Patent ID: 6900247

Claim:
A process for the production of hydrocarbons and ammonia, the process including the steps of: by means of air separation means, separating air into oxygen and nitrogen; in a reforming section, reacting natural gas, steam and oxygen from the air separation facility, to form synthesis gas; in a hydrogen extraction unit, extracting hydrogen from at least a portion of the synthesis gas; thereafter feeding the synthesis gas into a Fischer-Tropsch reactor in which hydrocarbons are produced from the synthesis gas, with the reforming section, the hydrogen extraction unit and the Fischer-Tropsch reactor forming part of a hydrocarbon synthesis process; and feeding at least a portion of the extracted hydrogen into an ammonia synthesis process together with the nitrogen from the air separation means, with the air separation means thus being a combined air separation means for both the hydrocarbon synthesis process and the ammonia synthesis process, and with the reforming section thus being a combined reforming section for both the hydrocarbon synthesis process and the ammonia synthesis process so that separate reforming sections for the hydrocarbon synthesis process and the ammonia synthesis process are not required.