New Lurgi SNG plant operating in Hawaii. [Design and process description for naphtha gasification]

Journal Article · Sun Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1974 · Pipeline Gas J.; (United States)

OSTI ID:7264553

Walker, B D

Gasco, Inc., a subsidiary of Pacific Resources, Inc., built a $7.6 million SNG baseload plant and a $5.3 million, 22-mi pipeline to transport the gas to its distribution system. The Lurgi process was selected for overall efficiency, design reliability, long catalyst life, and proven operating experience. The Lurgi process, in addition, uses hot effluent gases to preheat the incoming light hydrocarbon feed rather than using a gas-fired heater. The hydrogen reformers in this installation are designed to provide more hydrogen to blend with the product gas and help maintain gas interchangeability between the SNG from the new plant and the present gas quality. The gasification process consists of vaporizing the naphtha, blending it with hydrogen for desulfurization over cobalt, molybdenum, and zinc oxide, mixing the desulfurized feed with steam, and passing it through the SNG reactor and then through the hydrogasifier to complete the gasification reaction. Carbon dioxide is removed in a Benfield hot-carbonate absorber, the moisture by contacting with a glycol solution. The product gas is finally enriched with refinery gases before final metering and sampling to verify the heat content. The plant is designed with more redundancy than most SNG plants to ensure continued baseload operation. For example, all critical pumps are duplicated, and all heat-exchanger services designed with a minimum of 2 heat exchangers/service with isolating valves so that the plant can operate at a minimum of 50 percent design capacity if 1 heat exchanger is out of service. There are also 2 catalyst reactor vessels. If one goes out of service, the plant can still operate at 60 percent capacity. All control valves are equipped with block valves and bypasses.

• OSTI ID: 7264553
• Journal Information: Pipeline Gas J.; (United States), Journal Name: Pipeline Gas J.; (United States) Vol. 201; ISSN PLGJA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020500 -- Petroleum-- Products & By-Products
090121* -- Hydrocarbon Fuels-- Chemical Synthesis-- (1976-1989)
10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COAL GASIFICATION
COAL TAR OILS
DESIGN
DESULFURIZATION
DISTILLATES
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GASIFICATION
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
LURGI PROCESS
NAPHTHA
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM DISTILLATES
PETROLEUM FRACTIONS
SNG PLANTS