Sorption-enhanced water-gas shift process for the formation of a CO2 product stream and an H2 product stream

Abstract

The present invention concerns a sorption-enhanced water-gas shift (SEWGS) process for the formation of a CO2 product stream and an H2 product stream, comprising (a) a reaction step, wherein a feed gas comprising COx, wherein x=1-2, and H2O is fed into a SEWGS reactor containing a catalyst and sorbent material capable of adsorbing CO2, thereby forming the H2 product stream and a sorbent material loaded with CO2; (b) a rinse step, wherein steam is fed to the SEWGS reactor, thereby establishing a pressure in the range of 5-50 bar; (c) a pre-blowdown step, wherein the pressure in the SEWGS reactor is reduced to establish a blowdown pressure in the range of 0.5-1.5 times the partial pressure of CO and CO2 in the feed gas of step (a); (d) a blowdown step, wherein the pressure in the SEWGS reactor is reduced to the regeneration pressure in the range of 1-5 bar, thereby releasing at least part of the CO2 from the loaded sorbent material, thereby forming the CO2 product stream; and (e) a purge step, wherein steam is fed to the SEWGS reactor, thereby releasing further CO2 molecules from the SEWGS reactor, wherein the off gas released from the reactor during step (c) is collected separately from the CO2 product stream released from the reactor during step (d). The separate collection of the off gas of pre-blowdown step (c) affords a highly efficient process with excellent CO2 purity and carbon capture ratio.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.