Hydrogen-producing fuel processing systems and related methods. The systems include a hydrogen-producing region configured to produce a mixed gas stream from a feedstock stream, a hydrogen-separation membrane module having at least one hydrogen-selective membrane and configured to separate the mixed gas stream into a product hydrogen stream and a byproduct stream, and an oxidant delivery system configured to deliver an oxidant-containing stream to the hydrogen-separation membrane module in situ to increase hydrogen permeance of the hydrogen-selective membrane. The methods include operating a hydrogen-producing fuel processing system in a hydrogen-producing regime, and subsequently operating the hydrogen-producing fuel processing system in a restoration regime, in which an oxidant-containing stream is delivered to the hydrogen-separation membrane module in situ to expose the at least one hydrogen-selective membrane to the oxidant-containing stream to increase the hydrogen permeance of the at least one hydrogen-selective membrane.

Process for the synthesis of ammonia from natural gas comprising conversion of a charge of desulphurized natural gas and steam, with oxygen-enriched air or oxygen, into a synthesis gas, and treatment of the synthesis gas with shift reaction and decarbonation, wherein a part of the CO2-depleted synthesis gas, obtained after decarbonation, is separated and used as fuel fraction for one or more furnaces of the conversion section, and the remaining part of the gas is used to produce ammonia.

The invention relates to a process for the start-up of an autothermal reformer, wherein syngas is produced in the autothermal reformer during start-up through steam reforming. To facilitate autoignition in the autothermal reformer reactor of the autothermal reformer, the reformed syngas is recycled to an upstream section of the autothermal reformer reactor and is mixed with process steam and a hydrocarbon containing process stream. As soon as a minimum hydrogen threshold concentration at the upstream section of the autothermal reformer reactor is reached in the mixed process stream, oxygen is added to the burner of the ATR reactor to obtain autoignition of the mixed process stream. Due to the process of the invention, an external hydrogen source for facilitating autoignition of the mixed stream can be omitted. The invention further relates to a plant configured to carry out the process of the invention.

A method of co-producing a nitrogen containing stream and a methanol stream, including producing at least an oxygen enriched stream and a nitrogen enriched stream in an air separation unit, introducing at least a portion of the oxygen enriched stream into an oxygen-based reformer, thereby producing a first syngas stream, introducing at least a portion of the first syngas stream into a methanol synthesis reactor, thereby producing at least a hydrogen containing stream and a methanol containing stream, introducing at least a portion of the methanol containing stream into a methanol distillation system, thereby producing a methanol product stream, introducing at least a portion of the nitrogen enriched stream, at least a portion of the first enriched hydrogen containing stream, and at least a portion of the second enriched hydrogen containing stream into an ammonia synthesis reactor, thereby producing an ammonia product stream.

A synthesis process comprising steam reforming a gaseous hydrocarbon feedstock; exothermically reacting the resulting synthesis gas; removing heat from said exothermal reaction by producing steam; using said steam as heat input to the steam reforming, wherein the steam reforming comprises: a) forming a mixture containing steam and hydrocarbons by at least the step of adding a first stream of water to the hydrocarbon feedstock; b) heating said mixture by indirect heat exchange with synthesis gas; c) reforming said mixture after said heating step b).

The present invention relates to a revamp method for increasing the front-end capacity of a plant comprising a reforming section, wherein a feed is reformed in at least one reforming step to a reformed stream comprising CH.sub.4, CO, CO.sub.2, H.sub.2 and H.sub.2O a shift section wherein the reformed stream is shifted in a shift reaction in at least a high temperature shift step,
said method comprising the steps of In the High temperature shift step exchanging an original Fe-based catalyst with a non-Fe-based catalyst Increasing the feed flow to the reforming section, and The HTS step is carried out at a reduced steam/dry-gas ratio (S/DG) compared to an original S/DG in the original HTS step with the original Fe-based catalyst.

A method for revamping a reforming section of a chemical plant, wherein the reforming section treats a first hydrocarbon feed stream, and an apparatus downstream of the reforming section, designed as a steam generator, is converted into a GHR by means of the following steps: replacing the heat exchange bodies of said steam generator with heat exchange bodies containing a reforming catalyst; directing a second hydrocarbon feed stream inside said heat exchange bodies containing catalyst; extracting a reformed gas stream from said heat exchange bodies.

A system and method for oxygen transport membrane enhanced Integrated Gasifier Combined Cycle (IGCC) is provided. The oxygen transport membrane enhanced IGCC system is configured to generate electric power and optionally produce a fuel/liquid product from coal-derived synthesis gas or a mixture of coal-derived synthesis gas and natural gas derived synthesis gas.

A process for the production of formaldehyde-stabilised urea is described comprising the steps of: (a) generating a synthesis gas; (b) subjecting the synthesis gas to one or more stages of water-gas shift in one or more water-gas shift reactors to form a shifted gas; (c) cooling the shifted gas to below the dew point and recovering condensate to form a dried shifted gas; (d) recovering carbon dioxide from the dried shifted gas in a carbon dioxide removal unit to form a carbon dioxide-depleted synthesis gas; (e) synthesising methanol from the carbon dioxide-depleted synthesis gas in a methanol synthesis unit and recovering the methanol and a methanol synthesis off-gas; (f) subjecting at least a portion of the recovered methanol to oxidation with air to form formaldehyde in a stabiliser production unit; (g) subjecting the methanol synthesis off-gas to methanation in a methanation reactor containing a methanation catalyst to form an ammonia synthesis gas; (h) synthesising ammonia from the ammonia synthesis gas in an ammonia production unit and recovering the ammonia; (i) reacting a portion of the ammonia and at least a portion of the recovered carbon dioxide stream in a urea production unit to form a urea stream; and (j) stabilising the urea by mixing the urea stream and a stabiliser prepared using the formaldehyde produced in the stabiliser production unit, wherein the carbon dioxide removal unit operates by means of absorption using a liquid absorbent and comprises an absorbent regeneration unit, wherein the process includes recovering a carbon dioxide-containing gas stream from the absorbent regeneration unit, compressing at least a portion of the recovered carbon dioxide-containing gas stream to form a compressed carbon dioxide-containing gas stream and passing the compressed carbon dioxide-containing gas stream to the methanol synthesis unit.

A process for the production of formaldehyde-stabilised urea is described comprising the steps of: (a) generating a synthesis gas; (b) subjecting the synthesis gas to one or more stages of water-gas shift in one or more water-gas shift reactors to form a shifted gas; (c) cooling the shifted gas to below the dew point and recovering condensate to form a dried shifted gas; (d) recovering carbon dioxide from the dried shifted gas in a carbon dioxide removal unit to form a carbon dioxide-depleted synthesis gas; (e) synthesising methanol from the carbon dioxide-depleted synthesis gas in a methanol synthesis unit and recovering the methanol and a methanol synthesis off-gas; (f) subjecting at least a portion of the recovered methanol to oxidation with air to form formaldehyde in a stabiliser production unit; (g) subjecting the methanol synthesis off-gas to methanation in a methanation reactor containing a methanation catalyst to form an ammonia synthesis gas; (h) synthesising ammonia from the ammonia synthesis gas in an ammonia production unit and recovering the ammonia; (i) reacting a portion of the ammonia and at least a portion of the recovered carbon dioxide stream in a urea production unit to form a urea stream; and (j) stabilising the urea by mixing the urea stream and a stabiliser prepared using the formaldehyde produced in the stabiliser production unit, wherein the carbon dioxide removal unit operates by means of absorption using a liquid absorbent and comprises an absorbent regeneration unit, wherein the process includes recovering a carbon dioxide-containing gas stream from the absorbent regeneration unit, compressing at least a portion of the recovered carbon dioxide-containing gas stream to form a compressed carbon dioxide-containing gas stream and passing the compressed carbon dioxide-containing gas stream to the methanol synthesis unit.