In an apparatus, a gas containing CH.sub.4 and CO.sub.2 is supplied from a first supply unit to a synthetic gas production unit which generates a synthetic gas containing CO and H.sub.2 while heating a first catalytic structure; the synthetic gas is supplied to a gas production unit which generates a lower olefin-containing gas including propylene while heating a second catalytic structure; and a detection unit detects propylene discharged from the gas production unit. The first catalytic structure includes first supports having a porous structure and a first metal fine particle that is present in first channels of the first supports. The second catalyst structure includes second supports having a porous structure and a second metal fine particle in the second supports. The second supports have a second channels, a portion of which have an average inner diameter of 0.95 nm or less.

The invention concerns a process and apparatus for cracking ammonia in which heated ammonia gas at super-atmospheric pressure is partially cracked catalytically in an adiabatic reaction unit to produce partially cracked ammonia gas which is heated and fed to catalyst-containing reactor tubes in a furnace to cause cracking of further ammonia and produce a cracked gas comprising hydrogen gas, nitrogen gas and residual ammonia gas. At least some, preferably all, of the duty required to heat the partially cracked ammonia gas is provided by heat exchange with the cracked gas, enabling more efficient heat integration within the process.

The invention concerns a process and apparatus for cracking ammonia in which heated ammonia gas at super-atmospheric pressure is partially cracked in at least two adiabatic reactors in series with interstage heating in which the feed temperature to a first reactor is higher than the feed temperature to a further reactor to produce a partially cracked ammonia gas which is then fed to catalyst-containing reactor tubes in a furnace to produce a cracked gas comprising hydrogen gas, nitrogen gas and residual ammonia gas. The use of the adiabatic reactors enables more efficient heat integration within the process and the higher temperature in the first reactor enables the use of a nickel-based catalyst in that reactor as an alternative solution to the potential problem of the presence of oil in the ammonia.

The present invention concerns a process for cracking ammonia comprising providing an ammonia-containing feed gas at a temperature of over 600? C. and a pressure in a range from about 5 bar to about 50 bar; combusting a fuel with an oxidant gas in a furnace to heat reactor tubes to achieve a maximum inner wall temperature of over 700? C. and produce a flue gas, each reactor tube comprising a catalyst bed comprising a first row transition metal-based catalyst; and feeding the ammonia-containing feed gas to the reactor tubes to produce a cracked gas at a temperature of over 600? C. on exit from the reactor tubes.

The present disclosure relates to chemical synthesis. Various embodiments of the teachings thereof may include the synthesis of methanol, generated from hydrogen and a carbonaceous gas. For example, a method may include: compressing gaseous starting materials to an operating pressure of at least 200 bar; supplying the starting materials to a synthesis reactor; removing a product mixture from the synthesis reactor in a liquid state; withdrawing mechanical energy from the product mixture by reducing a pressure of the product mixture; and using the mechanical energy to compress the gaseous starting materials.

The present invention is directed to a process for feeding a polymerisation catalyst into a polymerisation reactor (7), comprising the steps of: (i) maintaining a catalyst slurry comprising a diluent and a solid catalyst component in a catalyst feed vessel (4); (ii) continuously withdrawing a stream of the catalyst slurry from the catalyst feed vessel (4); and (iii) introducing the withdrawn portion of the catalyst slurry into the polymerisation reactor (7), wherein the catalyst slurry is transferred by using a valveless piston pump (5) from the catalyst feed vessel (4) into the polymerisation reactor (7); the diluent has a dynamic viscosity of from 0.01 to 20 mPas at the conditions within the catalyst feed vessel (4), and wherein the catalyst slurry is transferred along a substantially vertical path downwards from the catalyst feed vessel (4) to the reactor (7).

An ammonia-producing system comprises a reactor that catalytically converts nitrogen and hydrogen feed gases to ammonia to form a reaction mixture of the ammonia, unreacted nitrogen gas, and unreacted hydrogen gas. A feed system feeds the nitrogen and hydrogen gases to the reactor at a reaction pressure of from about 9 to about 100 atmospheres. A reactor control system controls the temperature during conversion of the nitrogen and hydrogen to ammonia by maintaining a reaction temperature of from about 330 C. to about 550 C. An absorbent selectively absorbs at least a portion of the ammonia from the reaction mixture, and an absorbent control system controls one or both of a temperature and pressure at the absorbent during selective absorption of the ammonia from the reaction mixture. A recycle line downstream of the absorbent recycles the unreacted nitrogen and unreacted hydrogen to the reactor.

Method of producing hydrogen sulfide in an alkaline environment. A mixture having a sodium salt, elemental sulfur (S) and water is added to a reactor for the purpose of generating hydrogen sulfide (H.sub.2S) gas as the main product and sodium sulfate (Na.sub.2SO.sub.4) as a byproduct.

Nickel based catalyst structures are described herein that include a plurality of metal oxides formed as crystalline phases within the catalyst structures. Each metal oxide of a catalyst structure includes nickel and/or aluminum, where one or more metal oxides includes a nickel aluminum oxide, and the one or more nickel aluminum oxides is greater than 50% by weight of the catalyst structure. The catalyst structures further have surface areas of at least 13 m.sup.2/g. The catalyst structures are resistant to high concentrations of sulfur and are effective in reforming operations for converting methane and other light hydrocarbons to hydrogen and one or more other components. For example, the catalyst structures are effective in coal and biomass gasification systems for the forming and cleanup of synthetic gas.

Integrated systems are provided for the production of higher hydrocarbon compositions, for example liquid hydrocarbon compositions, from methane using an oxidative coupling of methane system to convert methane to ethylene, followed by conversion of ethylene to selectable higher hydrocarbon products. Integrated systems and processes are provided that process methane through to these higher hydrocarbon products.