Generation reformer

On the other hand, in fuel cell applications, the H2 generator (reformer) is often tied to the demand for electricity or hot water and therefore operation at night is often not required. These systems may shut down daily (for home systems) or weekly (for small businesses). At night, there is no plant operator available to monitor the proper shutdown and startup conditions. Therefore the catalyst has to be able to withstand repeated water condensation, to ensure fast startup and to respond well to transient conditions due to changing hydrogen demand. 

The leachant is dilute acid brine, and the desulphurisation sequence is quite interesting. The lead sulphate reacts with salt to fonn lead chloride and sodium sulphate. The sodium sulphate then reacts with hydrochloric acid and lime to yield gypsum, as well as simultaneously generating reforming salt ready for reuse as the leachant. Because hydrochloric acid is regenerated in the electrowiiming section, lime is the only component consumed. 

Steam Active Reforming Steam-blowing process Steam ejectors Steam explosion Steam gasification Steam generator... 

Secunda discharges no process water effluents. AU. water streams produced are cleaned and reused in the plant. The methane and light hydrocarbons in the product are reformed with steam to generate synthesis gas for recycle (14). Even at this large scale, the cost of producing fuels and chemicals by the Fischer-Tropsch process is dominated by the cost of synthesis gas production. Sasol has estimated that gas production accounts for 58% of total production costs (39). 

Synthesis Gas Chemicals. Hydrocarbons are used to generate synthesis gas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, for conversion to other chemicals. The primary chemical made from synthesis gas is methanol, though acetic acid and acetic anhydride are also made by this route. Carbon monoxide (qv) is produced by partial oxidation of hydrocarbons or by the catalytic steam reforming of natural gas. About 96% of synthesis gas is made by steam reforming, followed by the water gas shift reaction to give the desired H2 /CO ratio. 

Fresh reducing gas is generated by reforming natural gas with steam. The natural gas is heated in a recuperator, desulfurized to less than 1 ppm sulfur, mixed with superheated steam, further preheated to 620°C in another recuperator, then reformed in alloy tubes filled with nickel-based catalyst at a temperature of 830°C. The reformed gas is quenched to remove water vapor, mixed with clean recycled top gas from the shaft furnace, reheated to 925°C in an indirect fired heater, and injected into the shaft furnace. For high (above 92%) metallization a CO2 removal unit is added in the top gas recycle line in order to upgrade the quaUty of the recycled top gas and reducing gas. 

Reducing gas is generated from natural gas in a conventional steam reformer. The natural gas is preheated, desulfurized, mixed with steam, further heated, and reformed in catalyst-filled reformer tubes at 760°C. The reformed gas is cooled to 350°C in a waste heat boiler, passed through a shift converter to increase the content, mixed with clean recycled top gas, heated to 830°C in an indirect-fired heater, then injected into reactor 4. 

Synthesis Gas Generation Routes. Any hydrocarbon that can be converted into a synthesis gas by either reforming with steam (eq. 4) or gasification with oxygen (eq. 5) is a potential feedstock for methanol. 

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