Uhde Gmbh

Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions Ag

Thyssenkrupp Uhde Gmbh

Oliver Meissner

Silke Wodberg

Thilo Von Trotha

Falk Beyer

Disclosed is a transportable reformer for the catalytic primary reforming of hydrocarbons using steam at elevated pressure, comprising a reforming tube system, a furnace disposed about the reforming tube system, a plurality of manifolds in communication with the reformer tubes, a plurality of flue gas tunnels disposed beneath and in gaseous communication with the furnace, wherein each of the manifolds is integrally coupled to, disposed between, and supported by the opposing outer walls of an adjacent pair of flue gas tunnels such that the reformer is configured to be transportable as a single unit without additional support structures.

Transportable reformer

The invention relates to a reactor for catalytic reformation of hydrocarbons with steam at elevated pressure, said reactor comprising a reaction space and a fire space, said reaction space comprised of a multitude of vertical tubes arranged in rows and suitable for being filled with a catalyst, and having facilities for feeding hydrocarbons and steam to be reformed to the reaction space, and furthermore comprising facilities for discharge of reformed synthesis gas from the reaction space, and furthermore comprising a multitude of firing facilities in the upper area of the firing space, said firing facilities being able to generate mainly downwardly directed flames that are suitable to heat the aforementioned reaction tubes, with the tube feeding air to the burner being equipped with a facility for adjusting and setting the air flow, and there being a secondary air feeder mounted additionally to this tube and branching-off from it and configured in various layouts and having an independently controllable facility for adjusting and setting the air flow and also feeding air to the firing device so that a more favorable ratio of fuel gas versus air results at the burners so as to be able to achieve a waste gas poor in nitric oxides.

Primary reformer with secondary inlet channels supplying the burner

A method is disclosed for catalytic primary reformation of hydrocarbons with steam at elevated pressure by means of a split tube reactor and a firing chamber. In the split tube system which can use a catalyst material, hydrocarbons to be reformed are converted by water steam to synthesis gas. The split tube system is heated by a plurality of firing facilities between the split tubes which include a plurality of burners arranged in series, the burners generating mainly downwardly directed flames. The relevant firing facilities are supplied with fuel and air, with the air being withdrawn from the relevant feeders. The flue gas thus evolving passes through the firing chamber from top to bottom and enters in the lower area of the firing chamber into horizontally arranged ceramic flue gas tunnels extending in parallel to each other and perpendicular to the vertical split tubes and being allocated to one firing facility each. The flue gas enters through apertures in the lateral walls of the flue gas tunnels. The flue gas at the exit of the firing chamber is passed into heat recovery devices. In each flue gas tunnel an additional gas is fed into the tunnel's front side, in flue gas flow direction, wherein the gas containing oxygen and a non-combustible gas, so that the additional gas passes the flue gas tunnels over the entire length of the firing chamber. The volume of the additional gas passed into the flue gas tunnels is regulated.

Primary reformer for reduced nitric oxide formation

Collecting line for removing hot process gases conducted in process gas tubes from tubular reformers, wherein the collecting line has on the inside at least one insulation layer made of fire-resistant concrete or fire-resistant brick, and on the outside a wall made of a metallic outer tube, comprises a plurality of stubs via which the process gas tubes of the tubular furnace can be connected to the collecting line, wherein in the region of the stubs, the process gas tubes are at least in part conducted in guide tubes, and each gas outlet connected to the respective process gas tube projects into the collecting line, by means of which the process gas is introduced into the collecting line in correct functioning, and at least one gas outlet is constructed as a pipe bend.

Growing community of inventors

Gladbeck, Germany

Oliver Meissner