Patent GB-759784-A (GB)
Title: Manufacture of combustible gas
Inventor: WILLIAMS NORMAN HENRY
IPC: C10G9/26
Filed: 1954-02-08
Abstract: 759,784. Oil-gas. HUMPHREYS & GLASGOW, Ltd. Jan. 7, 1955 [Feb. 8, 1954], No. 3613/54. Class 55(2). In a cyclic process for the manufacture of combustible gas from liquid hydrocarbons and comprising alternate gas-making and plantheating phases a first stream of gas is produced in a gas-producing chamber 10 from liquid hydrocarbon and gasification medium in the presence of a catalytic contact mass and a second stream of gas of substantially different composition from the first stream is produced in a gas-producing chamber 11 from liquid hydrocarbon and gasification medium in the presence of a contact mass which may or may not contain a catalyst, the major part at least of the stream from chamber 10 not passing through the chamber 11 but both streams pass out of the plant to the same storage. Chamber 10 is used to produce a lean gas employing a heavy oil and steam as gasification medium while chamber 11, preferably operated at a lower temperature than chamber 10, produces a richer gas from a light oil, e.g. gas oil and steam and/or carbon di-oxide, or a portion of the gas from chamber 10 as gasification medium. The apparatus shown also comprises regenerators 12 and 13. In operation when the plant is at the required temperature steam is passed by line 18 through regenerator 12 and thus superheated by line 14 to chambers 10 and 11 into which oil is sprayed from lines 25 and 26 respectively. Gaseous products leave by line 15 and pass through regenerator 13 and line 21 to storage. During a heating phase air is passed by air-inlet 20 through regenerator 13 and through the gasproducing chambers 11 and 10 either in series or parallel, to burn off carbon deposited on the contact masses contained therein. Waste gases pass out through regenerator 12 to stack by line 16. Oil and air for supplementary heating of the gas-making chamber 10 and 11 may be supplied at 28 and 30 and 29 and 31 respectively. The process may be operated in accordance with Specification 759,785 in which case steam is supplied-to gas-producing chamber 11 at a lower temperature than it is supplied to gas-producing chamber 10. Steam may in this cage be supplied to the chamber 11 by line 23 or from a separate source by line 32. Also the gaseous products from the gas-making chamber 11 leave by line 24 and pass only through the upper half of the regenerator 13. Similarly during a heating-phase the air for carbonburning in the chamber 11 may be less highly pre-heated than that supplied to the chamber 10. Thus air for chamber 11 is preheated only in the upper half of regenerator 13 and the waste gases from the chamber pass only through the upper half of the regenerator 12. Additionally with provision of the necessary gas connections and reversing valves the plant may be operated in accordance with Specification 756,386. Also during a heating phase the direction of flow of the gases may be entirely from regenerator 13 to regenerator 12 as described above or part of it may be in the reverse direction as described in Specification 701,594. Air in this case being also admitted through line 19 and the waste gases passing to stack through line 17. In modifications the regenerators 12 and 13 are dispensed with and a combustion chamber separate from the gasproducing chambers is provided with or without an arrangement of heat exchangers for heat exchange between incoming and out-going gases.