Patent ID: 8496908
Filing Date: 2013-07-30
Classification: B01D,C01B,F23C,F23G,F23J,F23L,Y02C,Y02E,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A process for producing a H 2 product gas and a CO 2 product gas, the process comprising: introducing reactants comprising steam and methane into a plurality of catalyst-containing reformer tubes in a radiant section of a reformer furnace, reacting the reactants in the presence of a reforming catalyst inside the plurality of catalyst-containing reformer tubes under reaction conditions sufficient to form a reformate comprising H introducing one or more fuel gases and an oxidant gas mixture into the radiant section of the reformer furnace external to the plurality of catalyst-containing reformer tubes, wherein the oxidant gas mixture comprises 20 volume % to 35 volume % oxygen on a wet basis, combusting the one or more fuel gases with the oxygen in the oxidant gas mixture in the radiant section of the reformer furnace external to the plurality of catalyst-containing reformer tubes thereby forming a combustion product gas and supplying energy for reacting the reactants inside the plurality of catalyst-containing reformer tubes, passing the combustion product gas from the radiant section of the reformer to the convection section of the reformer, and withdrawing the combustion product gas from the convection section of the reformer furnace; recycling a first portion of the combustion product gas withdrawn from the convection section of the reformer furnace to the radiant section of the reformer furnace in the oxidant gas mixture, wherein 40 to 60% on a mass flow rate basis, of the combustion product gas withdrawn from the convection section of the reformer furnace is recycled as the first portion of the combustion product gas; reacting residual O removing H recovering heat from the reformate from the plurality of catalyst-containing reformer tubes thereby cooling the reformate; reacting the cooled reformate in the presence of a shift catalyst under reaction conditions sufficient to shift the reformate to form additional H recovering heat from the shifted reformate thereby cooling the shifted reformate; removing H separating the water-depleted reformate in a plurality of at least 3 pressure swing adsorption beds, each adsorption bed containing an adsorbent selective for the secondary gas components thereby forming a H wherein the one or more fuel gases comprise at least a portion of the pressure swing adsorption tail gas; and wherein, to prevent leakage of air into the convection section, a third portion of the combustion product gas is recycled to the convection section of the reformer furnace by infiltration through one or more convection section walls and/or the one or more fuel gases are combusted with the oxygen in the oxidant gas mixture in the radiant section of the reformer furnace external to the plurality of catalyst-containing reformer tubes at a pressure ranging from 102.5 kPa to 116.3 kPa (absolute) thereby forming the combustion product gas and supplying energy for reacting the reactants inside the plurality of the catalyst-containing reformer tubes.