Johnson Matthey Public Limited Company

Johnson Matthey Inc.

Peter William Farnell

Martin Fowles

Peter Edward James Abbott

Mark McKenna

Stuart Ballentyne Brady

Kenneth Chlapik

Simon Graham

Mark Mckenna

An apparatus for steam reforming of hydrocarbons is described including a steam reformer containing a plurality of externally-heated vertical tubes each tube having an inlet for a feed gas mixture including hydrocarbon and steam, and an outlet for a reformed gas mixture, wherein the tubes contain a particulate steam reforming catalyst adjacent the outlet and a structured steam reforming catalyst adjacent the inlet. A process for steam reforming of hydrocarbons using the apparatus is also described.

Steam reforming

A process for the steam reforming of hydrocarbons comprises partially oxidizing a feedgas comprising a hydrocarbon feedstock with an oxygen-containing gas in the presence of steam to form a partially oxidized hydrocarbon gas mixture at a temperature &#x3e;1200&#xb0; C. and passing the resultant partially oxidized hydrocarbon gas mixture through a bed of steam reforming catalyst, wherein the bed comprises a first layer and a second layer, each layer comprising a catalytically active metal on an oxidic support wherein the oxidic support for the first layer is a zirconia.

A catalyst arrangement disposed within a vertical reaction tube includes a structured catalyst within an upper part of the reaction tube, a particulate catalyst beneath the structured catalyst in a lower part of the reaction tube, and a catalyst support device located between the structured catalyst and the particulate catalyst, wherein the catalyst support device includes a cylindrical body having a first end adapted for connection to the structured catalyst, and a second end, and the cylindrical body has a diameter 70-90% of the internal diameter of the tube and a length/diameter in the range 0.5-2.5.

Catalyst arrangement

A process for converting a hydrocarbon feedstock into a synthesis gas includes: (i) passing a first stream including a hydrocarbon and steam to externally-heated catalyst-filled tubes in a heat exchange reformer where steam reforming reactions take place to generate a first reformed gas mixture, (ii) passing a second stream including a hydrocarbon and steam, after a heating step, to an autothermal reformer, where it is combined with an oxidant gas containing free oxygen and autothermally reformed to generate a second reformed gas mixture, (iii) mixing the second reformed gas mixture and the first reformed gas mixture to form a combined reformed gas mixture, and (iv) using the combined reformed gas mixture to heat the catalyst filled tubes in the heat exchange reformer to form a partially-cooled combined reformed gas mixture, wherein the partially-cooled combined reformed gas mixture is used to pre-heat the second stream fed to the autothermal reformer.

Process for the conversion of a hydrocarbon feedstock into a synthesis gas

A process for the conversion of a hydrocarbon to COand electrical power is described which includes subjecting a gas mixture of a hydrocarbon feed stream and steam to an integrated reforming process including stages of steam reforming in a gas-heated reformer and secondary reforming to generate a reformed gas mixture, increasing the hydrogen content of the reformed gas mixture by subjecting it to one or more water-gas-shift stages, cooling the resulting hydrogen-enriched reformed gas and separating condensed water therefrom, passing the resulting de-watered hydrogen-enriched reformed gas to one or more stages of carbon dioxide separation to recover carbon dioxide, combusting the remaining hydrogen-containing fuel stream with an oxygen containing gas in a gas turbine to generate electrical power and passing the exhaust gas mixture from the gas turbine to a heat recovery steam generation system that feeds one or more steam turbines to generate additional electrical power.

Conversion of hydrocarbons to carbon dioxide and electrical power

A process for the steam reforming of hydrocarbons comprises partially oxidising a feedgas comprising a hydrocarbon feedstock with an oxygen-containing gas in the presence of steam to form a partially oxidised hydrocarbon gas mixture at a temperature &#x3e;1200&#xb0; C. and passing the resultant partially oxidised hydrocarbon gas mixture through a bed of steam reforming catalyst, wherein the bed comprises a first layer and a second layer, each layer comprising a catalytically active metal on an oxidic support wherein the oxidic support for the first layer is a zirconia.

An apparatus for steam reforming of hydrocarbons comprises a heat exchange reformer having disposed within a plurality of vertical catalyst-filled tubes, through which a gas mixture comprising hydrocarbon and steam may be passed, and to which heat may be transferred by means of a heat exchange medium flowing around the external tube surfaces, wherein heat exchange adapting means are provided within the reformer so that the tubes have a zone of lower heat exchange extending from the bottom of the catalyst up to 25% of the catalyst depth with no heat exchange enhancement means provided in that zone. A process for steam reforming of hydrocarbons employs this apparatus.

Growing community of inventors

North Yorkshire, United Kingdom

Peter William Farnell