Patent EP0317235A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0317235A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Separation of gas mixtures including hydrogen
Assignee: BOC Group Ltd
•
Filing: 1988-11-14
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2008-11-14
Abstract
Abstract Hydrocarbon and steam are introduced into a reformer 102 to form a gas mixture including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, water vapour and hydrogen. After removal of the water vapour, the gas mixture is passed to a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) plant 122 comprising first and second arrays 124 and 126 respectively of adsorber vessels. The gas mixture is separated in the plant 122 into a non-adsorbed hydrogen product, a carbon dioxide-enriched fraction, a part of which is recycled to the reformer 102, and a carbon monoxide-enriched fraction withdrawn from an intermediate location of the plant 122. The carbon monoxide-enriched fraction is separated in a further PSA plant 148 to produce a carbon monoxide product. The kind of PSA plant 122 may be used outside this process to separate gas mixtures containing three or more components.
Inventors
- 👤 Ramachasdran Krishnamurthy
- 👤 Alan George Stokley
- 👤 Steven L. Lerner
- 👤 Yagya Shukla
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 06:49
CPC Classifications
C; C01; C01B; C01B3/00; C01B3/02; C01B3/32; C01B3/34; B; B01; B01D; B01D53/00; B01D53/02; B01D53/04; B01D53/047; C01B23/00; C01B3/50; C01B3/56; C01B32/00; C01B32/40; B01D2253/00; B01D2253/10; B01D2253/102; B01D2253/106; B01D2253/108; B01D2256/00; B01D2256/16; B01D2256/18; B01D2256/20; B01D2256/22; B01D2256/24; B01D2256/245; B01D2257/00; B01D2257/10; B01D2257/102; B01D2257/11; B01D2257/50; B01D2257/502; B01D2257/504; B01D2257/70; B01D2257/702; B01D2257/7022; B01D2257/7025; B01D2257/80; B01D2259/00; B01D2259/40; B01D2259/40001; B01D2259/40011; B01D2259/40013; B01D2259/40016; B01D2259/40028; B01D2259/4003; B01D2259/40032; B01D2259/40035; B01D2259/40037; B01D2259/40039; B01D2259/40043; B01D2259/40047; B01D2259/4005; B01D2259/40052; B01D2259/40058; B01D2259/40067; B01D2259/40069; B01D2259/40073; B01D2259/403; B01D2259/404; B01D2259/406; B01D2259/4065; B01D2259/414; B01D2259/4141; B01D2259/4145; B01D2259/4146; B01D53/0476; B01D53/26; B01D53/261; C01B2203/00; C01B2203/04; C01B2203/042; C01B2203/043; C01B2203/0465; C01B2203/047; C01B2203/0475; C01B2203/048; C01B2203/0495; Y; Y02; Y02C; Y02C20/00; Y02C20/20; Y02C20/40; Y02P; Y02P20/00; Y02P20/151; Y02P20/156
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
107 words
A method of forming hydrogen and carbon monoxide products from hydrocarbon, comprising reforming hydrocarbon to form a gas mixture including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide, subjecting the gas mixture to at least one sorptive separation to produce a hydrogen product, a gas mixture enriched in carbon monoxide and a gas mixture enriched in carbon dioxide and then subjecting at least some of the gas mixture enriched in carbon monoxide to further sorptive separation to produce a carbon monoxide product, wherein the hydrocarbon is reformed with steam and with at least some of the gas mixture enriched in carbon dioxide or carbon dioxide from a separate source.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
107 words
A method of forming hydrogen and carbon monoxide products from hydrocarbon, comprising reforming hydrocarbon to form a gas mixture including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide, subjecting the gas mixture to at least one sorptive separation to produce a hydrogen product, a gas mixture enriched in carbon monoxide and a gas mixture enriched in carbon dioxide and then subjecting at least some of the gas mixture enriched in carbon monoxide to further sorptive separation to produce a carbon monoxide product, wherein the hydrocarbon is reformed with steam and with at least some of the gas mixture enriched in carbon dioxide or carbon dioxide from a separate source.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
149 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein the separation of the gas mixture comprising hydrogen carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide into a hydrogen product, a gas mixture enriched in carbon monoxide, and a gas mixture enriched in carbon dioxide is performed by repeating a cycle of operating steps including passing said gas mixture through first and second adsorptive regions in series, both said adsorptive regions comprising adsorbent on which carbon monoxide is more strongly adsorbed than hydrogen but less strongly adsorbed than carbon dioxide, withdrawing said hydrogen product from the downstream end of the second region, stopping admission of the said gas mixture to the first adsorptive region, withdrawing said gas mixture enriched in carbon monoxide from both adsorbent regions at a location intermediate said first and second adsorbent regions, and then withdrawing said gas mixture enriched in carbon dioxide from the feed end of the first adsorbent region.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
139 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein there are at least four pairs of said second regions, each pair performing the cycle of operations in chosen phase relationship with the others and in each cycle of operations intermediate the steps of producing the hydrogen product and the gas mixture enriched in carbon monoxide, the pressures in the first and second adsorptive regions are equalised with the pressures in another of the pairs of first and second adsorptive regions, and wherein after the step of producing the gas mixture enriched in carbon dioxide, the first and second adsorptive regions are placed in communication with another pair of first and second regions at a higher pressure so as to build up the pressure to a first level, and then the pressure is increased again by repressurising the beds with product hydrogen.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method according to claim 3, wherein the gas mixture enriched in carbon monoxide is withdrawn from both said first and second adsorbent regions simultaneously.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
62 words
A method according to claim 3, wherein the gas mixture enriched in carbon monoxide is withdrawn first from the second adsorptive region and then from the first adsorptive region, and during withdrawal of the gas mixture from said second adsorptive region, a portion of said gas mixture enriched in carbon dioxide is introduced into the first adsorptive region from its feed end.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
47 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein the gas mixture is first subjected to adsorptive separation to remove carbon dioxide therefrom and produce a carbon dioxide product and then separated by pressure swing adsorption to produce a hydrogen product and the gas mixture enriched in carbon monoxide.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
86 words
A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the gas mixture enriched in carbon monoxide is separated by pressure swing adsorption to produce the carbon monoxide product, the separation of the gas mixture enriched in carbon monoxide by pressure swing adsorption comprising removing constituents more readily adsorbable than carbon monoxide from the gas mixture in a first bed of adsorbent adsorbing carbon monoxide in a second bed of adsorbent and generating the carbon monoxide product by desorbing the carbon monoxide at sub-atmospheric pressure.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
113 words
Apparatus for forming hydrogen and carbon monoxide products from hydrocarbon comprising a reformer for converting hydrocarbon to gas mixture comprising hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, a first group of sorptive separators for separating said gas mixture to produce a hydrogen product, a gas mixture enriched in carbon monoxide and a gas mixture enriched in carbon dioxide, a second group of sorptive separators for separating at least some of the gas mixture enriched in carbon monoxide to produce carbon monoxide product, and means for introducing steam and at least some of the gas mixture enriched in carbon dioxide or carbon dioxide from a separate source into the reformer for reaction with the hydrocarbon.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
113 words
Apparatus for forming hydrogen and carbon monoxide products from hydrocarbon comprising a reformer for converting hydrocarbon to gas mixture comprising hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, a first group of sorptive separators for separating said gas mixture to produce a hydrogen product, a gas mixture enriched in carbon monoxide and a gas mixture enriched in carbon dioxide, a second group of sorptive separators for separating at least some of the gas mixture enriched in carbon monoxide to produce carbon monoxide product, and means for introducing steam and at least some of the gas mixture enriched in carbon dioxide or carbon dioxide from a separate source into the reformer for reaction with the hydrocarbon.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
128 words
Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said sorptive separators are adpated to separate by pressure swing adsorption, and wherein the first group of sorptive separators comprise a plurality of pairs of first and second adsorptive regions comprising adsorbent on which carbon monoxide is more strongly adsorbed than hydrogen but less strongly adsorbed than carbon dioxide, each pair of beds having at one end a port for the introduction of the gas mixture comprising hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, and for the subsequent withdrawal of the gas mixture enriched in carbon dioxide, and at the opposite end a port for the withdrawal of hydrogen product, and wherein there is a conduit for the withdrawal of gas mixture enriched in carbon monoxide from intermediate said first and second regions.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
156 words
A method of separating a gas mixture comprising at least three components by pressure swing adsorption into three different fractions, comprising repeatedly performing a cycle of operations including the steps of passing said gas mixture through first and second adsorptive regions in series, both of said adsorptive regions comprising an adsorbent on which a second component of the mixture is more strongly adsorbed than a first component, but less strongly adsorbed than a third component, withdrawing a first fraction enriched in said first component from the downstream end of the second adsorptive region, stopping admission of the said gas mixture to the first adsorptive region, withdrawing a second fraction enriched in the second component from the downstream end of the second adsorptive region and from the upstream end of the second adsorptive region into a common pipeline, and withdrawing a third fraction enriched in the third component from the upstream end of the first adsorptive region.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
156 words
A method of separating a gas mixture comprising at least three components by pressure swing adsorption into three different fractions, comprising repeatedly performing a cycle of operations including the steps of passing said gas mixture through first and second adsorptive regions in series, both of said adsorptive regions comprising an adsorbent on which a second component of the mixture is more strongly adsorbed than a first component, but less strongly adsorbed than a third component, withdrawing a first fraction enriched in said first component from the downstream end of the second adsorptive region, stopping admission of the said gas mixture to the first adsorptive region, withdrawing a second fraction enriched in the second component from the downstream end of the second adsorptive region and from the upstream end of the second adsorptive region into a common pipeline, and withdrawing a third fraction enriched in the third component from the upstream end of the first adsorptive region.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
15 words
A method according to claim 10, wherein the first and second fractions are withdrawn simultaneously.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
85 words
A method according to claim 10, wherein on stopping admission of the said gas mixture to the first adsorptive region, the second adsorptive region is closed to the first adsorptive region, a second fraction enriched in said second component is withdrawn first from the upstream end of the second adsorptive region while passing gas mixture enriched in said third component into said first adsorptive region from its upstream end, and then the second fraction is withdrawn from the downstream end of the first adsorptive region.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method according to claim 13, wherein said cycles use at least four pairs of said first and second regions, each pair performing the cycle of operations in chosen phase relationship with the others.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
98 words
A method according to claim 13, wherein intermediate the steps of producing the first and second fractions, the pressures in the first and second regions are equalised with the pressures in another of the pairs of first and second adsorptive regions, after the step of withdrawing the third fraction, the first and second adsorptive regions are placed in communication with another pair of first and second adsorptive regions at a higher pressure so as to build up the pressure to a first level, and then the pressure in increased again by repressurising the bed with the first fraction.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
47 words
A method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein said first component is hydrogen, said second component is carbon monoxide and said third component is carbon dioxide or said first component is hydrogen, said second component is argon, and said third component is methane.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
159 words
A method of separating a feed gas mixture comprising at least three components by pressure swing adsorption comprising repeatedly performing a cycle of operations including an adsorption step of passing the gas mixture through at least one adsorptive bed under pressure wherein one or more of the components of the mixture is more strongly adsorbed than one or more of the remaining components which are continuously discharged therefrom, and a desorption step of reversing the flow through said adsorptive bed thereby desorbing the adsorbed components therefrom, wherein a flow of a gas mixture comprising two or more components of continuously varying concentration of said components withdrawn from the adsorptive bed during the adsorption step, or the desorption step is collected in two fractions in timed relationship such that the first fraction is enriched in one or more components relative to the second fraction and the second fraction is enriched in one or more components relative to the first fraction.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
159 words
A method of separating a feed gas mixture comprising at least three components by pressure swing adsorption comprising repeatedly performing a cycle of operations including an adsorption step of passing the gas mixture through at least one adsorptive bed under pressure wherein one or more of the components of the mixture is more strongly adsorbed than one or more of the remaining components which are continuously discharged therefrom, and a desorption step of reversing the flow through said adsorptive bed thereby desorbing the adsorbed components therefrom, wherein a flow of a gas mixture comprising two or more components of continuously varying concentration of said components withdrawn from the adsorptive bed during the adsorption step, or the desorption step is collected in two fractions in timed relationship such that the first fraction is enriched in one or more components relative to the second fraction and the second fraction is enriched in one or more components relative to the first fraction.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.