Method and system for combined hydrogen and electricity production using petroleum fuels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10283795-B2
Application number	US-201815977061-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2018
Priority date	Nov 21, 2011
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system including a steam reformer, a hydrogen purification system, a pre-reformer, and a solid oxide fuel cell.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system comprising:
a steam reformer, the steam reformer comprising:
catalytic reactor tubes, where the catalytic reactor tubes are operable to receive steam and a hydrocarbon feed and are operable to convert hydrocarbons of the hydrocarbon feed into hydrogen to produce a reformer syngas, the reformer syngas comprising hydrogen; and
a combustion chamber, where the combustion chamber is thermally coupled to the catalytic reactor tubes, is operable to receive the hydrocarbon feed, an oxygen feed, and an anode exhaust gas, and is operable to produce a flue gas, the flue gas comprising carbon dioxide;

a hydrogen purification system, where the hydrogen purification system is operable to receive the reformer syngas and is operable to produce a purified hydrogen gas and an off-gas stream, the off-gas stream comprising methane;
a pre-reformer, where the pre-reformer is operable to receive the hydrocarbon feed and the anode exhaust gas and is operable to produce a pre-reformer syngas, the pre-reformer syngas comprising methane; and
a solid oxide fuel cell, where the solid oxide fuel cell is operable to electrochemically convert methane and water into hydrogen and carbon oxides to produce electrical power and where the solid oxide fuel cell comprises an anode side,
where the anode side is operable to produce the anode exhaust gas, the anode exhaust gas comprising hydrogen and carbon oxides, and comprises an anode side inlet,
where the anode side inlet is fluidly coupled to the hydrogen purification system and the pre-reformer and is operable to receive an anode feed, the anode feed comprising a mixture of the off-gas stream and the pre-reformer syngas.

2. The SOFC system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an oxygen generation system, the oxygen generation system comprising an electrolysis cell,
where the electrolysis cell is operable to receive water, is electrically coupled to the solid oxide fuel cell to receive electrical power, is operable to convert water into hydrogen and oxygen to produce an electrolysis hydrogen and an electrolysis oxygen, and is fluidly coupled to the combustion chamber such that the oxygen feed comprises the electrolysis oxygen.

3. The SOFC system of claim 2 , further comprising:
a hydrogen compression train, where the hydrogen compression train is operable to receive the purified hydrogen gas and the electrolysis hydrogen and is operable to produce a hydrogen recycle feed and a compressed hydrogen product.

4. The SOFC system of claim 3 , further comprising:
a hydrodesulfurization system, the hydrodesulfurization system comprising:
a hydrotreater, where the hydrotreater is fluidly coupled to the hydrogen compression train, is operable to receive the hydrocarbon feed and the hydrogen recycle feed, and is operable to convert organic sulfur compounds in the hydrocarbon feed into hydrogen sulfide to produce a hydrotreated gas; and
a first sorbent bed, where the first sorbent bed is fluidly coupled to the hydrotreater and the steam reformer, is operable to receive the hydrotreated gas, and is operable to absorb hydrogen sulfide of the hydrotreated gas.

5. The SOFC system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a water-gas shift reactor system, where the water-gas shift reactor system is fluidly coupled to the catalytic reactor tubes and the hydrogen purification system, is operable to receive the reformer syngas, and is operable to convert carbon monoxide and water into carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

6. The SOFC system of claim 1 , where the pre-reformer is followed by a second sorbent bed, where the second sorbent bed is operable to receive the pre-reformer syngas and is operable to absorb hydrogen sulfide of the pre-reformer syngas.

7. The SOFC system of claim 1 , where the hydrogen purification system comprises a pressure-swing-adsorption unit.

8. The SOFC system of claim 1 , where the pre-reformer is configured to operate adiabatically.

9. The SOFC system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a carbon dioxide purification system, where the carbon dioxide purification system is fluidly coupled to the combustion chamber, is operable to receive the flue gas, and is operable to produce a refined carbon dioxide product.

10. The SOFC system of claim 1 , where the solid oxide fuel cell further comprises a cathode side,
where the cathode side is operable to receive an air feed, the air feed comprising oxygen, and is operable to produce oxygen ions and an oxygen-deficient air.

11. The SOFC system of claim 2 , where the electrolysis cell comprises a proton exchange membrane.

12. A method of producing hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and electrical power utilizing a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system comprising the steps of:
introducing a hydrocarbon feed and steam to a steam reformer, the steam reformer comprising:
catalytic reactor tubes, where the catalytic reactor tubes are operable to receive steam and the hydrocarbon feed and are operable to convert hydrocarbons of the hydrocarbon feed into hydrogen to produce a reformer syngas, the reformer syngas comprising hydrogen; and
a combustion chamber, where the combustion chamber is thermally coupled to the catalytic reactor tubes, is operable to receive the hydrocarbon feed, an oxygen feed, and an anode exhaust gas, and is operable to produce a flue gas, the flue gas comprising carbon dioxide;

introducing the oxygen feed to the combustion chamber;
introducing the anode exhaust gas to the combustion chamber;
introducing the reformer syngas to a hydrogen purification system, where the hydrogen purification system is operable to produce a purified hydrogen gas and an off-gas stream, the off-gas stream comprising methane;
introducing the hydrocarbon feed to a pre-reformer, where the pre-reformer is operable to receive the anode exhaust gas and is operable to produce a pre-reformer syngas, the pre-reformer syngas comprising methane;
introducing the anode exhaust gas to the pre-reformer; and
introducing an anode feed to a solid oxide fuel cell, the anode feed comprising a mixture of the off-gas stream and the pre-reformer syngas, where the solid oxide fuel cell is operable to electrochemically convert methane and water into hydrogen and carbon oxides to produce electrical power and comprises an anode side,
where the anode side is operable to produce the anode exhaust gas, the anode exhaust gas comprising hydrogen and carbon oxides, and comprises an anode side inlet,
where the anode side inlet is fluidly coupled to the hydrogen purification system and the pre-reformer and is operable to receive the anode feed.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising the step of:
introducing water and electrical power to an oxygen generation system, the oxygen generation system comprising an electrolysis cell,
where the electrolysis cell is operable to receive water, is electrically coupled to the solid oxide fuel cell to receive electrical power, is operable to convert water into hydrogen and oxygen to produce an electrolysis hydrogen and an electrolysis oxygen, and is fluidly coupled to the combustion chamber such that the oxygen feed comprises the electrolysis oxygen.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising the step of:
introducing the purified hydrogen gas and the electrolysis hydrogen to a hydrogen compression train, where the hydrogen compression train is operable to produce a hydrogen recycle feed and a compressed hydrogen product.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising the step of:
introducing the hydrocarbon feed and the hydrogen recycle feed to a hydrodesulfurization syst

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Jamal Aqil
• Pham Thang

Classifications

• C01B2203/066

  with fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/0656

  by electrochemical means (H01M8/065 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C01B3/56

  by contacting with solids; Regeneration of used solids · CPC title

• H01M8/12

  operating at high temperature, e.g. with stabilised ZrO2 electrolyte · CPC title

• C01B2203/141

  At least two reforming, decomposition or partial oxidation steps in parallel · CPC title