Kernforschungsanlage Julich

Rheinische Braunkohlenwerke Ag

Bernd Hohlein

Manfred Vorwerk

Udo Boltendahl

Hans Niessen

Volker Vau

H J Schiebahn

Jochen Range

Horst Hoffmann

A single stage methanization reactor and process are made to yield a product gas of high methane content as well as useful superheated steam without overheating the catalyst bed in which a synthesis gas containing, CO, CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2 is converted into product gas. A variety of dispositions of vaporizer and superheater portions of the cooling system in the catalyst bed, for which the temperature profiles of gas and coolant along the reactor length are shown and compared, illustrate the principles governing the cooling system for such a reactor. A small portion of the superheated steam is mixed with preheated synthesis gas for elimination of all or part of the carbon monoxide content before the synthesis gas is introduced into the methanization reactor.

Method and reactor for catalytic methanization of a gas containing CO,

Only a part of the synthesis gas supply is passed through a first internally cooled catalytic reactor (1) and the hotter gas coming out of it is reunited with the remaining gas supply for passing through an adiabatic reactor (2) that is followed by a heat exchanger (3) on its way to a second internally cooled reactor (4) in which the methanization reaction is completed. Water is heated up to practically the saturated steam temperature in the cooling system of the last mentioned reactor and is converted to saturated steam in the cooling system of the first internally cooled reactor. The saturated steam is superheated in the above-mentioned heat exchanger. To make the process run more smoothly a steam drum is provided through which the hot water piping between the cooling systems of the two internally cooled reactors runs and the saturated steam is brought into the steam drum and from it to the heat exchanger before it is superheated. Additional heat exchangers are used for first preheating of the water and for two stages of preheating the synthesis gas. Adjustments of the proportion of the synthesis gas that goes through the first internally cooled reactor makes possible a control that assures that the outlet temperature of the adiabatic reactor will not exceed a safety limit required for the stability of the catalyst. No mechanical propulsion, nor compression, of the gas is necessary at any stage, nor any recycling, nor introduction of steam for control of the process.

Method and apparatus for producing superheated steam with the heat of

Growing community of inventors

Julich, Germany

Bernd Hohlein