Process and plant for producing synthesis gas

US8388864B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Lurgi GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Andreas Bormann · Frankfurt am Main, DE
• Dierk Müller · Karben, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: May 10, 2007
• Grant date: Mar 5, 2013
• Expiry date: Nov 21, 2027

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C01B2203/143
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

When producing synthesis gas from a starting material containing hydrocarbons, in particular natural gas, a feed stream of the starting material is divided into a first partial stream and a second partial stream. The first partial stream is supplied to a steam reformer (4), in which together with steam it is catalytically converted to a gas stream containing carbon oxides. Then, the first partial stream is again combined with the second partial stream and the combined gas stream is supplied to an autothermal reformer (7), in which together with gas rich in oxygen it is autothermally reformed to a synthesis gas in the presence of a cracking catalyst. Processing a starting material with a high content of higher hydrocarbons is made possible in that before the steam reformer (4) and before the autothermal reformer (7) the entire starting material is supplied to a pre-reformer (2) in which the starting material largely is liberated from higher hydrocarbons.