OTM syngas panel with gas heated reformer
AssigneePraxair Technology, Inc.
InventorsSean M. Kelly, Ines C. Stuckert
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention generally relates to an oxygen transport membrane syngas panel whereby the reformer layer of the panel is eliminated, and the primary reforming function is integrated into the manifold as a gas heated reformer with product syngas as the source of heat.
Claims16
An oxygen transport membrane based reforming system for producing synthesis gas which comprises;
- a reactor housing;
- a reactively driven oxygen transport membrane reactor within said housing, said reactor comprising a plurality of oxygen transport membrane elements configured to separate oxygen from an oxygen containing feed stream and produce an oxygen permeate at a permeate side of the oxygen transport membrane elements, wherein the input end of said oxygen transport membrane reactor is connected to a first manifold and the output of said oxygen transport membrane reactor is connected to a second manifold;
- a reforming catalyst containing gas heated reformer integrated within said first manifold, said first manifold being thermally coupled with said second manifold,
- wherein a hydrocarbon containing feed stream is partially reformed in said first manifold generating a hydrogen-containing, partially reformed feed stream which is fed to the input end of said oxygen transport membrane reactor in contact with the permeate side of the plurality of oxygen transport membrane elements and reacts with oxygen permeate to reactively drive the separation of oxygen from the oxygen containing feed stream and to generate a reaction product stream and heat entering said second manifold, wherein the first manifold is configured such that said second manifold supplies the heat needed for endothermic reforming taking place in said first manifold.
A method for producing a synthesis gas in an oxygen transport membrane based reforming system, said system comprising a reactively driven oxygen transport membrane reactor said reactor comprising a plurality of oxygen transport membrane elements configured to separate oxygen from an oxygen containing feed stream and produce an oxygen permeate at a permeate side of the oxygen transport membrane elements, wherein the input end of said oxygen transport membrane reactor is connected to a first manifold and the output of said oxygen transport membrane reactor is connected to a second manifold;
- wherein said first manifold comprises a reforming catalyst containing gas heated reformer integrated therein, said first manifold being thermally coupled with said second manifold, the method comprising the steps of:
- feeding the hydrocarbon containing feed stream to the inlet of the gas heated reforming reactor in the presence of a reforming catalyst disposed therein and heat to produce a partially reformed synthesis gas stream containing hydrogen at the outlet of said gas heated reformer;
- feeding the partially reformed synthesis gas stream exiting said gas heated reformer to a reactant side of a reactively driven and catalyst containing oxygen transport membrane reactor, wherein the oxygen transport membrane reactor includes at least one oxygen transport membrane element configured to separate oxygen from an oxygen containing stream at the oxidant side of the reactively driven and catalyst containing oxygen transport membrane reactor to the reactant side through oxygen ion transport when subjected to an elevated operational temperature and a difference in oxygen partial pressure across the at least one oxygen transport membrane element;
- reacting a portion of the reformed synthesis gas stream with oxygen permeated through the at least one oxygen transport membrane element to produce the difference in oxygen partial pressure across the at least one oxygen transport membrane element and generate reaction products and heat, including a first portion of the heat required for the reforming of the hydrocarbon containing feed stream;
- and
- reforming a portion of the unreformed hydrocarbon gas in the partially reformed synthesis gas stream in the presence of one or more catalysts contained in the oxygen transport membrane reactor, the reaction products and the heat to produce a synthesis gas product stream which enters said second manifold;
- wherein the heat required for the reforming in the gas heated reformer in said first manifold is transferred from the second manifold proximate to said first manifold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.