Methods for the reformation of gaseous hydrocarbons are provided. The methods can include forming a bubble containing the gaseous hydrocarbon in a liquid. The bubble can be generated to pass in a gap between a pair of electrodes, whereby an electrical discharge is generated in the bubble at the gap between the electrodes. The electrodes can be a metal or metal alloy with a high melting point so they can sustain high voltages of up to about 200 kilovolts. The gaseous hydrocarbon can be combined with an additive gas such as molecular oxygen or carbon dioxide. The reformation of the gaseous hydrocarbon can produce mixtures containing one or more of H.sub.2, CO, H.sub.2O, CO.sub.2, and a lower hydrocarbon such as ethane or ethylene. The reformation of the gaseous hydrocarbon can produce low amounts of CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2O, e.g. about 15 mol-% or less.

Plasma devices for hydrocarbon reformation are provided. Methods of using the devices for hydrocarbon reformation are also provided. The devices can include a liquid container to receive a hydrocarbon source, and a plasma torch configured to be submerged in the liquid. The plasma plume from the plasma torch can cause reformation of the hydrocarbon. The device can use a variety of plasma torches that can be arranged in a variety of positions in the liquid container. The devices can be used for the reformation of gaseous hydrocarbons and/or liquid hydrocarbons. The reformation can produce methane, lower hydrocarbons, higher hydrocarbons, hydrogen gas, water, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, or a combination thereof.

A reactor assembly for igniting and sustaining a plasma and method for performing a reaction. The assembly includes an elongated cylindrical inner electrode; a dielectric tube arranged helically around the elongated cylindrical inner electrode to form a helical reactor. The reactor assembly also includes an annular outer electrode arranged around at least a portion of the exterior of the helical reactor. The assembly includes a power source to provide a voltage across the elongated cylindrical inner electrode and the annular outer electrode. A process stream including at least a gas flows through the dielectric tube. The voltage is applied across the elongated cylindrical inner electrode and the annular outer electrode such that at least a portion of the flow of the process stream through the dielectric tube is exposed to the voltage and the plasma is ignited and sustained.

According to the present invention, organic material is converted to biogas through anaerobic digestion and the biogas is purified to yield a combustible fluid feedstock comprising methane. A fuel production facility utilizes or arranges to utilize combustible fluid feedstock to generate renewable hydrogen that is used to hydrogenate crude oil derived hydrocarbons in a process to make transportation or heating fuel. The renewable hydrogen is combined with crude oil derived hydrocarbons that have been desulfurized under conditions to hydrogenate the liquid hydrocarbon with the renewable hydrogen or alternatively, the renewable hydrogen can be added to a reactor operated so as to simultaneously desulfurize and hydrogenate the hydrocarbons. The present invention enables a party to receive a renewable fuel credit for the transportation or heating fuel.

A device to extract water and volatile organic compounds from asteroids, comets, and other space resources for propellant production, life support consumables, and manufacturing from in-situ resources in support of advanced space exploration is described. The device thermally extracts ice and water bound to clay minerals, which is then combined with small amounts of oxygen to gasify organic matter contained in carbonaceous chondrite asteroids. In addition to water, the device produces hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide that comprise precursors to oxygen for propellant and breathing gas and organic compounds including fuels and plastics.

The device and methods are also applicable to the recovery of moisture, volatiles, and carbonaceous matter from low-grade terrestrial resources and waste materials. Application of the technology to terrestrial resources and wastes containing relatively low concentrations of carbonaceous matter is useful on Earth to obtain fuel components and water in an efficient manner. The technology enables the use of unconventional feed materials such as coal preparation waste, oil shale, contaminated soils, municipal wastes, and renewable resources and their byproducts produces valuable fuels and chemicals while mitigating detrimental environmental issues related to conventional storage or disposal of such materials.

According to the present invention, organic material is converted to biogas through anaerobic digestion and the biogas is purified to yield a combustible fluid feedstock comprising methane. A fuel production facility utilizes or arranges to utilize combustible fluid feedstock to generate renewable hydrogen that is used to hydrogenate crude oil derived hydrocarbons in a process to make transportation or heating fuel. The renewable hydrogen is combined with crude oil derived hydrocarbons that have been desulfurized under conditions to hydrogenate the liquid hydrocarbon with the renewable hydrogen or alternatively, the renewable hydrogen can be added to a reactor operated so as to simultaneously desulfurize and hydrogenate the hydrocarbons. The present invention enables a party to receive a renewable fuel credit for the transportation or heating fuel.

Process and method to generate hydrogen with high CO.sub.2 capture rate. The invention entails production of hydrogen in an efficient and innovative way without any continuous carbon emissions within the hydrogen production unit by use of only one CO.sub.2 removal unit. The proposed novel solution allows achieving a direct CO.sub.2 capture rate of >99% by the autothermal reforming based hydrogen generation process with one CO.sub.2 removal unit with an efficient thermal integration and without any fired heater.

A process for producing hydrocarbons is disclosed in which a first feed substream and a second feed substream are obtained from a hydrocarbonaceous feed stream, of which the first feed substream is converted by means of partial oxidation or autothermal reforming to a first synthesis gas stream and the second feed substream is converted by means of steam reforming to a second synthesis gas stream and subsequently combined with the first synthesis gas stream to give a third synthesis gas stream, of which at least a first portion is converted by Fischer-Tropsch synthesis to a crude product stream comprising hydrocarbons of different chain lengths, from which light hydrocarbons are separated in a tail gas, in order to recycle them and use them in the partial oxidation or autothermal reforming. The characteristic feature here is that unsaturated hydrocarbons are separated from at least a portion of the tail gas.

A reforming device according to the present invention has a compressor, a first heat exchanger, a desulfurization device, a reformer, a raw material gas branching line that extracts a compressed natural gas from a downstream side of the desulfurization device with respect to the flow direction of the natural gas and supplies the natural gas to the reformer, and a flue gas discharging line that discharges a flue gas generated in the reformer, wherein the first heat exchanger is provided in the flue gas discharging line, and the flue gas is used as a heating medium of the compressed natural gas.

In an ammonia or hydrogen plant comprising a desulfurisation section, a reforming section and a shift section, where the shift section comprises a low temperature shift converter and a medium temperature shift converter, a vent line is arranged downstream from the low temperature shift converter and the medium temperature shift converter in order to allow the shift converters to be re-heated with process gas at a low pressure (typically 3-7 bar). This way condensation of water vapour in the process gas is avoided. By applying this vent line it becomes possible to save significant time, more specifically 8-24 hours, for restarting the production after temporary shut-down thereof, because a heat-up of the LTS/MTS converter in circulating nitrogen is avoided.