Low severity hydrocarbon steam reforming process
A process is described for producing ammonia which comprises: (a) primary catalytically reforming at super atmospheric pressure in a direct-fired primary reforming zone, a hydrocarbon feedstock with steam to produce a gas containing carbon oxides, hydrogen and methane; (b) secondary catalytically reforming the gas from step (a) by introducing air and bringing the mixture towards equilibrium thereby producing a secondary reformer effluent gas containing nitrogen, carbon oxides, hydrogen and a decreased quantity of methane; (c) converting carbon monoxide catalytically with steam to carbon dioxide and hydrogen; (d) removing carbon oxides to give an ammonia synthesis gas comprising nitrogen and hydrogen and compressing the gas to ammonia synthesis pressure; (e) reacting the synthesis gas in an ammonia synthesis zone to produce ammonia and recovering ammonia from the reacted gas to produce an ammonia-depleted gas stream; (f) recycling at least a portion of the ammonia-depleted gas stream to the ammonia synthesis zone; and (g) treating a sidestream of the ammonia-depleted gas to separate a stream enriched in hydrogen and an inerts-enriched gas stream, and returning the enriched hydrogen stream to the ammonia synthesis zone.
- Assignee:
- Exxon Research and Engineering Co., Florham Park, NJ
- Patent Number(s):
- US 4592903
- OSTI ID:
- 5365330
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
AIR FLOW
ALKANES
AMMONIA
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CATALYTIC REFORMING
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL PREPARATION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTS
EQUILIBRIUM
FLUID FLOW
FLUIDS
GAS FLOW
GASES
HYDRIDES
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
METHANE
MIXTURES
NITROGEN
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN HYDRIDES
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RECYCLING
REFORMER PROCESSES
STEAM
STEAM REFORMER PROCESSES
SYNTHESIS
SYNTHESIS GAS
VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE