Johnson Matthey Inc.

Johnson Matthey Public Limited Company

Stephen John Catchpole

David Jonathan Davis

Katy Anna Lockey

Jennifer Jane Tweddle

Thomas Luke Smith

A process is described for treating a natural gas stream containing methane and one or more higher hydrocarbons including the steps of mixing at least a portion of the natural gas stream with steam; passing the mixture adiabatically over a supported precious metal reforming catalyst to generate a reformed gas mixture comprising methane, steam, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen; cooling the reformed gas mixture to below the dew point to condense water and removing the condensate to provide a de-watered reformed gas mixture, and passing the de-watered reformed gas mixture through an acid gas recovery unit to remove carbon dioxide and at least a portion of the hydrogen and carbon monoxide, thereby generating a methane stream. The methane stream may be used to adjust the composition of a natural gas stream, including a vaporized LNG stream, to meet pipeline specifications.

Apparatus and process for treating natural gas

A process is described for treating a natural gas stream containing methane and one or more higher hydrocarbons including the steps of: The methane stream may be used to adjust the composition of a natural gas stream, including a vaporized LNG stream, to meet pipeline specifications.

A process for producing hydrogen includes: passing a hydrocarbon feed though purification sorbent(s), combining steam with the purified hydrocarbon and passing the hydrocarbon/steam mixture adiabatically through a bed of steam reforming catalyst, passing the pre-reformed gas mixture through a fired steam reformer to generate a crude synthesis gas mixture, passing the crude synthesis gas mixture through one or more beds of water-gas shift catalyst to generate a shifted synthesis gas mixture, passing the shifted synthesis gas mixture to a membrane shift reactor containing a bed of water-gas shift catalyst and a CO-selective membrane, cooling the hydrogen-enriched gas mixture to below the dew point and separating off the condensate, passing the de-watered hydrogen-enriched gas mixture to COseparation in pressure-swing absorption apparatus, and recycling at least a portion of the purge gas stream as fuel to the fired steam reformer or to the hydrocarbon feed or purified hydrocarbon feed streams.

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Middlesbrough, United Kingdom

Stephen John Catchpole