Patent ID: 7795317

Claim:
A process to prepare a Fischer-Tropsch synthesis product from a gaseous mixture of hydrocarbons comprising methane, ethane and optional higher carbon number hydrocarbons comprising the steps of: (a) pre-reforming the hydrocarbon mixture adiabatically in the presence of a reforming catalyst to convert ethane, and the optional higher carbon number hydrocarbons to form a gaseous mixture of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen; (b) heating the gaseous mixture obtained in step (a) to a temperature greater than 650° C.; (c) performing a non-catalyzed partial oxidation by contacting the heated mixture of step (b) with a source of oxygen in a reactor burner yielding a reactor effluent having a temperature of between 1100 and 1500° C.; and (d) performing a Fischer-Tropsch synthesis using the hydrogen- and carbon monoxide-containing gas as obtained in step (c) as feedstock; (e) wherein the synthesis product obtained in step (d) is separated into a relatively light stream and a relatively heavy stream, wherein the relatively heavy stream comprises the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis product and the relatively light stream comprises unconverted synthesis gas, inerts, carbon dioxide and C 1 -C 3 hydrocarbons and wherein a first part of the light stream is recycled to step (a) to be subjected to pre-reforming and wherein a second part of the light stream is recycled to the burner of step (c) to be subjected to partial oxidation and wherein the temperature in step (a) is controlled by the adjusting the amount of light stream that is recycled to step (a).