract:
An ion transport membrane system comprising (a) a pressure vessel having an interior, an exterior, an inlet, and an outlet; (b) a plurality of planar ion transport membrane modules disposed in the interior of the pressure vessel and arranged in series, each membrane module comprising mixed metal oxide ceramic material and having an interior region and an exterior region, wherein any inlet and any outlet of the pressure vessel are in flow communication with exterior regions of the membrane modules; and (c) one or more gas manifolds in flow communication with interior regions of the membrane modules and with the exterior of the pressure vessel.The ion transport membrane system may be utilized in a gas separation device to recover oxygen from an oxygen-containing gas or as an oxidation reactor to oxidize compounds in a feed gas stream by oxygen permeated through the mixed metal oxide ceramic material of the membrane modules.
Abstract:
A system is set forth for the exothermic generation of soot depleted syngas comprising (i) reacting a hydrocarbon-containing fuel with an oxygen containing gas in a first reactor to produce the syngas and byproducts comprising CO2, H2O and soot; and (ii) introducing the syngas and byproducts into a second reactor containing a non-carbonaceous material that traps the soot for a sufficient time such that the majority of the byproduct soot is gasified via reaction with the byproduct CO2 and/or H2O to produce a syngas stream that is depleted in the soot. The system is particularly suitable for the practice of heat exchange reforming wherein a portion of the heat is recovered from the soot depleted syngas stream and used as at least a portion of the heat to facilitate the additional production of syngas via the (endothermic) catalytic reforming of natural gas and steam.
Abstract:
A process is provided which includes the steps of providing a CO-SER unit, feeding a feed gas of an equimolar mix of CO2 and H2 with a slight excess of CO2 to the CO-SER unit to produce a CO-SER product gas of CO, a small amount of CO2, and substantially no H2 at high pressure, providing a TSA unit having a plurality of adsorber vessels, each adsorber vessel having an adsorbent capable of selectively adsorbing CO2, the adsorber vessel being at high pressure and ambient temperature, and feeding the CO-SER product gas to one of the adsorber vessels in the TSA unit to selectively remove CO2 gas to produce a TSA product gas that is of high purity and of high pressure. The feeding continues to the one adsorber vessel until a point prior to CO2 breakthrough occurring. The process further includes regenerating any adsorber vessels having adsorbent that is substantially spent.