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US 2017/0247620 A1Published application
Process for conversion of natural gas to liquid hydrocarbons and a plant for carrying out the process
AssigneeHaldor TopsøE A/S
InventorThomas Sandahl Christensen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process and plant for conversion of a feed hydrocarbon stream to liquid hydrocarbon products in a small scale GTL plant, comprising the use of a cryogenic air separation unit (ASU), optionally together with vacuum pressure swing adsorption (VPSA), an autothermal reformer (ATR) or catalytic partial oxidation (CPO), and pressure swing adsorption (PSA) unit to produce a synthesis gas for downstream Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis for production of liquid hydrocarbons.
Claims15
A process for the conversion of a feed hydrocarbon stream into liquid hydrocarbons comprising:
- (a) producing oxygen with a purity of at least 80% vol. in at least a vacuum pressure swing adsorption (VPSA) unit;
- (b) mixing steam to the feed hydrocarbon stream to form a hydrocarbon-steam stream;
- (c1) adding the oxygen of step (a) and the hydrocarbon-steam stream of step (b) to an autothermal reformer (ATR), or catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) unit, or
- (c2) combining the oxygen of step (a) with the resulting stream of step (b) and then adding to an autothermal reformer (ATR), catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) unit;
- (d) withdrawing from the ATR or CPO a raw synthesis gas which is first dewatered and then split into a first and second raw synthesis gas stream;
- (e) removing hydrogen from the second raw synthesis gas stream without any water-gas-shift pre-treatment, and withdrawing a hydrogen-rich stream and an off gas stream;
- (f) converting the first raw synthesis gas stream from step (d) into liquid hydrocarbons through Fischer-Tropsch synthesis and a tail-gas;
- (g) recycling tail gas from the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis to the feed hydrocarbon stream prior to step (b), to step (b), to step (c1), to step (c2), or combinations thereof.
5 more elements
A process for the conversion of a feed hydrocarbon stream into liquid hydrocarbons comprising:
- (a) producing oxygen with a purity of at least 80% vol. in at least a vacuum pressure swing adsorption (VPSA) unit;
- (b) mixing steam to the feed hydrocarbon stream to form a hydrocarbon-steam stream;
- (c1) adding the oxygen of step (a) and the hydrocarbon-steam stream of step (b) to an autothermal reformer (ATR), or catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) unit, or
- (c2) combining the oxygen of step (a) with the resulting stream of step (b) and then adding to an autothermal reformer (ATR), catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) unit;
- (d) withdrawing from the ATR or CPO a raw synthesis gas which is first dewatered and then split into a first, major raw synthesis gas stream, and a second minor and second, minor raw gas stream;
- (e) removing hydrogen from the second raw synthesis gas stream without any water-gas-shift pre-treatment, and withdrawing a hydrogen-rich stream and an off gas stream;
- (f) converting the first raw synthesis gas stream from step (d) into liquid hydrocarbons through Fischer-Tropsch synthesis and a tail-gas;
- (g) recycling tail gas from the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis to the feed hydrocarbon stream prior to step (b), to step (b), to step (c1), to step (c2), or combinations thereof.
5 more elements
Plant for producing liquid hydrocarbons from a feed hydrocarbon stream comprising:
- feed means for feeding a gaseous hydrocarbon stream, a reforming section, communicating with said feed means, and producing synthesis gas, said reforming section comprising a cryogenic air separation unit (ASU) for providing oxygen with purity of at least 80% volume, an autothermal reformer (ATR) or catalytic partial oxidation unit (CPO) for producing a raw synthesis gas, means for splitting the raw synthesis gas into a first and second raw synthesis gas, a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) unit for hydrogen removal from the second raw synthesis gas;
- a Fischer-Trospch synthesis section for converting the synthesis gas into liquid hydrocarbons, said Fischer-Trospch synthesis section including an upgrading section comprising a tail gas discharge outlet,
- means for passing the first raw synthesis gas to the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis section, and means for recycling the Fischer-Tropsch tail gas to the feed hydrocarbon stream, to the ATR or CPO, or both.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.