Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Harris, Christopher F.

Patel, Suresh U.

Suchdeo, Shyam R.

Christopher Francis Harris

Howard C Rowles

Mark Julian Roberts

Paul Higginbotham

Brian Alfred McNeil

Lee J Howard

Christopher Michael Ott

Eugene S Genkin

Stephen P DiMartino, Sr

David Anthony Zagnoli

Shyam Ramchand Suchdeo

Tamara Lynn Daugherty

Miguel Rafael Alvarez

Glenn E Kinard

John H Petrik

Suresh U Patel

Richard Alan Wright

Robert Newton Davis

Daniel Lewis Longhurst

Stephen Paul Dimartino

Hydrogen is liquefied through a process utilizing refrigeration from hydrogen at one, two, or three different pressures as well as a nitrogen refrigeration cycle. One or more stages of catalyst are used to convert ortho-hydrogen to para-hydrogen as the hydrogen is cooled and liquefied. Subcooled liquid hydrogen feeds the final stage of ortho-hydrogen to para-hydrogen conversion to reduce or eliminate vaporization of the hydrogen during the exothermic ortho-hydrogen to para-hydrogen conversion.

Hydrogen liquefier

A method for generating hydrogen and/or synthesis gas in a production facility where little or no export steam is produced. Most or all of the high pressure steam produced from the waste heat from the process is used in the steam-hydrocarbon reformer with little or no steam export. The method uses oxygen enhanced combustion which may involve oxygen lancing and/or oxygen-enrichment. Plant efficiencies using the method and prior art-type methods are compared.

Steam-hydrocarbon reforming method with limited steam export

A method for the recovery of hydrogen and one or more hydrocarbons having one or more carbon atoms from a feed gas containing hydrogen and the one or more hydrocarbons, which process comprises cooling and partially condensing the feed gas to provide a partially condensed feed; separating the partially condensed feed to provide a first liquid stream enriched in the one or more hydrocarbons and a first vapor stream enriched in hydrogen; further cooling and partially condensing the first vapor stream to provide an intermediate two-phase stream; and separating the intermediate two-phase stream to yield a further-enriched hydrogen stream and a hydrogen-depleted residual hydrocarbon stream. Some or all of the cooling is provided by indirect heat exchange with cold gas refrigerant generated in a closed-loop gas expander refrigeration cycle.

Separation of hydrogen-hydrocarbon gas mixtures using closed-loop gas expander refrigeration

A high purity methane product is recovered from a feed gas mixture containing methane and one or more hydrocarbons heavier than methane by cooling, condensing, and rectifying the feed in a dephlegmator. The high purity methane product, containing at least 98 mole % methane, can be liquefied and stored for use as a fuel for internal combustion engines. A hydrocarbon product containing components heavier than methane is also recovered. Methane recovery and C.sub.2.sup.+ hydrocarbon product purity can be improved by the use of a combined stripping heat exchanger and feed gas cooler. External refrigeration is utilized and can be supplemented in part by autorefrigeration provided by vaporizing dephlegmator liquid.

Production of refrigerated liquid methane

Natural gas liquids (NGLs) are recovered by cooling and partial condensation of a purified natural gas feed wherein a portion of the necessary feed cooling and condensation duty is provided by expansion and vaporization of condensed feed liquid after methane stripping, thereby yielding a vaporized NGL product. Additional refrigeration for feed cooling is provided by vaporizing methane-stripped liquid, which in turn provides vapor boilup for the stripping step. Recompression and cooling of the vaporized NGL product can be utilized if a liquid product is required.

Recompression cycle for recovery of natural gas liquids

A cryogenic distillative separation of air to recover nitrogen in large quantities and at relatively high pressure wherein a portion of the nitrogen reflux for the distillation is achieved by heat exchanging nitrogen gas in a side reboiler against waste oxygen at reduced pressure.

Tonnage nitrogen air separation with side reboiler condenser

Growing community of inventors

Old Zionsville, PA, United States of America

Christopher Francis Harris