Low severity hydrocarbon steam reforming process

Details Low severity hydrocarbon steam reforming process Low severity hydrocarbon steam reforming process

1985-02-13

1986-06-03

Valentine, Donald R.

Chemistry of inorganic compounds

Nitrogen or compound thereof

Ammonia or ammonium hydroxide

423352, 423362, 423652, 252374, 252376, C01C 104, C01B 326, C07C 102

Patent

active

045929033

ABSTRACT:
In a process for producing ammonia which comprises: (a) primary catalytically reforming at super atmospheric pressure in a direct-fired primary reforming zone, a hydrocarbon feedstock with steam to produce a gas containing carbon oxides, hydrogen and methane; (b) secondary catalytically reforming the gas from step (a) by introducing air and bringing the mixture towards equilibrium thereby producing a secondary reformer effluent gas containing nitrogen, carbon oxides, hydrogen and a decreased quantity of methane; (c) converting carbon monoxide catalytically with steam to carbon dioxide and hydrogen; (d) removing carbon oxides to give an ammonia synthesis gas comprising nitrogen and hydrogen and compressing the gas to ammonia synthesis pressure; (e) reacting the synthesis gas in an ammonia synthesis zone to produce ammonia and recovering ammonia from the reacted gas to produce an ammonia-depleted gas stream; (f) recycling at least a portion of the ammonia-depleted gas stream to the ammonia synthesis zone; and (g) treating a sidestream of the ammonia-depleted gas to separate a stream enriched in hydrogen and an inerts-enriched gas stream, and returning the enriched hydrogen stream to the ammonia synthesis zone; the improvement which comprises: (i) operating step (b) at a temperature in the outlet gas of not greater than about 1735.degree. F. and with an amount of air sufficient to provide from about 3 to 11 molar % excess N.sub.2 and to form a secondary reformer outlet gas containing at least 0.8 vol. % methane; (ii) operating step (e) under conditions sufficient to provide at least 10 vol. % inert gases in the ammonia-depleted gas stream; and (iii) introducing as synthesis gas feed to the ammonia synthesis zone a mixture comprising the synthesis gas formed in step (d) having a methane content of at least about 1.2 mol. % CH.sub.4, on a dry basis, the recycled gas produced in step (f) plus the hydrogen-enriched gas stream formed in step (g), whereby the H.sub.2 loss from the process with the separated inerts enriched gas stream is minimized.

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