Patent ID: 7300642

Claim:
A method comprising the steps of: separating oxygen from nitrogen from air in an air separation unit; introducing a carbonaceous raw material, water and oxygen from the air separation unit into a synthesis gas generator under synthesis gas forming operating conditions to form a synthesis gas; cooling the synthesis gas to condense and remove water; removing sulfur compounds and carbon dioxide from the synthesis gas using an acid gas removal system, thereby forming a cleaned synthesis gas; introducing a portion of the cleaned synthesis gas into a Fischer-Tropsch reactor and forming primarily aliphatic hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide; separating liquid hydrocarbons from Fischer-Tropsch tail gas comprising unreacted carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and gaseous hydrocarbons; combining a portion of the cleaned synthesis gas with the Fischer-Tropsch tail gas to form a gas mixture; compressing the gas mixture to an elevated pressure, thereby forming a compressed mixture; introducing the compressed mixture together with steam into one or more shift reactors to convert a portion of the carbon monoxide and water to hydrogen and carbon dioxide; introducing the shifted gases into a hydrogen membrane separator to produce a stream of hydrogen-rich gases and a stream of hydrogen-lean gases; burning the hydrogen-lean gases in a gas turbine combustor of a combined cycle plant to drive a generator mechanically coupled to a gas turbine during a production of electricity; compressing the hydrogen-rich gases to an elevated pressure; introducing the compressed hydrogen-rich gases into a pressure swing adsorption unit to produce a stream of high purity hydrogen; introducing the high-purity hydrogen together with nitrogen from the air separation unit into a reactor to produce ammonia for sale.