Process and plant for the production of synthesis gas by means of catalytic steam reformation of a hydrocarbonaceous feed gas

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12024428-B2
Application number	US-202017122767-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2020
Priority date	Apr 22, 2016
Publication date	Jul 2, 2024
Grant date	Jul 2, 2024

Abstract

A plant for producing a synthesis gas chiefly consisting of hydrogen and carbon monoxide by catalytic steam reformation of a hydrocarbonaceous feed gas, wherein the heat of burners required for the chemical reforming reactions to take place is generated by producing a flue gas and wherein, by utilizing the heat contained in the synthesis gas and in the flue gas, a pure steam is generated from boiler feed water and a process steam is generated from process condensate, wherein for the generation of the pure steam synthesis gas and flue gas are used and for the generation of the process steam a part of the pure steam is used as heat-transfer medium and the remaining part of the pure steam is discharged from the process as export steam.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A plant for producing a synthesis gas consisting essentially of hydrogen and carbon monoxide by catalytic steam reformation of a hydrocarbonaceous feed gas, the plant comprising:
at least one tubular furnace configured to carry out the catalytic steam reformation, wherein the at least one tubular furnace comprises burners that are configured to provide heat for the catalytic steam reformation;
a degassing boiler configured for the thermal degasification of boiler feed water;
a steam boiler configured to generate pure steam from boiler feed water, wherein the steam boiler comprises a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger, wherein the first heat exchanger is configured to heat and evaporate the boiler feed water using heat from the syntheses gas, wherein the second heat exchanger is configured to heat and evaporate the boiler feed water using heat from the flue gas;
a splitter in fluid communication with the steam boiler and configured to receive the pure steam from the steam boiler;
a first steam line in fluid communication with the splitter configured to receive a first pure steam;
an export steam line in fluid communication with the splitter that is configured to receive a second pure steam;
a condensate separator configured for the mechanical separation of condensate from the synthesis gas;
a process steam boiler in fluid communication with the condensate separator and configured to generate process steam, wherein the process steam boiler is equipped with a process steam heat exchanger configured to use the first pure steam received from the first steam line as heat transfer medium,
means for adjusting a first pressure of the first pure steam; and
means for adjusting an export pressure of the second pure steam to produce an export steam stream,
wherein the means for adjusting the pressures of the first pure stream and the second pure stream are regulated independently of each other, and the means for adjusting the first pressure of the first pure steam is configured to improve a condensation enthalpy of the first pure steam without affecting the export pressure of the export steam stream,
wherein the means for adjusting the first pressure of the first pure steam comprises a first valve and a controller configured to determine an optimum pressure for improving the condensation enthalpy of the first pure steam.

2. A plant for producing a synthesis gas consisting essentially of hydrogen and carbon monoxide by catalytic steam reformation of a hydrocarbonaceous feed gas, the plant comprising:
a steam methane reformer comprising a set of tubes having catalyst within and configured to carry out catalytic steam reformation of the hydrocarbonaceous feed gas to form the synthesis gas, wherein the steam methane reformer further comprises burners that are configured to provide heat to the set of tubes by burning of a fuel in the presence of an oxidant, thereby producing a flue gas;
a degassing boiler configured for the thermal degasification of boiler feed water to form a degassed boiler feed water, wherein the degassing boiler comprises a degassing heat exchanger configured to provide heat to boiler feed water within the degassing boiler, wherein the degassing heat exchanger is configured to use the synthesis gas from the steam methane reformer as a heating fluid;
a pure steam boiler in fluid communication with the degassing boiler, such that the export steam boiler is configured to receive the degassed boiler feed water from the degassing boiler, wherein the pure steam boiler comprises a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger, wherein the first heat exchanger is configured to heat and evaporate the degassed boiler feed water using heat from the syntheses gas, wherein the second heat exchanger is configured to heat and evaporate the degassed boiler feed water using heat from the flue gas;
a condensate separator configured to receive the synthesis gas stream after providing heat to the pure steam boiler and the degassing boiler and separate the synthesis gas into a top gas and a condensate stream;
a first steam line in fluid communication with the pure steam boiler and configured to receive a first pure steam;
an export steam line in fluid communication with the pure steam boiler and configured to receive a second pure steam;
a process steam boiler configured to receive the condensate stream from the condensate separator, wherein the process steam boiler comprises an internal plate heat exchanger that is configured to use a first pure steam stream received from the pure steam boiler as a heating medium to boiler the condensate stream, thereby producing process steam, wherein the set of tubes are in fluid communication with the process steam boiler such that the set of tubes are configured to receive the process steam from the process steam boiler;
a first valve configured to control a first pressure value of the first pure steam;
a second valve configured to control a second pressure value of the second pure steam; and
a controller configured to adjust the first pressure value and the second pressure value independently of each other, wherein the first pressure value is selected based on improving a condensation enthalpy of the first pure steam.

3. A plant for producing a synthesis gas consisting essentially of hydrogen and carbon monoxide by catalytic steam reformation of a hydrocarbonaceous feed gas, the plant comprising
at least one tubular furnace for carrying out the catalytic steam reformation;
a boiler for the thermal degasification of boiler feed water;
a steam boiler for the generation of pure steam from boiler feed water;
at least one heat exchanger each for heating and evaporating the boiler feed water by synthesis gas and by flue gas;
at least one apparatus for the mechanical separation of condensate from the synthesis gas;
a steam boiler for the generation of process steam, equipped with a heat exchanger suitable for the use of pure steam as heat-transfer medium; and
separate control devices configured to adjust and regulate the pressures of a first part of the pure steam which is used as heat-transfer medium for the generation of process steam and of a second part of the pure steam which is discharged from the process as export steam, wherein the separate control devices comprise:
a first valve configured to control a first pressure value of the first part of the pure steam;
a second valve configured to control a second pressure value of the second part of the pure steam;
a controller configured to adjust the first pressure value, wherein the first pressure value is determined by the controller based on improving a condensation enthalpy of the first part.

4. The plant according to claim 3 , wherein the steam boiler for the generation of process steam is equipped with an internal plate heat exchanger.

5. The plant according to claim 3 , wherein any plant sections in contact with a process condensate and the process steam are made of stainless steel.

Assignees

• Air Liquide

Inventors

• Tadiello Jean-Philippe
• Chen Yue
• Wenz Thomas
• Kang Taekyu

Classifications

• C01B2203/1235

  Hydrocarbons · CPC title

• C01B2203/0811

  by combustion of fuel · CPC title

• C01B2203/0495

  the impurity being water · CPC title

• B01J2219/00157

  by means of a burner · CPC title

• B01J2219/00087

  with heat exchange elements outside the reactor · CPC title