Plant for hydrogen production

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9802820-B2
Application number	US-201414559748-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2014
Priority date	Jun 16, 2011
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

The present invention relates to a plant for performing a method for hydrogen production or for performing a method of hydrogen and/or carbon dioxide production from syngas. The method comprises the steps of: (i) providing a gas stream comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide, (ii) separating at least part of hydrogen from the stream yielding a hydrogen-depleted stream, (iii) subjecting the hydrogen-depleted stream to a water-gas shift reaction, and (iv) separating hydrogen from the stream resulting from step (iii).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An industrial plant configured to produce hydrogen according to the method comprising
(i) providing a gas stream comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide;
(ii) separating at least 70 vol. % of hydrogen from the stream by membrane separation wherein said separating comprises applying the said stream to a thin palladium-based membrane having a thickness of 1-3 μm and applying an inert sweep gas downstream of the membrane, yielding a hydrogen-depleted stream;
(iii) subjecting the hydrogen-depleted stream to a water-gas shift reaction to obtain a resultant stream; and
(iv) directly separating hydrogen from the resultant stream from step (iii);
said plant comprising a reactor 110 for the production of syngas from hydrocarbons, wherein an outlet of the reactor 110 is connected to an inlet of a first separation module 101 which conducts the syngas past said palladium-based membrane of 1-3 μm thickness and supplies sweep gas downstream of the membrane for hydrogen separation said separation module having an outlet for hydrogen and an outlet for a hydrogen-depleted stream, wherein the outlet for the hydrogen-depleted stream is connected to an inlet of a shift reactor 103 for water gas shift reaction,
wherein an outlet of the shift reactor 103 is directly connected to a pressure swing absorption unit 104 for hydrogen separation, and
wherein the first separation module 101 has an outlet 12 for hydrogen permeate to a hydrogen compressor 106 and the hydrogen compressor 106 has an outlet for compressed hydrogen to the pressure swing absorption unit (PSA) 104 and the PSA 104 has an outlet 14 for hydrogen product and an outlet 15 for purge gas connected to an inlet to provide fuel to said reactor,
wherein said method effects reduced emission of carbon oxide gases and produces hydrogen with decreased caloric value.

2. The plant according to claim 1 , wherein the reactor 110 for the production of syngas is a steam reforming reactor, an autothermal reactor or a catalytic partial oxidation reactor.

3. The plant according to claim 2 , wherein the reactor is a steam reforming reactor.

4. The plant according to claim 1 , further provided with a heat exchanger 102 , placed between the first separation module 101 and the shift reactor 103 .

5. The plant according to claim 1 , which further comprises a hydrodesulfurization reactor 111 and the reactor 110 is a steam reforming reactor and an outlet of the hydrodesulfurization reactor 111 is connected to an inlet of the reactor 110 ; and
step (i) comprises desulfurization in hydrodesulfurization reactor 111 and the production of syngas from hydrocarbons in said reactor 110 .

6. An industrial plant configured to produce hydrogen according to the method comprising
(i) providing a gas stream comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide;
(ii) separating at least 70 vol. % of hydrogen from the stream by membrane separation wherein said separating comprises applying the said stream to a thin palladium-based membrane having a thickness of 1-3 μm and applying an inert sweep gas downstream of the membrane, yielding a hydrogen-depleted stream;
(iii) subjecting the hydrogen-depleted stream to a water-gas shift reaction to obtain a resultant stream; and
(iv) directly subjecting the resultant stream from step (iii) to removal of CO 2 ;
said plant comprising a reactor 110 for the production of syngas from hydrocarbons, wherein an outlet of reactor 110 is connected to an inlet of a first separation module 101 A which conducts the syngas past a palladium-based membrane of 1-3 μm thickness and supplies sweep gas downstream of the membrane for hydrogen separation said first separation module having an outlet 12 for hydrogen and an outlet 11 for a hydrogen-depleted stream, wherein the outlet for the hydrogen-depleted stream is connected to an inlet of a shift reactor 103 for water gas shift reaction,
wherein an outlet 13 of the shift reactor 103 is connected to a CO 2 removal unit 105 , provided with an outlet 19 for carbon dioxide and an outlet 15 for off-gases, and
wherein said outlet 12 for hydrogen permeate provides said permeate to a hydrogen compressor 106 , the hydrogen compressor 106 has an outlet 18 for compressed hydrogen to a pressure swing absorption unit (PSA) 107 , and the PSA 107 has an outlet 14 for hydrogen product and an outlet 16 for purge gas connected to an inlet to the reactor,
wherein said method effects reduced emission of carbon oxide gases and produces hydrogen with decreased caloric value.

7. The plant according to claim 6 , wherein the reactor 110 for the production of syngas is a steam reforming reactor, an autothermal reactor or a catalytic partial oxidation reactor.

8. The plant according to claim 7 , wherein the reactor is a steam reforming reactor.

9. The plant according to claim 6 , further provided with a heat exchanger 102 , placed between the first separation module 101 A and the shift reactor 103 .

10. The plant according to claim 6 , which further comprises a hydrodesulfurization reactor 111 and an outlet of the hydrodesulfurization reactor 111 is connected to an inlet of the reactor 110 ; and
step (i) comprises desulfurization in hydrodesulfurization reactor 111 and the production of syngas from hydrocarbons in said reactor 110 .

Assignees

• Stamicarbon

Inventors

• Iaquaniello Gaetano
• Cucchiella Barbara
• Antonetti Elena

Classifications

• C01B2203/0283

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

• B01J7/00

  Apparatus for generating gases (production of inert gas mixtures B01J19/14; for generating specific gases, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. C01B, C10J {; in "air bags" on vehicles B60R21/26; for starter gas F02C7/26; blasting cartridges for producing gas under pressure F42B3/04}) · CPC title

• C01B2203/043

  Regenerative adsorption process in two or more beds, one for adsorption, the other for regeneration · CPC title

• C01B2203/0244

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

• C01B2203/0475

  the impurity being carbon dioxide · CPC title