Hydrocarbon treatment method and apparatus

An apparatus for producing a treated hydrocarbon containing stream for use as a feed to a hydrogen plant having a steam methane reformer, said apparatus comprising:

• a reactor system configured to receive an untreated hydrocarbon containing feed stream of variable composition comprising hydrocarbons containing two or more carbon atoms including olefins, organic sulfur species and hydrogen and to produce the treated hydrocarbon containing stream with an olefin content and an organic sulfur species content that are less than those of the untreated hydrocarbon containing feed stream;
• the reactor system having a first reactor, a zinc oxide adsorption bed and a second reactor connected in series, the first reactor and the second reactor containing a sulfur tolerant catalyst capable of promoting both hydrogenation and oxidation reactions;
• the first reactor configured to operate in a hydrogenation mode of operation such that part of the olefins are hydrogenated into saturated hydrocarbons and at least part of the organic sulfur species are converted to hydrogen sulfide;
• the zinc oxide bed configured to adsorb the hydrogen sulfide produced in the first reactor;
• and
• the second reactor configured to operate in the hydrogenation mode of operation such that a further part of the olefins are hydrogenated into additional saturated hydrocarbons or in a pre-reforming mode of operation to react the hydrocarbons with oxygen and steam, thereby to produce methane, carbon monoxide and additional hydrogen and in both of the hydrogenation mode of operation or the pre-reforming mode of operation, any remaining organic sulfur species are converted to additional hydrogen sulfide;
• the first reactor configured to reduce the organic sulfur species content to a sufficiently low level and the adsorption of the hydrogen sulfide in the zinc oxide adsorbent bed thereby preventing deactivation of the catalyst in the second reactor during operation in the pre-reforming mode of operation;
• and
• the reactor system having a first inlet for introducing the steam into the second reactor, a second inlet for introducing the oxygen into the second reactor, an outlet for discharging the treated hydrocarbon containing stream from the second reactor and first and second control valves connected to the first inlet and the second inlet for controlling the operation of the second reactor so that it is able to selectively operate in the hydrogenation mode of operation and the pre-reforming mode of operation.