Patent ID: 6168774
Filing Date: 2001-01-02
Classification: C01B,C21D

Abstract:
A method for producing an oxygen-free nitrogen product stream comprising: (A) providing an initial stream comprising nitrogen in a concentration of at least 98 mole percent and oxygen in a concentration within the range of from 0.1 to 2.0 mole percent, and passing hydrogen into said initial stream to form a reactor feed stream having a hydrogen concentration within the range of from 2 to 20 times that of the oxygen concentration but not more than twice the oxygen concentration plus 4 mole percent; (B) passing the reactor feed stream into a catalytic reactor containing a catalyst bed comprising noble metal having a specific surface area exceeding 1 m.sup.2 /gram on a ceramic carrier having a specific surface area exceeding 100 m.sup.2 /gram; (C) reacting hydrogen with essentially all of the oxygen in the reactor feed stream within the catalytic reactor at a pressure of 100 pounds per square inch gauge or higher to form water; and (D) withdrawing a water-containing, oxygen-free nitrogen product stream from the catalytic reactor at a space velocity of at least 50,000/hr.