Process for producing synthetic natural gas and high octane motor fuel components

Patent · Tue Feb 14 04:00:00 EST 1978

OSTI ID:6280606

Pfefferle, W C; Hettinger, Jr, W P

Engelhard Minerals and Chemicals Corp.'s process produces both synthetic natural gas and high-octane motor-fuel blending stock by catalytically reforming a naphtha feedstock containing naphthenes of low severity, thereby maximizing production of aromatics and hydrogen by dehydrogenation of naphthenes and minimizing hydrocracking of paraffins. The effluent from the reforming reaction zone is cooled and separated in a first separation zone into a hydrogen-rich gas stream and a liquid low-octane reformate (aromatics and paraffins and less than about 10% naphthenes and having an octane number of less than about 95). The low-octane reformate, stripped of any hydrogen sulfide if significant amounts (more than about 5 ppM) are present, is then introduced without removal of any organic sulfur-containing compounds into a methanation zone for contact with a nonacidic methanation catalyst in the presence of hydrogen. The effluent from the methanation zone is separated into (1) a high-octane motor-fuel blending-stock component comprising a higher percentage of aromatics than existed in the original low-octane reformate and (2) an SNG stream comprising essentially methane, less than 5% hydrocarbons having more than one carbon atom per molecule, and less than 10% hydrogen.

• Assignee: Engelhard Minerals and Chemicals Corp.
• Patent Number(s): US 4073716
• OSTI ID: 6280606
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020400* -- Petroleum-- Processing
090121 -- Hydrocarbon Fuels-- Chemical Synthesis-- (1976-1989)
10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
ADDITIVES
ALKANES
ANTIKNOCK RATINGS
AROMATICS
CATALYSIS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL FEEDSTOCKS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COAL TAR OILS
CYCLOALKANES
DEHYDROGENATION
DISTILLATES
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL ADDITIVES
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
GASOLINE
HIGH BTU GAS
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN SULFIDES
LIQUID FUELS
METHANATION
METHANE
NAPHTHA
NONMETALS
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM DISTILLATES
PETROLEUM FRACTIONS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
PRODUCTION
REFORMER PROCESSES
REMOVAL
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS