Steam active reforming process

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

The Phillips Steam Active Reforming (STAR) process catalyticaHy converts isobutane to isobutylene. The reaction is carried out with steam in tubes that are packed with catalyst and located in a furnace. The catalyst is a soHd, particulate noble metal. The presence of steam diluent reduces the partial pressure of the hydrocarbons and hydrogen present, thus shifting the equHibrium conditions for this system toward greater conversions. 

STAR [STeam Active Reforming] A catalytic reforming process for converting aliphatic hydrocarbons to olefins or aromatic hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons containing five or fewer carbon atoms are converted to olefins. Those containing six or more are dehydrocyclized to aromatic hydrocarbons. The reactions take place in the vapor phase, in a fixed catalyst bed, in the presence of steam. The catalyst is platinum/tin alloy on zinc calcium aluminate. Developed by Phillips Petroleum Company. The first commercial plant was built for Coastal Chemicals in Cheyenne, WY, in 1992 another was built for Polibutenos Argentinos in 1996. The process is now offered by Uhde. 

In the STAR process (steam active reforming) feed is heated and mixed with steam before passing to the reactor. This avoids the use of pumping to lower the partial pressure of the reactants. The outline of the process is shown in Figure 10.5. ... 

R.D. Dunn et al.. The Phillips steam active reforming (STAR) process for the dehydrogenation of C3, C4 and C5 paraffins. Presented at the 1992 NPRA meeting. New Orleans, LA, March 22-24,1992. 

Uhde GmbH Olefins by dehydrogenation LPG and gas condensates Steam Active Reforming (STAR) process produces (a) propylene as feedstock for olefins 87 NA... 

In the steam-reforming process (Fig. 1), the hydrocarbon feedstock is first desulfurized by heating to 370°C in the presence of a metallic oxide catalyst that converts the organosulfur compounds to hydrogen sulfide. Elemental sulfur can also be removed with activated carbon absorption. A caustic soda scrubber removes the hydrogen sulfide by salt formation in the basic aqueous solution. 

The ATR (Autothermal Reforming) process makes CO-enriched syngas. It combines partial oxidation with adiabatic steam-reforming and is a cost-effective option when oxygen or enriched air is available. It was developed in the late 1950 s for ammonia and methanol synthesis, and then further developed in the 1990 s by Haldor Topspe2. The difference between Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) and ATR is in how heat is provided to activate the endothermic steam reforming reaction. In SMR, the catalyst is contained in tubes that are heated by an external burner. 

Combinations of physical and chemical absorption are also used, as in Shell s Sulfinol process in which a mixture of diisopropanolamine and sulfolane in water is utilized. For the hydrogen sulfide-free gases from the steam-reforming process, chemical scrubbing with activated potassium carbonate solutions or alkanolamines is preferred. In the case of hydrogen sulfide-containing gases from the partial oxidation process, physical absorption alone or in combination with chemical absorption is preferred. 

Scientific Carbon s activated carbon production facility with the pilot-seale reformer eonstructed and tested in Phase 1. In addition. Phase 2 will involve engineering researeh and pilot-seale process development studies in the use of peanut shells as feedstock for the pyrolysis-steam reforming process to produce hydrogen. The hydrogen produced in Phase 3 will be blended with CNG and used to power a bus in nearby Albany, Georgia. Partnershipbuilding and outreach play a key role in this collaborative projeet. 

It should be noted that these space velocities are similar to those typically found in autothermal reforming (ATR) so that catalyst volumes will not be excessive compared to autothermal reforming processes. Catalyst activity was found to be reasonably stable for the short duration tests in this work. However, the extremely endothermic nature of the reaction and the integral operation of the test reactor made it difficult to extract reaction kinetics. A new test reactor design was developed and fabricated, and work is in progress to obtain simplified kinetics for the gasoline steam reforming reaction adequate to model the catalytic process in the plate reactor simulation. 

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