Gas compression in hydrogen-based direct reduction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025092478-A1
Application number	US-202218294151-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 1, 2022
Priority date	Aug 2, 2021
Publication date	Mar 20, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A direct reduction plant that includes a catalytic reformer and/or a gas furnace and a gas compression plant having one or more compressors. The gas compression plant includes at least one compression stage, and wherein at least one gas cooler for compressed gas. A direct introduction line for introducing gas directly into the reformer and/or into the gas furnace proceeds from the gas compression plant or the gas cooler. A bypass is provided at least at one of the compressors. During operation, at least a portion of the compressed gas is cooled and compressed gas from the gas compression plant or the gas cooler is introduced directly into the reformer and/or the gas furnace. At least intermittently, a portion of a gas compressed by a compressor is returned by means of the bypass.

First claim

1 - 10 . (canceled)

11 . A direct reduction plant comprising: a catalytic reformer and/or a gas furnace and a gas compression plant having one or more compressors, wherein the gas compression plant comprises at least one compression stage, wherein at least one gas cooler for gas compressed in the gas compression plant is present, and wherein
a direct introduction line for introducing compressed gas directly into the reformer and/or into the gas furnace proceeds from the gas compression plant or the gas cooler with preservation of the amount of CO 2 , and at least at one of the compressors, a bypass for returning unchanged at least a portion of the gas compressed by the compressor to a suction-side gas introduction line of the relevant compressor is provided.

12 . The direct reduction plant as claimed in claim 11 , wherein at least one gas cooler has a bypass.

13 . The direct reduction plant as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the gas compression plant has a device for the open-loop and/or closed-loop control of the water vapor content in the gas stream exiting the gas compression plant.

14 . The direct reduction plant as claimed in claim 11 , wherein all the compressors of the gas compression plant are positive-displacement compressors.

15 . The direct reduction plant as claimed in claim 11 , wherein at least one positive-displacement compressor has a sound suppressor, and wherein at least one of the gas coolers is integrated in a sound suppressor of a positive-displacement compressor.

16 . The direct reduction plant as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the gas compression plant has one or more variable-frequency-drive positive-displacement compressors in at least one compression stage.

17 . The direct reduction plant as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the gas compression plant comprises at least two compression stages.

18 . The direct reduction plant as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the at least one gas cooler for gas compressed in the gas compression plant is present at least downstream of the last compression stage as viewed in the direction of the gas flow.

19 . A method for operating a direct reduction plant comprising: a reduction unit, a catalytic reformer and/or a gas furnace and a gas compression plant, which provides compressed gas by gas compression and has one or more compressors, wherein the gas compression plant comprises at least one compression stage, wherein at least one gas cooler for gas compressed in the gas compression plant is present, wherein reduction gas is introduced into the reduction unit after gas compression, and wherein
at least a portion of the compressed gas is cooled, and compressed gas from the gas compression plant or the gas cooler is introduced directly into the reformer and/or the gas furnace with preservation of the amount of CO 2 , and at least intermittently, a portion of a gas compressed by a compressor is returned unchanged to a suction-side gas introduction line of the relevant compressor by means of the bypass.

20 . The method as claimed in claim 19 , wherein at least intermittently, a portion of a compressed gas conducted to a gas cooler is conveyed past the gas cooler by means of the bypass.

21 . The method as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the water vapor content in the gas stream obtained during the gas compression is controlled in open-loop and/or closed-loop fashion, preferably by spraying water into a gas stream to be compressed or into a compressor.

22 . The method as claimed in claim 19 , wherein gas is compressed in at least one compression stage by means of a variable-frequency-drive positive-displacement compressor.

23 . The method as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the portion of the compressed gas is cooled at least after the last gas compression as viewed in the direction of the reduction unit.

24 . The method as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the water vapor content in the gas stream obtained during the gas compression is controlled in open-loop and/or closed-loop fashion by spraying water into a gas stream to be compressed or into a compressor.

Assignees

• Primetals Technologies Austria GmbH

Inventors

• Millner Robert
• Sattler Hans Thomas

Classifications

• C21B13/0073 Primary

  Selection or treatment of the reducing gases · CPC title