Process for heating an ATR

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10106405-B2
Application number	US-201515117002-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2015
Priority date	Apr 8, 2014
Publication date	Oct 23, 2018
Grant date	Oct 23, 2018

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for heating an ATR or POX comprising the steps of heating a process stream by at least one heating means, admitting the heated process stream to an ATR or POX reactor through a main burner, and heating the ATR or POX reactor to or above autoignition temperature of the process stream via the heated process stream.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for heating and igniting an ATR (autothermal reformer) or POX (partial oxidation reformer), said process comprising the steps of:
heating a hydrocarbon containing process stream comprising less than 5% H 2 by at least one heating means to obtain a heated process stream comprising less than 5% H 2 ,
admitting the heated process stream to an ATR or POX reactor through a main burner,
heating the ATR or POX reactor to or above autoignition temperature of the process stream via the heated process stream,
admitting an O 2 containing stream via the main burner at a first oxygen:hydrocarbon ratio to obtain autoignition and ignite the heated process stream in the reactor, and
operating the ATR or POX reactor after autoignition at a temperature of between 1000° C.-1300° C. while admitting an O 2 containing stream via the main burner at a second oxygen:hydrocarbon ratio greater than the first oxygen:hydrocarbon ratio.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon containing process stream is heated to a temperature of 450° C.-600° C.

3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the heated process stream is ignited at temperatures between 450° C.-600° C.

4. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the ATR or POX reactor is heated to a temperature of 450° C.-600° C.

5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein pressure in the ATR or POX reactor is 10-25 bar during ignition.

6. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the first oxygen:hydrocarbon ratio in the ATR or POX reactor is 0.05-0.30 at ignition and the second oxygen:hydrocarbon ratio is 0.50-0.70 during operation.

7. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the ATR or POX reactor is preheated by an inert gas.

8. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon containing process stream comprises a natural gas comprising C1-C5 hydrocarbons.

9. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon containing process stream comprises steam, 2%-3% H 2 and natural gas comprising C 1 -C 5 hydrocarbons.

10. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon containing process stream is desulfurized before steam addition.

11. A plant arranged to carry out the process according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Haldor Topsoe As
• Haldor Topsoe As

Inventors

• Dahl Per Juul
• Christensen Thomas Sandahl

Classifications

• C01B3/36 Primary

  using oxygen; using mixtures containing oxygen as gasifying agents · CPC title

• C01B2203/0244

  the reforming step being an autothermal reforming step, e.g. secondary reforming processes · CPC title

• C01B2203/1241

  Natural gas or methane · CPC title

• C01B3/384 Primary

  with external heating of the catalyst · CPC title

• C01B2203/0283

  containing a CO-shift step, i.e. a water gas shift step · CPC title