US 6,090,312 A · Reactor-membrane permeator process for hydrocarbon reforming and water gas-shift reactions

Abstract

New process designs are presented for reforming reactions of steam with hydrocarbons (such as methane, natural gas, light hydrocarbon feedstocks with one to four carbon atoms in each molecule), also for the water gas shift reaction that is of steam with carbon monoxide; also for carbon dioxide reforming of hydrocarbons (such as methane, acidic natural gas, coal gas, landfill gas, light hydrocarbon feedstocks with one to four carbon atoms in each molecule), and the combined reaction of steam carbon dioxide with same hydrocarbons. The processes employ organic polymer, organic polymer-inorganic support, and inorganic membrane permeators for species separation, with the permeators placed after the reactors where the above named reactions take place. The membranes in permeators separate selectively the H.sub.2 and CO.sub.2 species exiting from the reactors from the non-permeated reactants and products. The reject streams coming out of permeators can be recycled into the inlet of the first reactors; these reject streams can be also fed to consecutively placed steam reforming and water gas shift reactors for further conversion to H.sub.2 and CO.sub.2 products. The separated H.sub.2 and CO.sub.2 in membrane permeate and from the secondary reactions of permeator reject streams, can be used for direct methanol synthesis, feed to molten carbonate fuel cells, and other chemical syntheses; after the removal of CO.sub.2 from the mixture, pure hydrogen can be recovered and used in chemical syntheses and as fuel in fuel cells and power generation cycles.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A process that reforms a hydrocarbon with steam (H.sub.2 O(g)) over a bed of metallic catalyst in a steam reforming reactor to produce H.sub.2, CO.sub.2 and CO by the hydrocarbon steam reforming and water gas shift reactions, with the exit stream to be passed through a heat exchanger to reduce its temperature and condense the unreacted steam by generating new steam in other side of the exchanger to be used as feed into this reforming reactor and any subsequently placed reformer, with the remaining gas mixture to remove moisture traces by passage through a bed of moisture adsorbing particles, with the dry cooled exit mixture from the particle bed to enter into a membrane permeator made by one of the following materials,

organic polymer membrane,
organic polymer membrane-inorganic support,
inorganic membrane,
which all materials are permselective to H.sub.2 and CO.sub.2 and separate these two species from the unreacted hydrocarbon and CO, with these last non-permeating compounds to exit from the non-permeate side of the permeator as a reject stream, with the H.sub.2 and CO.sub.2 permeate product mixture to be used for
chemical synthesis and
as fuel either as is a mixture or as pure H.sub.2 after the CO.sub.2 condensation and removal.

3 more elements

A process that reacts a hydrocarbon with CO.sub.2 and steam (H.sub.2 O(g)) over a bed of metallic catalyst in a steam and CO.sub.2 reforming reactor to produce H.sub.2 and CO via the hydrocarbon steam reforming reaction, the hydrocarbon CO.sub.2 reforming reaction, and the reverse water gas shift reaction, with the exit stream to be passed through a heat exchanger to reduce its temperature and condense unreacted and produced steam by generating new steam in other side of the exchanger which is used as feed into this reforming reactor and any subsequently placed reformer, with the exit stream from the heat exchanger to be passed through a bed of moisture adsorbing particles to remove any moisture content, with the dry cooled exit gas mixture to enter into a membrane permeator made by one of the following materials,

organic polymer membrane,
organic polymer membrane-inorganic support,
inorganic membrane,
which all materials are permselective to H.sub.2 and CO.sub.2 and separate these two species in permeate stream from the unreacted hydrocarbon and product CO which exit from the non-permeate side of the permeator as a reject stream, with the H.sub.2 and CO.sub.2 permeate product mixture to be used for
chemical synthesis,
also as fuel
either as a mixture or as pure H.sub.2 after the CO.sub.2 condensation and removal.

4 more elements

A process that reacts a hydrocarbon with CO.sub.2 over a bed of metallic catalyst in a CO.sub.2 reforming reactor to produce H.sub.2 and CO via the hydrocarbon CO.sub.2 reforming reaction and the reverse water gas shift reaction, with the exit stream to be passed through a heat exchanger to reduce its temperature and condense any produced steam by generating new steam in other side of the exchanger, which steam can be used as feed into subsequently placed steam reformers, with the exit dry and cooled stream from the heat exchanger to enter into a membrane permeator made by one of the following materials,

organic polymer membrane,
organic polymer membrane-inorganic support,
inorganic membrane,
which all materials are permselective to H.sub.2 and CO.sub.2 and separate these two species through the permeate stream from the unreacted hydrocarbon and product CO which exit from the non-permeate side of the permeator as a reject stream, with the H.sub.2 and CO.sub.2 permeate product mixture to be used for
chemical synthesis,
also as fuel
either as a mixture or as pure H.sub.2 after the CO.sub.2 condensation and removal.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Reactor-membrane permeator process for hydrocarbon reforming and water gas-shift reactions

Life of this patent

Reactor-membrane permeator process for hydrocarbon reforming and water gas-shift reactions

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20