Steam Reforming Process

摘要

1,167,492. Making combustible gas. IMPERIAL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES Ltd. 9 Jan., 1967 [21 Jan., 1966; 7 Feb., 1966; 11 Feb., 1966], Nos. 2839/66, 5276/66 and 6128/66. Heading C5E. The output of a gas-making plant, e.g. for town or synthesis gas, in which a hydrocarbon is catalytically reacted with steam, is increased by gasifying methanol in part or complete substitution for, or in addition to, the normal feedstock, over one or more of the catalysts installed for normal operation of the plant. The methanol is preferably used simultaneously with one or both of a normally liquid hydrocarbon (A) and a normally gaseous hydrocarbon (B) having a higher hydrogen to carbon atomic ratio than A, e.g. B may be methane or natural gas, or a refinery gas, and the gas-making reaction may be performed in an externally heated tube reformer, or by a cyclic process, or by a partial combustion process. Multi-stage processes may be employed, e.g. the methanol may be fed to the hot gas produced by catalytically reacting A with steam, for reacting the mixture over a second catalyst, and in a modified form of the invention, the methanol is gasified in a vessel which succeeds the gasmaking stage, e.g. in a carbon monoxideconversion stage. This may be multi-stage, with the methanol injected before and/or between the stages, and a methanol synthesis catalyst may precede the operative conversion catalyst to reduce methane formation. Means for controlling the proportions of steam, feedstock and methanol delivered to the reaction zone are provided. An independent boiler may be provided to make up deficiencies in the usual waste heat boiler due to lowering of the temperature of the product gas caused by the methanol decomposition.