US 7,247,656 B2Granted

Membrane-enhanced liquid production for syngas hubs

AssigneeL'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme a Directoire et Conseil de Surveillance pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude

InventorsChang-Jie Guo, Paul Wentink

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Abstract

This disclosure discusses problems associated with using natural gas to produce a variety of synthetic hydrocarbon products by production processes that require syngas feedstocks with varying H2/CO and (H2−CO2)/(CO+CO2) ratios. A number of gas separation membranes are used to vary the composition of the feed streams to different hydrocarbon synthesis units so that different synthetic hydrocarbon products can be produced. The process supplies syngas to an integrated hydrocarbon processing system comprising a number of hydrocarbon synthesis units. Gas (usually a portion of a raw syngas stream) is routed through the separation membrane units, multiple H2-rich and H2-lean streams are produced. These H2-rich and H2-lean streams can then be combined in a controlled fashion to produce feed streams of the desired compositions for the various hydrocarbon synthesis units. A variety of liquid synthetic hydrocarbon products can be produced from a given syngas source as required by market demands.

A process for converting syngas into at least first and second products, the first product comprising a first liquid hydrocarbon and the second product comprises a member selected from the group consisting of a second liquid hydrocarbon, methanol and dimethyl ether, the first and second liquid hydrocarbons being non-identical, the process comprising the steps of:

(a) supplying a raw syngas comprising H2;
(b) providing an integrated hydrocarbon synthesis system comprising:
(1) first and second synthesis units;
and
(2) first and second membrane separators;
(c) feeding a first portion of said raw syngas to said first membrane separator;
(d) separating said first portion of raw syngas in said first membrane separator into a first H2-lean syngas and a first H2-rich syngas;
(e) forming a first H2-adjusted syngas by combining a second portion of said raw syngas and a stream of said first H2-lean syngas;
(f) feeding said first H2-adjusted syngas to said first synthesis unit and synthesizing thereat said first product comprising a first hydrocarbon;
(h) feeding a third portion of said raw syngas to said second membrane separator;
(i) separating said third portion of raw syngas in said second membrane separator into a second H2-lean syngas and a second H2-rich syngas;
and
(i) feeding a second H2-adjusted syngas to said second synthesis unit and synthesizing thereat said second product, wherein:
(1) when said second product comprises said second liquid hydrocarbon, said second H2-adjusted syngas comprises said second H2-lean syngas from said second membrane separator;
(2) when said second product comprises said dimethyl ether, said second H2-adjusted syngas comprises said second H2-lean syngas from said second membrane separator;
(3) when said second product comprises said methanol, said second H2-adjusted syngas comprises a member selected from the group consisting of said first H2-rich syngas and said second H2-rich syngas.

13 more elements

Facts

Application

11/066,866Filed 25 Feb 2005

Published

US 2006/0194889 A131 Aug 2006

Granted

24 Jul 2007

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification26 codes

C01B 3/48
By reaction of hydrocarbons with gasifying agents: followed by reaction of water vapour with carbon monoxide
C01B 3/382
Using catalysts: processes with two or more reaction steps, of which at least one is catalytic, e.g. steam reforming and partial oxidation
C01B 3/501
Separation of hydrogen or hydrogen-containing gases from gaseous mixtures, e.g. purification: by diffusion
C01B 3/56
Separation of hydrogen or hydrogen-containing gases from gaseous mixtures, e.g. purification: by contacting with solids; Regeneration of used solids

Abstract

Claims10