Praxair Technology, Inc.

Vasilis Papavassiliou

Raymond Francis Drnevich

Minish Mahendra Shah

Troy Michael Raybold

Matthew Lincoln Wagner

Gregory Joseph Panuccio

Roger W Day

Perry Raymond Pacouloute

Thomas John Bergman, Jr

Shawn M Cecula

Ramchandra Mukund Watwe

Thomas Edward Gajewski

William Robert Williams

Troy M Raybold

Perry Pacouloute

Shawn Michael Cecula

Organic sulfur compounds contained in refinery off gas streams having either high ort low concentrations of olefins are converted to hydrogen sulfides which can be then be removed using conventional amine treating systems. The process uses a catalytic reactor with or without a hydrotreater depending on the olefin concentration of the off gas stream. The catalytic reactor operates in a hydrogenation mode or an oxidation mode to convert a majority of organic sulfur compounds into hydrogen sulfides.

Process for sulfur removal from refinery off gas

The present invention relates to decreasing the amount of diluent needed to convert a heavy oil to a bitumen product that can be transported by pipeline. More specifically, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for partially upgrading heavy oil into a lower viscosity bitumen product.

Integrated system for bitumen partial upgrading

Integrated method for bitumen partial upgrading

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for producing a treated hydrocarbon containing stream for use as a feed to a steam methane reformer of a hydrogen plant. In accordance with such method, amounts of olefins and organic sulfur species within an untreated feed are decreased in a reactor that is operated in either a hydrogenation mode to hydrogenate the olefins into saturated hydrocarbons or a pre-reforming mode in which hydrocarbon containing two or more carbon atoms including the olefins are reacted with oxygen and steam to form saturated hydrocarbons, methane, additional hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The reactor is configured and operates at a sufficiently high space velocity that olefin and organic species slip occurs that is further treated in a hydrotreater. The reactor contains a catalyst capable of promoting both hydrogenation and oxidation reactions and the hydrotreater contains a catalyst that is capable of only promoting hydrogenation reactions.

Hydrocarbon treatment method and apparatus

The present invention relates to systems and processes for producing syngas in steam methane reformer (SMR)-based plants, particularly to the use of a high space velocity, dual mode catalytic reactor to pre-reform plant feedstock. The dual mode reactor has the capability to operate in two modes: either without oxygen addition in a reforming mode or with oxygen addition in a partial oxidation-reforming mode. The dual mode reactor allows the syngas production rate of the plant to be manipulated without the added capital expense of a reheat coil and with reduced impact on export steam production.

Dual mode reactor SMR integration

A method and apparatus for producing a treated hydrocarbon containing stream for use as a feed to a hydrogen plant having a steam methane reformer in which an untreated hydrocarbon containing stream is introduced into two reaction stages connected in series to hydrogenate olefins and to convert organic sulfur species to hydrogen sulfide. The second of the two stages can also be operated in a pre-reforming mode to generate additional hydrogen through introduction of the oxygen and steam into such stage. A sulfur tolerant catalyst is used in both stages to promote hydrogenation and oxidation reactions. Sulfur is removed between stages by adsorption of the hydrogen sulfide to prevent deactivation of the catalyst in the second of the stages that would otherwise occur during operation of the second reaction stage in a pre-reforming mode of operation.

Carbon dioxide emissions within a refinery are reduced by reforming a hydrocarbon containing feed at low pressure to enhance the conversion of methane to hydrogen and carbon monoxide and thereby reduce methane slip. The hydrocarbon containing feed is composed entirely or at least in part of a refinery off gas. The resulting reformed stream is then subjected to water-gas shift conversion to form a shifted stream from which carbon dioxide is separated. As a result of the separation and the low pressure reforming, hydrogen containing fuel gas streams, that are thereby necessary lean in carbon dioxide and methane, are used in firing the steam methane reformer and other fuel uses within the refinery to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The carbon dioxide that is separated can be sequestered or used in other processes such as enhanced oil recovery.

Carbon dioxide emission reduction method

A catalytic reactor having a mixing section connected to a downstream reaction section containing a catalyst to promote a reaction of oxygen and a hydrocarbon fed to the catalytic reactor. The mixing section is provided with a flame arrestor to prevent a stable flame from propagating should any reaction of oxygen and hydrocarbons occur during mixing. The flame arrestor permits flow in both axial and radial directions to promote mixing. Baffle elements and a downstream static mixer can also be used. The catalyst is preferably in the form of monolithic blocks enclosed by a ceramic tube that is maintained as a unitary catalyst assembly that can be removed for replacement and installation of the catalyst as a single unit.

Catalytic reactor

Method of preparing and introducing fuel into the combustors of a gas turbine in which a hydrocarbon containing feed, oxygen and steam are introduced into a catalytic partial oxidation reactor to produce a product stream. The hydrocarbon containing feed contains no less than about 15 percent by volume on a dry basis of hydrocarbons with at least two carbon atoms and/or at least about 3 percent by volume of olefins. The reactant mixture formed of the hydrocarbon containing feed, oxygen and steam has an oxygen to carbon ratio of between about 0.08 and about 0.25 and a water to carbon ratio of between about 0.05 to about 0.5. The hydrocarbon containing feed is introduced into the reactor alone or with a steam at a temperature no greater than 600&#xb0; C. and the product stream is produced at a temperature of between about 600&#xb0; C. and 860&#xb0; C. and contains less than about 0.5 percent of olefins and less than 10 percent of hydrocarbons with two or more carbon atoms on a dry basis. After cooling the product stream the product stream is introduced into the combustors of the gas turbine to form part or all of the fuel required to support combustion.

Gas turbine fuel preparation and introduction method

An autothermal reactor and method for producing synthesis gas in which a heated oxygen containing stream is expanded into a mixing chamber to entrain a hydrocarbon containing stream to form a reactant stream without reaction of the oxygen and hydrocarbon contents of the streams. The reactant stream is reacted in a series of sequential catalytic reaction zones to react the hydrocarbon and oxygen contained in the reactant stream to form the synthesis gas. The sequential catalytic reaction zones are configured such that an initial partial oxidation reaction occurs that is followed by endothermic reforming reactions having ever decreasing temperatures. The sequential catalytic reaction zones in which the endothermic reforming reactions occur contain a precious metal catalyst supported on ceramic supports that have successively greater surface areas to compensate for the temperature decrease while remaining stable and without a transform in state.

Autothermal reactor and method for production of synthesis gas

A steam methane reforming method in which a feed stream is treated in a reactor containing a catalyst that is capable of promoting both hydrogenation and partial oxidation reactions. The reactor is either operated in a catalytic hydrogenation mode to convert olefins into saturated hydrocarbons and/or to chemically reduce sulfur species to hydrogen sulfide or a catalytic oxidative mode utilizing oxygen and steam to prereform the feed and thus, increase the hydrogen content of a synthesis gas produced by a steam methane reformer. The method is applicable to the treatment of feed streams containing at least 15% by volume of hydrocarbons with two or more carbon atoms and/or 3% by volume of olefins, such as a refinery off-gas. In such case, the catalytic oxidative mode is conducted with a steam to carbon ratio of less than 0.5, an oxygen to carbon ratio of less than 0.25 and a reaction temperature of between about 500&#xb0; C. and about 860&#xb0; C. to limit the feed to the steam methane reformer to volumetric dry concentrations of less than about 0.5% for the olefins and less than about 10% for alkanes with two or more carbon atoms.

Steam methane reforming method

The amount of a ballast gas needed, to prevent combustion, deflagration, and/or detonations during a liquid phase reaction of molecular oxygen and a flammable process liquid, is reduced by using a ballast gas other than nitrogen. The ballast gas is selected to have a boiling point lower than the boiling point of the flammable process liquid and selected to produce a higher limiting oxygen value (LOV) in a mixture with the flammable process liquid vapor and molecular oxygen than the LOV for the corresponding mixture substituting just nitrogen for the inerting gas.

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Williamsville, NY, United States of America

Vasilis Papavassiliou