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AssigneeExxon Research & Engineering Co.
InventorsFrank Hershkowitz, Harry W. Deckman, Robert P. Reynolds, Constantine P. Gonatas, John W. Fulton, Leonard Schoenman, Jack I. Ito
Estimating the term…
A novel injector/reactor apparatus and an efficient process for the partial oxidation of light hydrocarbon gases, such as methane, to convert such gases to useful synthesis gas for recovery and/or subsequent hydrocarbon synthesis. Sources comprising a light hydrocarbon gas, such as methane, and oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas, preheated and pressurized, are injected through an injector means at high velocity into admixture with each other in the desired relative proportions, at a plurality of mixing nozzles which are open to the partial oxidation zone of a reactor and are uniformly-spaced over the face of the injector means, to form a reactant gaseous premix having a pressure at least 3% lower than the lowest upstream pressure of either of the streams of the individual gases. The gaseous premix is injected in a time period which is less than its autoignition time, preferably less than 9 milliseconds, at a velocity between about 25 to 1000 feet/second, into the partial oxidation zone of the reactor. The gas mixture reacts before or simultaneously with the autoignition time delay of the mixture, to reduce the amounts of CO.sub.2, H.sub.2 O and heat produced by the partial oxidation reaction to form a useful syngas which is cooled and recovered.
A process for the partial oxidation of a hydrocarbon gas to synthesis gas containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide comprising providing individual streams of the hydrocarbon gas and oxygen or an oxygen containing gas, each stream being at an elevated temperature and a pressure of 10 or more atmospheres, injecting the individual streams into admixture with each other through an injector means having a plurality of mixing nozzles and having separate passages for the hydrocarbon gas and the oxygen or oxygen containing gas, the pressure drop in the passages being at least 3% of the lowest upstream pressure of either of the gases, and obtaining a uniform flow of each of said gases through the injector means, forming a gaseous pre-mix, passing the gaseous pre-mix from the purality of mixing nozzles into a partial oxidation zone, forming the synthesis gas, and recovering the synthesis gas.
A process for the partial oxidation of a hydrocarbon gas to synthesis gas containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide comprising providing individual streams of the hydrocarbon gas and oxygen or an oxygen containing gas, the proportions of oxygen (O.sub.2) per number of carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon gas being between 0.3 and 0.8 to 1, each stream being at an elevated temperature and a pressure of 10 or more atmospheres, injecting the individual streams into admixture with each other through an injector means having a plurality of nozzles and having separate passages for the hydrocarbon gas and the oxygen or the oxygen containing gas, the pressure drop in the passages being at least 3% of the lowest upstream pressure of either of the gases, and obtaining a uniform flow of each of said gases to each of several regions of the injector, each region having a proportion of oxygen (O2) to carbon forming a gaseous premix at the mixing nozzles of each of said regions, passing the gaseous pre-mix from the plurality of mixing nozzles into a partial oxidation zone, forming the synthesis gas, and recovering the synthesis gas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.