The Boc Group, Inc.

Donald L MacLean

Ramakrishnan Ramachandran

Ramachandran Krish Krishnamurthy

Donald P Satchell, Jr

Steven L Lerner

Ravi Kumar Jain

Yongxian Zeng

Satish S Tamhankar

Mark J Andrecovich

Narayanan Ramprasad

Yagya Shukla

Frank R Fitch

Virginia A Malik

Ramachandran Kirshnamurthy

Kirk Walton Limbach

Robert A Mostello

Alberto I LaCava

Divyanshu R Acharya

Akhilesh Kapoor

Loc H Dao

Andrew Lloyd-Williams

Richard Henry Clarke

Jerry Y S Lin

Yue-Sheng Lin

Karen J Wright

Steve L Lerner

Production of oxygen-enriched gas streams is disclosed herein. Air streams contact an oxygen-selective mixed conductor particularly a perovskite material whereby oxygen is retained or adsorbed on the perovskite and can be employed in a variety of processes such as in combusting a fuel gas, heat recovery and boiler related operations.

Oxy-fuel combustion process

Partial oxidation of hydrocarbons to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide is carried out by a cyclical process, which includes (a) contacting an oxygen ion conducting ceramic with air at a pressure between about 1 and 50 bara in a reactor, wherein oxygen from the air reacts with the ceramic, thereby producing an oxygen-enriched ceramic, and (b) contacting the hot, oxygen-enriched ceramic with hydrocarbon gas and optionally steam in the reactor. During the partial oxidation reaction phase of the process, the oxygen-enriched ceramic reacts with the hydrocarbon, thereby producing the desired gas products and regenerating the oxygen ion conducting ceramic for the next cycle of the process.

Cyclic autothermal hydrocarbon reforming process

Partial oxidation of hydrocarbons to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide is carried out by a fixed bed or a fluidized bed process which includes the steps of passing steam and/or carbon dioxide through a perovskite-type ceramic mixed conductor in an adsorption zone at an elevated temperature, thereby at least partially saturating the mixed conductor with oxygen and producing hydrogen and/or carbon monoxide, and subsequently contacting the hot, at least partially oxygen-saturated mixed conductor with a hydrocarbon in a partial oxidation reaction zone. During the partial oxidation reaction phase of the process, the sorbed oxygen reacts with the hydrocarbon, thereby producing hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

Production of hydrogen and carbon monoxide

Partial oxidation of hydrocarbons to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide is carried out by a cyclical process which includes passing air through a perovskite ceramic substance at elevated temperature, thereby adsorbing oxygen from the air, and subsequently contacting the hot oxygen-containing ceramic substance with a hydrocarbon. During the partial oxidation reaction phase of the process, the sorbed oxygen reacts with the hydrocarbon, thereby producing the desired gas products and regenerating the adsorbent for the next cycle of the process.

Hydrocarbon partial oxidation process

Oxygen is removed from gas streams by subjecting the gas stream to a pressure swing adsorption process carried out at temperature in the range of 300 to 1400.degree. C. using as adsorbent a perovskite material having the structural formula A.sub.1-x M.sub.x BO.sub.3-.delta., where A is a rare earth ion, M is Na, Ca, Sr, Ba or mixtures of these, B is Co, Mn, Cr or Fe, x varies from 0.1 to 1 and .delta. is the deviation from stoichiometric composition resulting from the substitution of Sr, Ca and Ba for rare earth ions.

High temperature adsorption process

Synthesis gas comprising hydrogen, water, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrocarbons is produced by contacting a gasified hydrocarbon feedstock and an oxidant in a partial oxidation reactor under at least 95% carbon monoxide selective, low hydrocarbon conversion conditions wherein the temperature, pressure, and flow rate conditions in the reactor yield synthesis gas having less than about 2% carbon dioxide. After being cooled, the synthesis gas is separated into high purity hydrogen, high purity carbon monoxide and a hydrogen-carbon monoxide gas mixture by pressure swing adsorption followed by cryogenic distillation or by two or more pressure swing adsorption steps.

Hydrogen and carbon monoxide production by partial oxidation of

An improved process is provided for the production of a partial oxidation product by the vapor phase reaction of a hydrocarbon with substantially pure oxygen in the presence of a suitable catalyst. In the improved process, the partial oxidation product is removed, carbon dioxide and excess carbon monoxide, present in the reactor effluent as by-products, are also removed and the remaining gaseous effluent, comprised mainly of carbon monoxide and unreacted hydrocarbon, is recycled to the reactor. The concentration of carbon monoxide throughout the system is maintained sufficiently high to prevent the formation of a flammable mixture in the reactor or associated equipment.

Process for the production of hydrocarbon partial oxidation products

The present invention is directed to a method for recovering argon from a feed mixture comprising argon, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and hydrogen which comprises the steps of (a) purifying the feed mixture to remove contaminants, (b) compressing the purified feed mixture to a separation pressure, and (c) passing the compressed purified feed mixture through a pressure swing adsorption system to separate carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and all or most of the nitrogen from the mixture as adsorbed products and to produce an argon-rich fraction as a non-adsorbed product. The argon-rich fraction from step (c) may be further purified by passing the fraction to a cryogenic fractional distillation system to separate hydrogen and any remaining nitrogen from the fraction as a distillate product and to produce a pure argon product. In a second and third embodiment, the invention is directed to a method for recovering argon from a feed mixture comprising argon, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and oxygen, wherein oxygen is removed from the argon-rich fraction exiting the pressure swing adsorption system in step (c) by passing the fraction to a second pressure swing adsorption system before or after further purification of the fraction in a cryogenic fractional distillation system.

Argon recovery from argon-oxygen-decarburization process waste gases

An improved process is provided for the production of a petrochemical by the vapor phase reaction of a hydrocarbon with an oxygen-containing gas in the presence of a suitable catalyst to produce a flammable gaseous product stream comprising the desired petrochemical, unreacted hydrocarbon, oxygen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. In the improved process, a cooled or liquefied inert gas is injected as a quench fluid into the gaseous product stream exiting the hydrocarbon oxidation reactor, thereby cooling the stream to a temperature below the autoignition temperature of the flammable components of the stream, the petrochemical is recovered from the gaseous product and unreacted hydrocarbon is removed from the gaseous product and recycled to the reactor.

Process for the production of petrochemicals

Disclosed is a process for the production of an alkylene oxide in which an alkene, and an oxygen containing gas are reacted in the presence of a flame suppressor under conditions of low alkene conversion and high alkylene oxide selectivity in which unreacted alkene is recycled to the reactor and there is efficient removal of nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

Process for the production of alkylene oxide

The present invention is directed to a method for recovering argon from a feed mixture comprising argon, carbon monoxide, methane, hydrogen, and nitrogen which comprises the steps of (a) passing the feed mixture through a pressure swing adsorption system to remove carbon monoxide, methane and part of the nitrogen thereby producing a fraction containing an increased amount of argon, and (b) passing the argon fraction to a cryogenic fractional distillation system to remove hydrogen and the remaining nitrogen in the fraction as a distillate product and to produce a pure argon product. In a second embodiment, the invention is directed to a method for recovering argon from a feed mixture comprising argon, carbon monoxide, methane, hydrogen, and nitrogen which comprises the steps of (a) passing the feed mixture through a first cryogenic fractional distillation system to remove carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and nitrogen as distillate products and to produce a fraction containing an increased amount of argon, and (b) passing the argon fraction to a second cryogenic fractional distillation system to remove methane and to produce pure argon as a distillate product.

Argon recovery from partial oxidation based ammonia plant purge gases

An improved process for the production of oxides from hydrocarbons by reaction with oxygen, air or a gas enriched in oxygen relative to air, preferably the latter, in the presence of a suitable catalyst. An alkane, e.g. propane, is converted to an alkene in a catalytic dehydrogenator. The product stream is introduced into an oxidation reactor. Product formed therein is recovered in a conventional quench tower. The pressure of the gaseous effluent from the quench tower is raised and it is introduced into an absorber/stripper unit to form a recycle stream containing unreacted alkane and alkene as well as a minor amount of oxygen, typically 1-2 percent by volume, and a waste stream comprising the remainder of the quench tower gaseous phase. The recycle stream enters a selective oxidation unit wherein oxygen is removed, and the product recycled to the dehydrogenator. Flammability of the quench tower gaseous effluent and the waste stream from the absorber/stripper is minimized by assuring that the nonflammability index (NFI) thereof is within certain limits. Desired NFI, related to the total hydrocarbon content, may be achieved by the addition thereto of a gaseous flame suppressor. The gaseous flame suppressor, removed with the absorber/stripper unit waste stream, may advantageously be combusted to provide energy. A PSA unit may remove excess hydrogen from the dehydrogenator effluent. The dehydrogenator may be a multistage dehydrogenator.

Process for the production of oxides

An improved process is provided for the production of nitriles from hydrocarbons by reaction with an oxygen-containing gas comprising oxygen, air or a gas enriched in oxygen relative to air and ammonia in the presence of a suitable catalyst. In the process, a selective separator provides recycle of a substantial portion of the unreacted hydrocarbon as well as for a controlled amount of a gaseous flame suppressor in the system. The gaseous flame suppressor comprises a substantially unreactive hydrocarbon containing 1 to 5 carbon atoms, carbon dioxide and nitrogen when present in the feed to the ammoxidation reactor. The use of air or oxygen-enriched air in the feed to the ammoxidation reactor is particularly advantageous from an economic view in combination with a pressure swing adsorption unit as the selective separator. The process is characterized by high selectivity to the formation of the product.

Process for the production of nitriles

An improved process is provided for the production of oxides from alkanes by reaction with oxygen, air or a gas enriched in oxygen relative to an air in the presence of an oxidation catalyst. An alkane, e.g. propane, is converted to an alkene in a multistage dehydrogenator. The product stream is withdrawn from an intermediate reactor in the dehydrogenator, other than the first and the last reactor, and introduced into an oxidation reactor. The product formed in the oxidation reactor is recovered in a conventional quench tower. The gaseous effluent from the quench tower is treated in a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) unit to form a gaseous stream containing the unreacted alkane and alkene as well as a minor amount, i.e. less than about 2 percent by volume, of oxygen and nitrogen, if present in the feed to the oxidation reactor. The gaseous stream, which may or may not contain hydrogen depending on the adsorbent in the PSA unit, is introduced into the reactor in the dehydrogenator following the intermediate reactor. The effluent from the last reactor in the dehydrogenator is introduced into either: (i) the first reactor; (ii) a reactor other than said first reactor wherein the alkene concentration closely approximates the effluent of the oxidation reactor. The subject process is particularly efficient utilizing oxygen-enriched air in the reactor feed. A preferred PSA system for use in the subject process comprises two parallel PSA units containing different adsorbents such that the gaseous phase formed in one contains all of the hydrogen in the gas phase from the quench tower. The feed to the PSA units is divided disproportionately so that the combined PSA effluent recycle streams contain the optimum concentration of hydrogen for the dehydrogenator.

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Annandale, NJ, United States of America

Donald L MacLean