Linde Aktiengesellschaft

Walter Schramm

Udo Lang

Ullrich Hildebrandt

Berndt Hoerner

Gerhard P Frey

Helmut Kick

Berndt Horner

Ulrich Hildebrandt

Hans Kistenmacher

Hans Rainer

Werner Daeschler

Hans-Jakob Finkenauer

In high-temperature fuel cells based on an ion-conducting electrolyte, wherein hydrogen and oxygen are converted into water, the cathode of the fuel cell is supplied with oxygen-enriched gas from an air separator, preferably a cryogenic air separator. This oxygen-enriched gas is supplied together with a CO.sub.2 -containing gas in a stoichiometric O.sub.2 /CO.sub.2 ratio. For the recovery of the O.sub.2 and CO.sub.2 components, a partial stream of the cathode outlet gas is recycled; for this purpose, the cathode outlet gas, used for regulating the fuel cell temperature, is cooled with production and/or superheating of steam and recompressed by means of a hot gas blower or a hot gas compressor.

High-temperature fuel cells with oxygen-enriched gas

In high-temperature fuel cells, for example the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), anode waste gases containing hydrogen and carbon dioxide are separated from the waste gas stream by means of, e.g., a scrubbing step and/or an adsorption system, and the thus-obtained hydrogen is recycled to the anode. For the operation of an MCFC system, the carbon dioxide separated from the anode waste gas is reused by being admixed to the oxygen stream entering the cathode.

Fuel cells with hydrogen recycle

Apparatus for heating a flowable mixture of particulate coal and a liquid hydrocarbon stream at high pressure by heat exchange with reaction products of a coal hydrogenation and liquefaction process which are obtained in the gaseous phase under reaction conditions, comprising direct heat exchange means and indirect heat exchange means combined into a single structural unit, and being devoid of liquid spray means, said single structural unit containing an upper zone separated from a lower zone and being housed in a pressure vessel, and further comprising feed means for viscous material connected to the bottom part of the housing, said indirect heat-exchange means being equipped with a feed means and a discharge means for a heat exchange fluid, said direct heat-exchange means arranged above said direct heat exchange means and being provided with discharge means for heated viscous material, feed means for heat exchange fluid for said direct heat exchange, and discharge means for the latter heat exchange fluid communicating with said indirect heat-exchange means, thereby resulting in apparatus wherein essentially the same fluid is employed for heat exchange purposes for both the indirect an direct heat exchange means.

Special heat exchange for coal liquefaction system

A method of and an apparatus for carrying out exothermic reactions in suspensions containing catalyst particles as well as a reaction participant and wherein the suspension is pumped to the reaction pressure and thereby fed to the reaction vessel. According to the invention, the suspension is preheated, before entering the reaction zone in the same pressurized vessel by direct heat exchange with reaction products from the reaction zone before the suspension is passed into the latter.

Method of effecting highly exothermic reactions

C.sub.2 -C.sub.3 olefins are recovered from a low concentration gaseous feedstream, e.g. a Fischer-Tropsch waste gas. In a first process stage, the weight percent concentration of the olefins is enriched to at least about 25%. One specific enrichment technique includes scrubbing, preferably 2-stage scrubbing, with hydrocarbon scrubbing agents. Another technique comprises condensation of the olefin in regenerators and absorbing same in a purge phase. The resultant enriched stream, in any case, is then subjected to conventional low temperature separation to recover relatively pure individual streams of ethylene and propylene.

Economic recovery of ethylene and/or propylene from low concentration

In the purification of a hydrogen stream contaminated with at least methane and ethane, e.g. a hydrogen cycle gas from a coal hydrogenation process, where the hydrogen stream is subjected to multistage partial condensation and separation of the respectively formed condensates, the improvement of subjecting the hydrogen stream under a pressure of above about 100 bar to the multistage partial condensation and separation of having in the final condensate 5-40 molar percent of ethane, thereby favorably altering the K-value of methane and its ease of removal from the hydrogen which is only altered in the manner desired when the process is conducted under pressures in excess of about 100 bar.

High pressure purification of hydrogen

In the dispensing of gasoline into a tank used for the storage or transportation of gasoline wherein the gasoline displaces a gaseous mixture of air and gasoline, and said mixture is treated to a recovery step to separate said gasoline from said mixture, there is provided an improvement in the recovery step which comprises cooling said mixture to condense out the gasoline and water from the air thereby purifying the air, and then separating the water from the gasoline. One or two main heat exchangers can be employed depending on whether the system is operated continuously or not. A short regeneration time is made possible by the use of steam which expands the heat exchange tubes sufficiently to remove ice cleanly. An absorber using activated carbon is optionally employed in addition to the removal of the gasoline by cooling.

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Munich, Germany

Walter Schramm