Patent ID: 7919065

Claim:
A method for producing desired relative amounts of ammonia and liquid hydrocarbons, the ammonia produced via steam methane reforming and the liquid hydrocarbons produced via Fischer-Tropsch reaction, the method comprising: introducing a carbonaceous raw material, water and oxygen into a synthesis gas generator under synthesis gas forming operating conditions to form a synthesis gas; separating the synthesis gas into a first portion of synthesis gas that is used for Fischer-Tropsch conversion and a second portion of synthesis gas that bypasses Fischer-Tropsch conversion; introducing the first portion of synthesis gas from the synthesis gas generator into a Fischer-Tropsch reactor and forming Fischer-Tropsch liquid hydrocarbons and tail gas comprising carbon dioxide, unreacted carbon monoxide, and gaseous hydrocarbons; compressing the tail gas to an elevated pressure, thereby forming a compressed gas; introducing the compressed gas together with steam into a steam methane reformer, thereby producing a reformer effluent comprising hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide; combining the second portion of the synthesis gas with the reformer effluent to form a gas mixture; introducing the gas mixture into one or more shift reactors to convert carbon monoxide and water to hydrogen and carbon dioxide; converting unreacted CO and CO 2 to methane using a methanator, thereby forming a methanator effluent comprising hydrogen and methane; introducing the methanator effluent together with nitrogen into an ammonia synthesis reactor to produce ammonia and a purge gas stream comprising hydrogen; and adjusting the production of Fischer-Tropsch liquid hydrocarbons relative to the production of ammonia by adjusting the amount of synthesis gas in the second bypass portion of synthesis gas.