Patent ID: 8318004

Claim:
A method of producing a treated hydrocarbon containing stream for use as a feed to a hydrogen plant having a steam methane reformer, said method comprising: passing an untreated hydrocarbon containing stream of variable composition comprising hydrocarbons containing two or more carbon atoms including olefins, organic sulfur species and hydrogen into a reaction system having a first reaction stage, a sulfur removal stage and a second reaction stage connected in series, thereby to produce the treated hydrocarbon containing stream, each of the first reaction stage and the second reaction stage containing a sulfur tolerant catalyst capable of promoting both hydrogenation reactions in a hydrogenation mode of operation and oxidation reactions in a pre-reforming mode of operation, respectively; operating the first reaction stage in the hydrogenation mode of operation such that a part of the olefins are hydrogenated into saturated hydrocarbons and at least part of the organic sulfur species are converted to hydrogen sulfide; removing the hydrogen sulfide in the sulfur removal stage; operating the second reaction stage in the hydrogenation mode of operation such that a further part of the olefins are hydrogenated into additional saturated hydrocarbons or alternatively, operating the second reaction stage in the pre-reforming mode of operation and reacting the hydrocarbons with oxygen and steam such that methane, carbon monoxide and additional hydrogen are produced and in either of the hydrogenation mode of operation or the pre-reforming mode of operation, any further part of the organic sulfur species are converted to form additional hydrogen sulfide; and the organic sulfur species being reduced to a sufficiently low level in the first reaction stage and the sufficiently low level of the organic sulfur species coupled with the removal of the hydrogen sulfide in the sulfur removal stage preventing deactivation of the catalyst in the second reaction stage when the second reaction stage is operated in the pre-reforming mode.