PROCESS FOR GAS-HEATED REFORMING OF A HYDROCARBON SOURCE AND A RELATED PLANT

摘要

A process and equipment for steam reforming of a hydrocarbon source gas, where the hydrocarbon source gas and a steam flow are partially reformed while passing in a bundle of tubes (13) of a reformer (10), with a catalytically active inner surface; a partially reformed product gas (18) leaving said tubes is mixed with an oxidation agent (19) and subject to a combustion process; a combusted partially reformed gas (20) is introduced in the shell side of said reformer and further reformed by contact with the outer surface of said tubes (13), said outer surface of the tubes being also catalytically active.

主权项

1. A process for reforming of a source gas containing a hydrocarbon source, comprising the steps of:
a first stage of reforming of said source gas by feeding the source gas into a plurality of externally heated tubes, which form a tube side of a reformer, at least a portion of the inner surface of said tubes being catalytically active, thus producing a primarily reformed first product gas; a partial combustion of said first product gas, which is effected with a suitable oxidation agent, thus obtaining a second product gas, and a second stage of reforming of said second product gas, which is carried out in a shell side of said reformer, by contact with the outer surface of said tubes, at least a portion of said outer surface of the tubes being catalytically active, and said second product gas also providing the external heating of said tubes and heat input for the first-stage reforming of the source gas.