Page 51 - Impiantistica Industriale - Settembre Ottobre 2014
P. 51
. 5 – MT-2 Foster Wheeler Banquy scheme 5. Hydrogen
In 1766, Henry Cavendish was the first to recognize
hydrogen gas and in 1783, Antoine Lavoisier
(figure 8) gave the element the name of hydrogen
(hydro water and genes forming)
Hydrogen is the most abundant of the chemical
elements, constituting roughly 75% of the universe’s
mass. It is an energy carrier, not an energy source.
Today hydrogen is produced mostly by steam
reforming of natural gas. Modern hydrogen plants
consist of four basic sections (figure 9):
• treatment to remove sulphur traces and other
contaminants;
• steam methane reformer, which converts
feedstock and steam to syngas at high
temperature and moderate pressure;
• CO shift reactor/s to increase hydrogen yield;
• hydrogen purification, in which modern plants
use a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) unit to
achieve the final product purity.
Total growth estimate of refinery hydrogen is
approx. 1.75 million Nm3/h over the next 4-5 years.
Fig. 6 - Block flow diagram depicts all the combination of the process routes that allow the 6. Methanol - dme
production of syngas from natural gas
Methanol is also named methyl alcohol (or “wood
Hpr2o/CceOssra(Ftiios,chaser-reTrqoupirsecdh,bmy eththeasneolle,catmedmsoynniatheetsci.s) spirit”). The term alcohol derives from the Arabic
name Al Koh’l, impalpable, characteristic extended
while simultaneously minimizing inefficiencies of the to any vapour that can be extracted from a heated
liquid, e.g. “wine spirit” (ethanol).
individual processes. The methanol production process based on natural
gas can be thought of in terms of the following
The block flow diagram of figure 6 depicts all the (figure 10):
• reforming of hydrocarbon feedstocks for the
combination of the process routes that allow the
production of synthesis gas;
production of syngas from natural gas, with the • synthesis of methanol from synthesis gas in a
quality required by the downstream processes. catalytic converter;
• purification to AA grade methanol (99.85%wt)
The type of syngas generation equipment selected
by distillation.
will produce paroHdu2/cCt Oprroacteiossthraetqumireamtchenests the The typical syngas quality is defined it terms of
downstream as methanol module (M):
closely as possible (figure 7).
Product H2/CO ratio
Acetic acid 1:1
Methacrylic acid 5:4
Glycol 3:2
Acetaldehyde 3:2
FT fuels 2:1
Methanol 2.1
Fig. 7 – The type of syngas generation equipment selected produces a H2/CO ratio that matches the downstream product process requirements as closely
as possible
50 Impiantistica Italiana - Settembre - Ottobre 2014
In 1766, Henry Cavendish was the first to recognize
hydrogen gas and in 1783, Antoine Lavoisier
(figure 8) gave the element the name of hydrogen
(hydro water and genes forming)
Hydrogen is the most abundant of the chemical
elements, constituting roughly 75% of the universe’s
mass. It is an energy carrier, not an energy source.
Today hydrogen is produced mostly by steam
reforming of natural gas. Modern hydrogen plants
consist of four basic sections (figure 9):
• treatment to remove sulphur traces and other
contaminants;
• steam methane reformer, which converts
feedstock and steam to syngas at high
temperature and moderate pressure;
• CO shift reactor/s to increase hydrogen yield;
• hydrogen purification, in which modern plants
use a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) unit to
achieve the final product purity.
Total growth estimate of refinery hydrogen is
approx. 1.75 million Nm3/h over the next 4-5 years.
Fig. 6 - Block flow diagram depicts all the combination of the process routes that allow the 6. Methanol - dme
production of syngas from natural gas
Methanol is also named methyl alcohol (or “wood
Hpr2o/CceOssra(Ftiios,chaser-reTrqoupirsecdh,bmy eththeasneolle,catmedmsoynniatheetsci.s) spirit”). The term alcohol derives from the Arabic
name Al Koh’l, impalpable, characteristic extended
while simultaneously minimizing inefficiencies of the to any vapour that can be extracted from a heated
liquid, e.g. “wine spirit” (ethanol).
individual processes. The methanol production process based on natural
gas can be thought of in terms of the following
The block flow diagram of figure 6 depicts all the (figure 10):
• reforming of hydrocarbon feedstocks for the
combination of the process routes that allow the
production of synthesis gas;
production of syngas from natural gas, with the • synthesis of methanol from synthesis gas in a
quality required by the downstream processes. catalytic converter;
• purification to AA grade methanol (99.85%wt)
The type of syngas generation equipment selected
by distillation.
will produce paroHdu2/cCt Oprroacteiossthraetqumireamtchenests the The typical syngas quality is defined it terms of
downstream as methanol module (M):
closely as possible (figure 7).
Product H2/CO ratio
Acetic acid 1:1
Methacrylic acid 5:4
Glycol 3:2
Acetaldehyde 3:2
FT fuels 2:1
Methanol 2.1
Fig. 7 – The type of syngas generation equipment selected produces a H2/CO ratio that matches the downstream product process requirements as closely
as possible
50 Impiantistica Italiana - Settembre - Ottobre 2014
