Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Stephen P DiMartino, Sr

Xianming Jimmy Li

William Robert Licht

Jeffrey Alan Hopkins

Eugene S Genkin

David Anthony Zagnoli

Mahendra L Joshi

Aleksandar Georgi Slavejkov

David M Nicholas

Bryan Clair Hoke, Jr

James Christian Sorensen

Ruth Ann Davis

Christopher Francis Harris

Gregory David Snyder

Miguel Rafael Alvarez

Nasim Hassan Malik

Janice C Peterson

Peter George Goldstone

David Brian Letch

James Joseph Stango

A process for producing a hydrogen-containing product gas with reduced carbon dioxide emissions compared to conventional hydrogen production processes. A hydrocarbon and steam are reformed in a reformer and the resulting reformate stream is shifted in one or more shift reactors. The shifted mixture is scrubbed to remove carbon dioxide to form a carbon dioxide-depleted stream. The carbon dioxide-depleted stream is separated to form a hydrogen-containing product gas and a by-product gas. A portion of the hydrogen containing product gas is used as a fuel in the reformer and a portion of the by-product gas is recycled back into the process. The process may optionally include reforming in a prereformer and/or an oxygen secondary reformer.

Steam-hydrocarbon reforming with reduced carbon dioxide emissions

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 hydrogen production method that integrates a catalytic steam reformer and a gasifier. Hydrogen is generated in a catalytic steam reformer at a high production rate or design capacity. The catalytic steam reformer is then turned down to a fraction of design capacity while a gasifier produces the needed hydrogen. During the turned down state of the catalytic steam reformer, more of a hydrogen-containing stream formed from gasifier effluent is fed to the catalytic steam reformer as a feed thereby reducing the flow rate of feedstock required for the catalytic steam reformer in the turned down state. Optionally, hydrogen mixtures from the catalytic steam reformer and gasifier are fed to one or more adsorbers for hydrogen purification and adsorber effluent is fired as fuel in the steam reformer furnace to provide a majority of the heat needed for the reforming reaction.

Hydrogen production method

The present invention relates to a method and furnace for generating straightened flames in a steam methane reformer or ethylene cracking furnace where fuel-staged burners are used. Fuel staging may be used for reducing NOx emissions. Criteria for generating straightened flames are provided. These criteria relate to oxidant conduit geometry and furnace geometry. Techniques for modifying the furnace and/or burners to achieve these criteria are also provided.

Flame straightening in a furnace

An apparatus and a method for inhibiting metal dusting corrosion of a tubesheet inside a shell-and-tube heat exchanger having at least one exit nozzle for transmitting at least one process fluid from the shell-and-tube heat exchanger include and use: an isolation baffle disposed inside the shell-and-tube heat exchanger at a location between a first exit nozzle and the tubesheet, whereby an isolated space exists between the tubesheet and the isolation baffle; and a means for purging the isolated space with a purging fluid.

Method and apparatus to prevent metal dusting

Method and apparatus for maintaining even heat distribution to each of the tubes contained in a down-fired induced draft furnace by eliminating external atmosphere disturbances such as wind from influencing furnace operation. The top of the furnace is isolated from receiving ambient air except through a central path which controls both rate and direction of air flow.

Induced draft furnace air addition method and apparatus

The present invention is directed to a method for removing a higher purity sidestream of a product gas from a main product pipeline gas flow stream of lower purity using a membrane selective for the product gas in contrast to impurities contained in the main product pipeline gas. The process avoids capital intensive apparatus or energy intensive processing and returns the reject gas from the membrane to the pipeline for inclusion with the main product pipeline gas. Recovery of a higher purity component of a main pipeline product gas containing that component is also contemplated.

Membrane processed purified pipeline gas

A process is provided for the low temperature separation of a high purity gas product at lower power requirements by permeating a feed gas stream through a membrane having a water-to-gas-product selectivity of at least about 100, separating water from the gas stream, feeding the partially dried gas stream through a molecular sieve to remove residual water, and supplying the dried gas stream to a low temperature separation unit to separate gas product(s) from the gas stream.

Membrane drying of gas feeds to low temperature units

A permeator system for separating at least one gaseous component from a feed gas mixture containing at least one other component using a semi-permeable membrane is disclosed which maintains high permeate product purity and desired component recovery during periods of turn-down in capacity. In accordance with the present invention, the permeator system contains a series of flow and pressure sensors and valves which regulate differential pressure across the membrane based upon permeate product demand or feed availability.

Membrane unit turn-down control system

The present invention is a continuous vacuum swing adsorption process for the fractionation of a multi-component feed gas mixture containing methane as a primary component and predominantly CO.sub.2 as a secondary component. Mulit-component feed gas is passed through a plurality of adsorption columns containing adsorbent beds which selectively retain the secondary components while the primary component is discharged from each column and collected as product. Carbon dioxide is desorbed from the adsorbent beds by a vacuum assisted internal rinse step wherein a pressurized first adsorption column is operatively connected to an evacuated second adsorption column causing CO.sub.2 and other secondary components to be countercurrently swept out of the first column and into the second column. Vacuum assisted internal rinsing of adsorption columns effectively replaces pump-driven rinse steps resulting in a substantial reduction in process power requirements. Additionally, process vacuum requirements are significantly reduced because an evacuated adsorption column is used as a vacuum source for internally rinsing another adsorption column.

Vacuum swing adsorption process with vacuum aided internal rinse

High purity hydrogen is produced at high recovery from liquid anhydrous ammonia. Ammonia is vaporized and subsequently dissociated into is constituents. The resulting dissociated gas stream is passed to an adiabatic metal hydride purification unit to absorb hydrogen present in the stream. The adsorbed hydrogen is then recovered as high purity product.

Production of hydrogen from ammonia

The present invention is a process for recovering hydrogen from a hydrogen-containing feed stream using a metal hydride adsorption cycle. The adsorption cycle utilizes at least six separate metal hydride adsorption beds, and has been expanded over conventional adsorption cycles to include several additional process steps. Each of the separate beds successively undergoes adsorption, first equalization, rinse or second equalization, desorption, repressurization with rinse effluent, repressurization with equalization effluent and final repressurization with feed gas.

Metal hydride adsorption process for hydrogen purification

The present invention involves a process for recovering hydrogen from a feed gas mixture comprising hydrogen and at least one other component. The feed gas mixture is initially separated in a membrane separation unit to produce a hydrogen-rich stream and a hydrogen-lean stream. The hydrogen-lean stream is subsequently treated in a cryogenic separation unit to remove a portion of the non-hydrogen components and produce a hydrogen-enriched stream. The hydrogen-enriched stream from the cryogenic separation unit is recycled and combined with the feed gas mixture to the membrane separation unit.

Growing community of inventors

Topton, PA, United States of America

Stephen P DiMartino, Sr