Patent GB-366102-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in the manufacture and production of hydrocarbons not saturated with hydrogen and hydrogen from gas mixtures containing hydrocarbons
IPC: C01B3/36
Filed: 1930-08-20
Abstract: Mixtures of gaseous hydrocarbons are split up into fractions, and then converted into hydrocarbons having a lower content of hydrogen by treatment of each fraction under conditions of temperature and pressure corresponding to its nature.  Suitable initial materials are gas mixtures containing different kinds of hydrocarbons, e.g. cracking gases, natural gases and especially waste gases from the destructive hydrogenation of coals, tars, mineral oils and their distillation products, or low temperature carbonization gases.  The splitting into fractions may be effected by fractional release of the pressure on the liquefied gases, or by distillation at constant pressure, or by fractional release of pressure on solutions in a solvent such as washing oil, or by fractional liquefaction.  The conversion chamber may contain catalysts such as difficulty reducible metal oxides, or coke, or fireclay or siliceous substances, or silicon, chromium or chromium alloys, any of which may be impregnated with metal compounds or solutions.  The hydrocarbons may be mixed with air, oxygen or steam, and may be passed through continuously or periodically heated reaction chambers maintained at 600-1000 DEG  C. or more, e.g. propane and butane are converted to olefines at 700-750 DEG  C., while methane and ethane are converted to aromatic hydrocarbons above 900 DEG  C., and gases containing mainly methane may be treated at 1000 DEG  C.  Using a producer filled with coke, the reaction temperature may be maintained by supplying gases containing oxygen together with hydrocarbons, but if it is desired to obtain a producer gas as rich as possible in hydrogen, the hot blasting of the coke is carried out separately from the conversion of the hydrocarbon gas.  The treatment of the hydrocarbon fractions may also be carried out at an elevated pressure, such as 20 to 50 or more atmospheres.  In the example, the gas obtained by reducing from 200 to 25 atmospheres the pressure on the product of the destructive hydrogenation of a brown coal tar middle oil is subjected to partial liquefaction; the uncondensed portion is passed at 1050 DEG  C. through a tube containing silicon, whereby benzene and acetylene are formed and the vapours are then cooled to extract liquid products. The second fraction is further split into 3 fractions by fractional release of pressure.  The first fractional, mainly ethane, is passed at ordinary pressure over silicon at 850-900 DEG  C., the second, mainly propane, at 800-850 DEG  C., and the third, mainly butane, at 700-800 DEG  C.  From each fraction about 40 per cent of olefines and 20 to 25 per cent of aromatics are obtained.  These yields of aromatic hydrocarbons may be improved, and the working temperatures reduced by 50 DEG  C. or more, if the treatments are carried out under pressures of 20-100 atmospheres.ALSO:Mixtures of gaseous hydrocarbons are split up into fractions, and then converted into hydrocarbons having a lower content of hydrogen by treatment of each fraction under conditions of temperature and pressure corresponding to its nature.  Suitable initial materials are gas mixtures containing different kinds of hydrocarbons, e.g. cracking gases, natural gases, and especially the waste gases from the destructive hydrogenation of coals, tars, mineral oils and their distillation products, or low temperature carbonization gases.  The splitting into fractions may be effected by fractional release of the pressure on the liquefied gases, or by distillation at constant pressure, or by fractional release of pressure on solutions in a solvent such as washing oil, or by fractional liquefaction.  The conversion chamber may contain catalysts such as difficulty reducible metal oxides, or coke, or fireclay or siliceous substances, or silicon, chromium, or chromium alloys, any of which may be impregnated with metal compounds or solutions.  The hydrocarbons may be mixed with air, oxygen or steam, and may be passed through continuously or periodically heated reaction chambers maintained at 600-1000 DEG  C. or more, e.g. propane and butane are converted to olefines at 700-750 DEG  C., while methane and ethane are converted to aromatic hydrocarbons above 900 DEG  C., and gases containing mainly methane may be treated at 1000 DEG  C.  Using a producer filled with coke, the p  reaction temperature may be maintained by supplying gases containing oxygen together with the hydrocarbons, but if it is desired to obtain a producer gas as rich as possible in hydrogen, the hot blasting of the coke is carried out separately from the conversion of the hydrocarbon gas.  The treatment of the hydrocarbon fractions may also be carried out at an elevated pressure, such as 20 to 50 or more atmospheres. In the example, the gas obtained by reducing from 200 to 25 atmospheres the pressure on the product of the destructive hydrogenation of a brown coal tar middle oil is subjected to partial liquefaction; the uncondensed portion is passed at 1050 DEG  C. through a tube containing silicon, whereby benzene and acetylene are formed, and the vapours are then cooled to extract liquid products. The second fraction is further split into three fractions by fractional release of pressure.  The first fractional, mainly ethane, is passed at ordinary pressure over silicon at 850-900 DEG  C., the second, mainly propane, at 800-850 DEG  C., and the third, mainly butane, at 700-800 DEG  C.  From each fraction about 40 per cent of olefines and 20-25 per cent of aromatics are obtained. These yields of aromatic hydrocarbons may be improved, and the working temperatures reduced by 50 DEG  C. or more, if the treatments are carried out under pressures of 20-100 atmospheres.