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Title: Autothermal Reforming of Natural Gas to Synthesis Gas

Abstract

This Project Final Report serves to document the project structure and technical results achieved during the 3-year project titled Advanced Autothermal Reformer for US Dept of Energy Office of Industrial Technology. The project was initiated in December 2001 and was completed March 2005. It was a joint effort between Sandia National Laboratories (Livermore, CA), Kellogg Brown & Root LLC (KBR) (Houston, TX) and Süd-Chemie (Louisville, KY). The purpose of the project was to develop an experimental capability that could be used to examine the propensity for soot production in an Autothermal Reformer (ATR) during the production of hydrogen-carbon monoxide synthesis gas intended for Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) applications including ammonia, methanol, and higher hydrocarbons. The project consisted of an initial phase that was focused on developing a laboratory-scale ATR capable of reproducing conditions very similar to a plant scale unit. Due to budget constraints this effort was stopped at the advanced design stages, yielding a careful and detailed design for such a system including ATR vessel design, design of ancillary feed and let down units as well as a PI&D for laboratory installation. The experimental effort was then focused on a series of measurements to evaluate rich, high-pressure burner behavior at pressuresmore » as high as 500 psi. The soot formation measurements were based on laser attenuation at a view port downstream of the burner. The results of these experiments and accompanying calculations show that soot formation is primarily dependent on oxidation stoichiometry. However, steam to carbon ratio was found to impact soot production as well as burner stability. The data also showed that raising the operating pressure while holding mass flow rates constant results in considerable soot formation at desirable feed ratios. Elementary reaction modeling designed to illuminate the role of CO2 in the burner feed showed that the conditions in the burner allow for the direct participation of CO2 in the oxidation chemistry.« less

Authors:
;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA (United States); KBR Houston TX
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
OSTI Identifier:
902090
Report Number(s):
DOE/AL/85000-2007-2331
SAND2007-2331 ; KBR paper # 2031; TRN: US200722%%317
DOE Contract Number:  
AC04-94Al85000
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
03 NATURAL GAS; 10 SYNTHETIC FUELS; DESIGN; FLOW RATE; NATURAL GAS; PRODUCTION; SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORIES; SOOT; SYNTHESIS GAS; CARBON DIOXIDE; Autothermal Reforming; Natural Gas; Soot formation; High-Pressure flame

Citation Formats

Rice, Steven F, and Mann, David P. Autothermal Reforming of Natural Gas to Synthesis Gas. United States: N. p., 2007. Web. doi:10.2172/902090.
Rice, Steven F, & Mann, David P. Autothermal Reforming of Natural Gas to Synthesis Gas. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/902090
Rice, Steven F, and Mann, David P. 2007. "Autothermal Reforming of Natural Gas to Synthesis Gas". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/902090. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/902090.
@article{osti_902090,
title = {Autothermal Reforming of Natural Gas to Synthesis Gas},
author = {Rice, Steven F and Mann, David P},
abstractNote = {This Project Final Report serves to document the project structure and technical results achieved during the 3-year project titled Advanced Autothermal Reformer for US Dept of Energy Office of Industrial Technology. The project was initiated in December 2001 and was completed March 2005. It was a joint effort between Sandia National Laboratories (Livermore, CA), Kellogg Brown & Root LLC (KBR) (Houston, TX) and Süd-Chemie (Louisville, KY). The purpose of the project was to develop an experimental capability that could be used to examine the propensity for soot production in an Autothermal Reformer (ATR) during the production of hydrogen-carbon monoxide synthesis gas intended for Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) applications including ammonia, methanol, and higher hydrocarbons. The project consisted of an initial phase that was focused on developing a laboratory-scale ATR capable of reproducing conditions very similar to a plant scale unit. Due to budget constraints this effort was stopped at the advanced design stages, yielding a careful and detailed design for such a system including ATR vessel design, design of ancillary feed and let down units as well as a PI&D for laboratory installation. The experimental effort was then focused on a series of measurements to evaluate rich, high-pressure burner behavior at pressures as high as 500 psi. The soot formation measurements were based on laser attenuation at a view port downstream of the burner. The results of these experiments and accompanying calculations show that soot formation is primarily dependent on oxidation stoichiometry. However, steam to carbon ratio was found to impact soot production as well as burner stability. The data also showed that raising the operating pressure while holding mass flow rates constant results in considerable soot formation at desirable feed ratios. Elementary reaction modeling designed to illuminate the role of CO2 in the burner feed showed that the conditions in the burner allow for the direct participation of CO2 in the oxidation chemistry.},
doi = {10.2172/902090},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/902090}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Apr 13 00:00:00 EDT 2007},
month = {Fri Apr 13 00:00:00 EDT 2007}
}