US 2025/0144610 A1 · APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR AMMONIA CRACKING CATALYST ACTIVATION

Abstract

An apparatus and process for the activation of catalyst material utilized in ammonia cracking can include an initial use of hydrogen and heat to perform an initial stage of catalyst activation and a subsequent use of ammonia and heat to perform a subsequent state of catalyst activation. The subsequent use of ammonia can be configured so that different catalytic material at different plant elements are activated in a pre-selected sequence to provide activation of the catalytic material utilized in different plant elements. Some embodiments can be configured to avoid excess temperatures that can be detrimental to equipment that can be positioned upstream of a furnace in some embodiments while also avoiding sintering of the catalytic material.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A process for catalyst activation for ammonia cracking, the process comprising:

feeding a first reactant comprising hydrogen to at least one pre-reactor positioned upstream of a furnace having at least one tube within a radiant section of the furnace such that the first reactant is passed through catalyst material of the least one pre-reactor and subsequently passed through catalyst material of the at least one tube within the radiant section of the furnace;
in response to detecting a first level of catalyst activation, ceasing the feeding of the first reactant and initiating feeding of a second reactant comprising ammonia to the at least one pre-reactor and the at least one tube within the radiant section of the furnace such that the second reactant is passed through the catalyst material of the least one pre-reactor and subsequently passed through the at least one tube within the radiant section of the furnace to fully activate the catalyst material of the at least one tube.

An apparatus for ammonia cracking that is configured to facilitate catalyst activation, the apparatus comprising:

a furnace having at least one tube that includes catalyst material within the at least one tube for cracking of ammonia, the catalyst material within the at least one tube having an upstream portion of catalyst material and a downstream portion of catalyst material;
at least one pre-reactor positioned upstream of the at least one tube, the at least one tube in fluid communication with the at least one pre-reactor;
the apparatus sized and configured so that:
a first reactant is feedable to the at least one pre-reactor and the at least one tube such that the first reactant is passed through catalyst material of the least one pre-reactor and subsequently passed through catalyst material of the at least one tube, and
a second reactant is feedable to the at least one pre-reactor and the at least one tube such that, in response to detecting a first level of catalyst activation, the first reactant is ventable and the second reactant is feedable to the at least one pre-reactor and the at least one tube such that the second reactant is passable through the catalyst material of the least one pre-reactor and subsequently passable through the at least one tube to fully activate at least some of the catalyst material of the at least one tube.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus and process for ammonia cracking catalyst activation

Life of this patent

Apparatus and process for ammonia cracking catalyst activation

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20