Patent GB-887203-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to the production of gas from oil
Inventor: RICHARDS ROBIN OWEN
IPC: C10G9/00
Filed: 1957-02-15
Abstract: 887,203. Oil gas. WOODALL-DUCKHAM CONSTRUCTION CO. Ltd. Feb. 3, 1958 [Feb. 15, 1957], No. 5323/57. Class 55 (2). In a cyclic process for producing a gas suitable for use as town gas from oil and particularly heavy oil, a gas making phase comprises the steps of injecting oil into a vaporizing zone to which is supplied a gas consisting essentially of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, fixing the resulting gaseous mixture to produce the desired make-gas in a fixing zone and recycling a proportion of the make gas obtained from the fixing zone to a cracking zone wherein the gas is reacted with steam to produce the gas supplied to the vaporizing zone, and a heating phase comprises burning off with preheated air carbon deposited during the gas making and reheating the vaporizing, fixing and cracking zones to the temperatures required for the next gasmaking phase. The temperature in the vaporizing zone during a gas-making phase is maintained at between 800‹ and 900‹ C. and the temperature of the cracking zone is above 1,000‹ C., preferably about 1,300‹ C. Liquid fuel, e.g. oil or tar produced in the process, may be burnt during a heating phase if necessary either in the cracking and/or vaporizing zones or in a combustion zone adjoining the cracking zone. Tar produced in the process may also be injected into the vaporizing zone during a gas-making phase. Preferably, at least the heaviest tar is removed from the portion of the make gas recycled to the cracking zone and the steam for the reaction in the cracking zone may be supplied by saturating the gas to be recycled with water vapour after cooling it to, e.g. 80‹ C. The apparatus for carrying out the process preferably has two connected series of zones, A and B, which are used alternately for gasmaking, each series comprising a combustion chamber 7 or 7<SP>1</SP>, a cracking zone 3 or 3<SP>1</SP>, a vaporizing zone 5 or 5<SP>1</SP> and a fixing zone 4 or 4<SP>1</SP>. As shown in the drawing, a gas-making phase is being performed in series A and the recycled make gas and steam pass upwardly through zones 4<SP>1</SP>, 5<SP>1</SP>, 3<SP>1</SP> and 7<SP>1 </SP>of series B into the cracking zone 3 of series A. The gas produced in the cracking zone 3 enters the vaporizing zone 5 and oil is injected thereinto, the resultant gas after passing through the fixing zone 4 is withdrawn through line 18. In the following heating phase, air is admitted at 23 to burn off depracted carbon and mixture of air and combustion product passes upwardly through the zones of series A and downwardly through the zones of series B, fluid fuel being burnt in the combustion chamber 7<SP>1</SP> if necessary to provide additional heat. In the next gas-making and heating phases, gas flows upwardly through the zones of series A and downwardly through those of series B and upwardly through the zones of series B and downwardly through those of series A respectively. Alternatively, however, a gasmaking phase and the following heating phase may have the same direction of gas flow. Specifications 665,720 and 665,721 are referred to.