US 7,731,923 B2Granted

Method for simultaneously producing hydrogen and carbon monoxide

AssigneeL'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude

InventorsPascal Marty, Arthur Darde, Antoine Hernandez, Jean-Marc Tsevery

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Abstract

The invention relates to a method for simultaneously producing hydrogen and carbon monoxide consisting in generating a synthesis gas and in processing it by decarbonising and removing water and remaining carbon dioxide by passing said gas through a bed of adsorbents, in separating remaining components by forming at least one H2 rich flow, a CO flow containing at least one type of impurity selected from nitrogen and argon, a methane-rich purge gas flow and a flash gas flow. The inventive method also consists in regenerating the bed of adsorbents by passing a regeneration gas comprising at least one non-zero proportion of the formed H2 flow and in recycling at least the purge and flash gases for feeding the synthesis gas generation stage.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A process for the simultaneous production of hydrogen and carbon monoxide from the hydrocarbon feedstock, said process comprising the steps of:

a) generating a syngas
b) decarbonizing the syngas coming from step a) in a primary decarbonation unit, forming a carbon dioxide stream and a stream containing the syngas with a reduced carbon dioxide content;
c) eliminating the water and the remaining carbon dioxide that are contained in the syngas coming from step b) by passing said gas over an adsorbent bed;
d) separating the remaining constituents, forming at least:
i) a hydrogen product gas stream;
ii) a carbon monoxide product gas stream, which further includes at least one impurity selected from nitrogen and argon;
iii) a methane-rich purge gas stream;
and
iv) a flash gas stream containing hydrogen, CO, and methane;
wherein the process further includes the following steps of:
e) regenerating the adsorbent bed of step c) by passage of a regeneration gas comprising at least a nonzero proportion of the hydrogen-rich stream i);
and
f) recycling streams iii) and iv) coming from step d) in order to feed step a).

10 more elements

An installation for the simultaneous production of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, said installation comprising:

a) a hydrocarbon source;
b) a syngas generation unit;
c) a syngas primary decarbonation unit;
d) a desiccation/secondary decarbonation unit;
and
e) a separation unit, for separation into at least a gaseous hydrogen product stream, a gaseous carbon monoxide product stream, a purge gas stream and a flash gas stream;
together with:
f) lines connecting the hydrocarbon source and the syngas generation unit, connecting the syngas generation unit to the primary decarbonation unit, connecting the primary decarbonation unit to the desiccation unit and connecting the desiccation unit to the separation unit;
and
g) means for withdrawing hydrogen and carbon monoxide as products, wherein it includes lines for sending a nonzero proportion of the gaseous hydrogen product stream to the desiccation/secondary decarbonation unit and lines for sending the purge gas stream and the flash gas stream to the feed for the syngas generation unit.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/916,688Filed 22 May 2006
Priority: FR 05 504216 Jun 2005
Published: US 2008/0308769 A118 Dec 2008
Granted: 8 Jun 2010
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification36 codes

C01B 3/56
Separation of hydrogen or hydrogen-containing gases from gaseous mixtures, e.g. purification: by contacting with solids; Regeneration of used solids
B01D 53/04
By adsorption, e.g. preparative gas chromatography: with stationary adsorbents
B01D 53/047
With stationary adsorbents: pressure swing adsorption
C01B 3/506
Separation of hydrogen or hydrogen-containing gases from gaseous mixtures, e.g. purification: at low temperatures