Process for producing synthesis gas product comprising hydrogen

A process for producing a synthesis gas product comprising hydrogen from an endothermic cracking reaction of an ammonia feedstock stream, said process comprising the following steps:

• providing an ammonia feedstock stream;
• heating a main reactor in a heating step;
• in the heated main reactor, converting the ammonia feedstock stream or a partially converted ammonia stream by a main catalytic endothermic conversion of said ammonia feedstock stream or of said partially converted ammonia stream;
• exhausting an effluent gas stream produced by the heating step and/or by the main catalytic endothermic conversion;
• recovering heat from said effluent gas stream in a heat recovery step;
• redirecting the recovered heat to at least one secondary reactor in a heat redirection step, the secondary reactor comprising a gas reaction section in which a secondary catalytic endothermic conversion of the ammonia feedstock stream is performed;
• and
• transferring the redirected heat to the secondary catalytic endothermic conversion through a thermal conductive layer at least partly delimiting the gas reaction section, in a heat transfer step.

An apparatus for producing synthesis gas product comprising hydrogen by an endothermic cracking reaction of an ammonia feedstock stream, said apparatus comprising:

• a main reactor arranged for producing synthesis gas product comprising hydrogen by a main endothermic catalytic conversion of the ammonia feedstock stream or of a partially converted ammonia stream;
• a heating device arranged to provide heat to the main reactor;
• an effluent gas duct arranged to discharge an effluent gas stream from the main reactor and/or from the heating device;
• and
• at least one secondary reactor (3a, 3b, 3a′, 3b′) comprising a gas reaction section (19, 21, 19′ 21′), said gas reaction section comprising a catalyst configured to promote a secondary catalytic conversion of the ammonia feedstock stream into the synthesis gas product or into the partially converted ammonia stream, said gas reaction section being at least partially delimited by a thermal conductive layer arranged to recover part of the heat from the effluent gas stream in the effluent gas duct, and provide the recovered heat to the catalyst.