Chemical Engineering January 2015 - 45

Feature Report
*: items in
brackets, {},
optional
principles
Reaction
Catalytic
Steam Methane
Reforming
(SMR)
Gaseous
yes
Heat supply indirect
(firing)
feed
Natural
gas, refinery
offgas, LPG,
naphtha
TABLE 3. syngAs TEChnoLogy CompArison
Partial
Heat Exchange
Reforming
Gaseous
yes
indirect
(heat
exchange)
Natural
gas,
refinery offgas,
partially
reformed
gas
Natural gas,
refinery offgas,
partially
reformed gas
Natural
Gas, Refinery
Offgas
Heavy Oil
Residue contaminated
with
sulphur
and heavy
metals
Fine high-rank
bituminous coal
or lignite, low ash
content, low ash
fusion temperature
Low-rank
lignite
or highrank
reactive
coal, lump
coal, high
moisture and
ash content,
high ash fusion
temperature
feed
pretreatment*
Hydro-desulfurization,
{Pre-reforming}
reforming
Equipment
Externally
heated
catalyst
filled
tubes in a
furnace
Pressure,
barg
Temperature,
°C
Steam/carbon
ratio,
mol/mol
H2/CO in
syngas in
mol/mol
CO2 in syngas,
mol%
CH4 in syngas,
mol%
Condensate
handling
15-45
750-950
1.8-3.0
3.5-5.5
7-12
3-30
Internal recycle
Hydro-desulfurization,
{Pre-reforming}
Heat
exchanger
filled
with
catalyst
30-40
750-880
1.8-3.0
3.5-5.5
7-12
6-10
Internal recycle
Hydro-desulfurization,
pre-reforming,
fired
heater
Refractory
lined reactor
{Hydrodesulfurisation},
fired
heater
Refractory
lined reactor
Fluidization,
pumping
&
atomization
Refractory
lined reactor
Coal grinding
and drying, pulverized
fuel quality,
dry feed, lock
hopper
Cooling screen
Coal screening,
lock
hopper
Refractory
lined reactor
with internals
for coal distribution
and
ash removal
40-100
950-1,050
1.0-2.0
2.5-3.5
8-10
2-3
Internal recycle
40-100
50-80
1,200-1,400
1,200-1,350
0.1-0.5
1.5-2.0
2-4
0.2-1
Soot water
recycle
and blowdown
syngas
cleaning
-
-
-
Soot
scrubbing/
washing
0.3-0.5
0.85-1.0
3-6
0.2-1
Soot,
ash
(metal) removal
25-40
1,300-1,600
1.2-1.5
0.35-0.8
3-8
0.25-1
Slag
removal,
Soot water recycle
and blowdown
H2S
removal
Rectisol, sulfur
unit
H2S removal rectisol,
sulfur unit
25-60
230-600
1.0-1.7
1.5-3.3
23-34
5-16
Waste water
treatment, ash
lock and handling
Liquor
separation,
tar/
oil/phenol/
NH3 recovery,
Rectisol, sulfur
unit
product separation
of typical
products
PSA (H2), Liquid
methane
wash coldbox
(CO),
syngas for
synfuels
PSA (H2),
syngas for
synfuels
Liquid methane
wash
coldbox
(CO), membrane
(H2 +
CO), syngas
for synfuels
Partial condensation
coldbox
(CO),
membrane
(oxogas),
syngas
for
DRI
Methanation
(H2, NH3), liquid
nitrogen
wash (NH3),
syngas for
synfuels
Combined cycle
(power), syngas
for synfuels
Methane synthesis
(SNG),
syngas for synfuels,
syngas
for DRI
Biomass including
highly
viscous feed,
high water
and oxygenate
content
Auto-thermal
Reforming
(ATR)
Gaseous
yes
direct (O2)
Oxidation
(GasPOX)
Gaseous
no
direct (O2)
Residue Gasification
(MPG)
Heterogenous
no
direct
(O2)
Entrained Flow
Coal Gasification
(ETF / dry feed)
Heterogenous
no
direct (O2)
Fixed Bed
Coal Gasification
(FBDB /
dry ash)
Entrained Flow
Biomass Slurry
Gasification
(Bioliq)
Heterogenous Heterogenous
no
direct (O2)
no
direct (O2)
Biomass
preparation,
pyrolysis,slurry
feed
Reactor
with cooling
screen
40-80
1,200-1,500
0.1-0.5
0.6-1.0
15-40
0.2-1
Slag removal,
Soot water
recycle and
blow-down,
waste water
treatment
H2S removal
Rectisol, sulfur
unit
Combined
cycle (power),
syngas for
synfuels
gas with a methane component of
1 mol% or lower following GasPOX
reforming, a partial-condensation
cold box must be chosen rather
than a methane-wash cold box, as
the latter requires that the feed
gas have a CH4 content of greater
than 1.5 mol%. However, the choice
of cold box will also depend on the
required end product. For example,
oxogas can be made readily available
from the first column of a partial
condensation cold box, while a
methane-wash cold box can provide
44 ChemiCal engineering www.Chemengonline.Com JanUarY 2015
H2-rich gas at high pressure.
Polymer membranes can be an effective
means of product separation
if quality specifications are lower, or
where byproducts are to be recycled.
Membrane technology is particularly
advantageous in scenarios where the
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