Processes for hydromethanation of a carbonaceous feedstock

A process for generating a plurality of gaseous products from a carbonaceous feedstock, and generating a hydrogen product stream, the process comprising the steps of:

• (a) supplying to a hydromethanation reactor
• (1) a carbonaceous feedstock,
• (2) a hydromethanation catalyst,
• (3) a steam stream,
• (4) a feed gas stream and
• (5) optionally a first oxygen-rich gas stream;
• (b) reacting the carbonaceous feedstock in the hydromethanation reactor in the presence of carbon monoxide, hydrogen, steam, hydromethanation catalyst and optionally oxygen, to produce a methane-enriched raw product stream comprising methane, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and heat energy;
• (c) withdrawing the methane-enriched raw product stream from the hydromethanation reactor;
• (d) introducing the methane-enriched raw product stream into a first heat exchanger unit to remove heat energy from the methane-enriched raw product stream;
• (e) sour shifting at least a predominant portion of the carbon monoxide in the methane-enriched raw product stream to produce a hydrogen-enriched raw product stream comprising hydrogen, methane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and optionally carbon monoxide;
• (f) removing a substantial portion of the carbon dioxide and a substantial portion of the hydrogen sulfide from the hydrogen-enriched raw product stream to produce a sweetened gas stream comprising a substantial portion of the hydrogen, methane and carbon monoxide (if present) from the hydrogen-enriched raw product stream;
• (g) separating at least a predominant portion of the hydrogen from the sweetened gas stream to produce (1) the hydrogen product stream and (2) a hydrogen-depleted sweetened gas stream comprising methane, carbon monoxide (if present in the sweetened gas stream) and optionally hydrogen;
• (h) optionally splitting the hydrogen-depleted sweetened gas stream into a recycle gas stream and a methane-rich product gas stream;
• (i) supplying at least a portion of the hydrogen-depleted sweetened gas stream (or the recycle gas stream if present) and a second oxygen-rich gas stream to a partial oxidation reactor;
• and
• (j) reacting the supplied hydrogen-depleted sweetened gas stream (or the supplied recycle gas stream if present) with oxygen in the partial oxidation reactor to generate heat energy and the feed gas stream, wherein the feed gas steam comprises carbon monoxide, hydrogen and steam,
• wherein the reaction in step (b) has a syngas demand, and the amount of the hydrogen-depleted sweetened gas stream (or the recycle gas stream if present) supplied to the partial oxidation reactor is at least sufficient to generate enough carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the feed gas stream to at least meet the syngas demand of the reaction in step (b).